New People in the Midst of an Old World

December 11, 2009

How can we learn to live as new people in the midst of an old world? This is not only our challenge. It is our calling.

You may have missed it, but over the course of this past year, our congregation has come full circle on the discernment process that began four years ago. In January 2009 we conducted another thorough survey of the church membership. Throughout the Spring and Summer several listening groups met to discuss in depth what they were seeing in this snapshot of our church. This Fall the Church Board took all that information—the survey/snapshot and the copious notes that the listening groups—and went away on a day-long retreat. Through prayer, Bible reflection and lots of conversation we began to distill what we were hearing down to one primary challenge.

We asked ourselves, in the development of our congregation’s life, what is the next major missional challenge that we are facing? Put a different way, “If we are to continue to grow into a congregation that bears witness to our friends and neighbors concerning the reality of God’s kingdom, what is the next step along that journey?”

To answer that question we took many steps over the course of a year, in the midst of dozens of other events and activities, to listen to you.

Last night, the board voted on a question that we feel captures what we’ve been hearing from you. This question is loaded, but we think it represents a serious adaptation that is required if our church is to grow misisonally. Here is:

“What kind of relational structures would we need to create in order to foster intentional covenant community that forms us, by the Spirit, in the image of Christ as a communal witness to God’s kingdom in our neighborhood?”

I am not going to attempt to unpack that question right now. I would love for you to live with it for a while. Take it home. Read it over and over. Think about it. What does it mean to you? And if after reading it a few times you’d like to be a part of a very special group of people who will work over the course of several months on understanding this question and innovating a new phase of our congregation’s life, then please contact me at the church office or by email.

2010 is going to be a great year! God is preparing us for some amazing work and I’m honored to be on this journey with you.

Advent Peace,

Ryan

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