The “same old, same old” is never a good thing. Not in business. Not in relationships. And not in churches either. It’s important to keep things vibrant, fresh, and exciting. That’s why manufacturers put out products that are “new and improved.” That’s why happily married couples go on dates and intentionally explore novel ideas in the kitchen and in the bedroom. That’s why healthy churches always keep their eyes and ears open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
In a recent Hopeful Story, Stan Baker, the chair of the Administration Board, explained that our leadership has completed a church analysis and a community survey and engaged a consultant to help us interpret the results and understand where the Holy Spirit is leading us next. The consultant is Jack Tacoma, from Guelph, a Regional Resource Team Leader for Christian Reformed Home Missions with whom we enjoy an excellent relationship. We look forward to his guidance for a process that we’re calling “Journey of Hope: the Next Chapter.”
When Hope Fellowship’s office bearers and staff met with Jack on December 18, 2012, he explained that 80% of the churches that sought his services were experiencing serious problems, whereas 20% of the churches were healthy. “You are in that 20% of healthy churches,” he reassured us. To use an athletic analogy, we are a healthy church that wants to become more spiritually fit as a fellowship and as a mission serving the community.
A Prayer Team has been formed and is meeting regularly. Why? Because without prayer we can do nothing! Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” This is also true for the body of Christ, and all of us will need to do a lot of prayerful breathing as we tackle the next chapter of our church’s hopeful journey. We cannot call ourselves a praying church just because a Prayer Team is praying. We only deserve to be called a praying church when all of us are praying.
A Planning Team has also been put in place. It has already developed a chronological time line that includes a Friday-Saturday leadership retreat on Feb. 22-23, followed by many opportunities for everyone to dream, brainstorm and zero in on several “courageous proposals” that will refine and define our vision and mission in the foreseeable future. Once we’re agreed, we will commit ourselves to these proposals in a special dedication service.
Many of us remember the exciting leaps of faith that we took to develop our original vision, buy our property, and then design and build our new facilities. It took courage to make the required pledges; many of us are still thrilled about the miraculous ways that God helped us keep the faith-stretching financial promises that we made during our capital campaign. Now it’s time to be “bold and courageous” again as we test and grow our faith in new ways.
Someone asked me recently if I had ever experienced the post-marathon blues, especially after running the Boston Marathon. “Yes,” I responded, remembering the feelings of deflation that followed those dedicated efforts and natural highs. “But all it took for those depressed feelings to subside was setting a new goal.”
The “same-old, same old” feeling that is so debilitating to businesses and marriages is endemic in churches that contentedly maintain and defend the status quo. The best way to avoid slipping into spiritual lethargy both personally and communally is to deliberately challenge yourself with Spirit-led proposals and goals that will require tremendous leaps of faith and get your spiritual adrenaline flowing.
So bring on the next chapter, with God helping us.
- Pastor Peter
In a recent Hopeful Story, Stan Baker, the chair of the Administration Board, explained that our leadership has completed a church analysis and a community survey and engaged a consultant to help us interpret the results and understand where the Holy Spirit is leading us next. The consultant is Jack Tacoma, from Guelph, a Regional Resource Team Leader for Christian Reformed Home Missions with whom we enjoy an excellent relationship. We look forward to his guidance for a process that we’re calling “Journey of Hope: the Next Chapter.”
When Hope Fellowship’s office bearers and staff met with Jack on December 18, 2012, he explained that 80% of the churches that sought his services were experiencing serious problems, whereas 20% of the churches were healthy. “You are in that 20% of healthy churches,” he reassured us. To use an athletic analogy, we are a healthy church that wants to become more spiritually fit as a fellowship and as a mission serving the community.
A Prayer Team has been formed and is meeting regularly. Why? Because without prayer we can do nothing! Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” This is also true for the body of Christ, and all of us will need to do a lot of prayerful breathing as we tackle the next chapter of our church’s hopeful journey. We cannot call ourselves a praying church just because a Prayer Team is praying. We only deserve to be called a praying church when all of us are praying.
A Planning Team has also been put in place. It has already developed a chronological time line that includes a Friday-Saturday leadership retreat on Feb. 22-23, followed by many opportunities for everyone to dream, brainstorm and zero in on several “courageous proposals” that will refine and define our vision and mission in the foreseeable future. Once we’re agreed, we will commit ourselves to these proposals in a special dedication service.
Many of us remember the exciting leaps of faith that we took to develop our original vision, buy our property, and then design and build our new facilities. It took courage to make the required pledges; many of us are still thrilled about the miraculous ways that God helped us keep the faith-stretching financial promises that we made during our capital campaign. Now it’s time to be “bold and courageous” again as we test and grow our faith in new ways.
Someone asked me recently if I had ever experienced the post-marathon blues, especially after running the Boston Marathon. “Yes,” I responded, remembering the feelings of deflation that followed those dedicated efforts and natural highs. “But all it took for those depressed feelings to subside was setting a new goal.”
The “same-old, same old” feeling that is so debilitating to businesses and marriages is endemic in churches that contentedly maintain and defend the status quo. The best way to avoid slipping into spiritual lethargy both personally and communally is to deliberately challenge yourself with Spirit-led proposals and goals that will require tremendous leaps of faith and get your spiritual adrenaline flowing.
So bring on the next chapter, with God helping us.
- Pastor Peter
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