A History of Hope Fellowship, Chapter 7: The Transition Years
Today, Hope Fellowship finds itself in the Transition Years, the years of change.
The good changes included the launch of two great ministries. Our first ever Vacation Bible School in July, 2015 was a rousing success for one hundred kids who were inspired to conquer challenges with God’s mighty power. One year later, the registration is already full for our next VBS. That’s the power of positive reviews shared through word of mouth advertising and Facebook!
The second positive change was the shift from BLAST to M.O.P.S. For many years BLAST provided an informal way for young moms to get together, Mothers of Pre-Schoolers, however, gave them a more structured format in which to enjoy delicious treats, honest conversation, relevant teaching and creative activities that equipped them to embrace motherhood. These days it is not unusual to have twenty-seven children in the nursery on Wednesday mornings while their moms enjoy their program in the foyer.
Another great new initiative was the decision to sponsor refugees from Syria. This has mobilized Hope Fellowship and members of the community in ways that we have not seen before. Today we are eagerly waiting for ten “newcomers” to arrive.
Behind the scenes, our elders and deacons became more intentional about communicating with one another. The most effective method for staying in touch now is the quarterly meeting of the “Three Chairs and The Pastor.” This breakfast meeting has proven to be a great way for the pastor and the chairs of the deacons, pastoral care elders and administrative elders to discuss shared concerns and new ideas. This format helps us avoid the “silos” that tend to pop up in organizations.
The decision to replace one pastor with two represents a very big change. It flowed out of the realization that Hope Fellowship is no longer a small church of two hundred and fifty adults and children, but a large and growing church of more than six hundred people, younger and older, who call Hope Fellowship their home. Using language introduced during the Focusing Years, job descriptions have been created for two positions: a pastor who is wired by God to help us be Internally Strong; and a pastor who is wired by God to help us be Externally Focused. Imagine a team that can help us be both!
A large church with two pastors does require a paradigm shift in our thinking and a larger budget. But it is the current reality, especially in a church year that is concluding with thirty-one professions of faith, of whom ten will be baptized or have their baptisms re-affirmed by immersion!
The existence of a Succession Planning Team indicates the most emotional change that Hope Fellowship is facing. After thirteen years of ministry in Courtice it is time for me to step aside and make way for the next pastor(s) to take Hope Fellowship where God wants our church to go. Leaders like to talk about taking things to the “next level,” and everyone has different ideas of what that looks like. I prefer to talk about taking things to the “next place,” which describes what God did with the Israelites after he delivered them from Egypt and took them from place to place until they reached the promised land.
Thirteen years – a baker’s dozen – is a lot of years to experience and learn a lot of things together. In my next installment, I hope to tell you what God taught me in this chapter of the much bigger and longer book that God is writing with all of us at Hope Fellowship Church.
- Pastor Peter
Today, Hope Fellowship finds itself in the Transition Years, the years of change.
The good changes included the launch of two great ministries. Our first ever Vacation Bible School in July, 2015 was a rousing success for one hundred kids who were inspired to conquer challenges with God’s mighty power. One year later, the registration is already full for our next VBS. That’s the power of positive reviews shared through word of mouth advertising and Facebook!
The second positive change was the shift from BLAST to M.O.P.S. For many years BLAST provided an informal way for young moms to get together, Mothers of Pre-Schoolers, however, gave them a more structured format in which to enjoy delicious treats, honest conversation, relevant teaching and creative activities that equipped them to embrace motherhood. These days it is not unusual to have twenty-seven children in the nursery on Wednesday mornings while their moms enjoy their program in the foyer.
Another great new initiative was the decision to sponsor refugees from Syria. This has mobilized Hope Fellowship and members of the community in ways that we have not seen before. Today we are eagerly waiting for ten “newcomers” to arrive.
Behind the scenes, our elders and deacons became more intentional about communicating with one another. The most effective method for staying in touch now is the quarterly meeting of the “Three Chairs and The Pastor.” This breakfast meeting has proven to be a great way for the pastor and the chairs of the deacons, pastoral care elders and administrative elders to discuss shared concerns and new ideas. This format helps us avoid the “silos” that tend to pop up in organizations.
The decision to replace one pastor with two represents a very big change. It flowed out of the realization that Hope Fellowship is no longer a small church of two hundred and fifty adults and children, but a large and growing church of more than six hundred people, younger and older, who call Hope Fellowship their home. Using language introduced during the Focusing Years, job descriptions have been created for two positions: a pastor who is wired by God to help us be Internally Strong; and a pastor who is wired by God to help us be Externally Focused. Imagine a team that can help us be both!
A large church with two pastors does require a paradigm shift in our thinking and a larger budget. But it is the current reality, especially in a church year that is concluding with thirty-one professions of faith, of whom ten will be baptized or have their baptisms re-affirmed by immersion!
The existence of a Succession Planning Team indicates the most emotional change that Hope Fellowship is facing. After thirteen years of ministry in Courtice it is time for me to step aside and make way for the next pastor(s) to take Hope Fellowship where God wants our church to go. Leaders like to talk about taking things to the “next level,” and everyone has different ideas of what that looks like. I prefer to talk about taking things to the “next place,” which describes what God did with the Israelites after he delivered them from Egypt and took them from place to place until they reached the promised land.
Thirteen years – a baker’s dozen – is a lot of years to experience and learn a lot of things together. In my next installment, I hope to tell you what God taught me in this chapter of the much bigger and longer book that God is writing with all of us at Hope Fellowship Church.
- Pastor Peter
Comments
Post a Comment