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"Is our community better off because my church is in it?"
During Advent, we await the coming of Christ, trusting and knowing that the world would be better because He entered into it. The question becomes, for us, is the world better because our church is in it? Now is a crucial time for the church to rethink itself, reimagine how God might be calling and move once again towards relevance.
As we sing joyful praise for Christ's presence in the world, may we find relevance and joy in our witness of His love to a world in need.
To guide you in this, I offer an excerpt from "Right Questions for Church Leaders" by Lovett Weems which was originally posted on ChurchLeadership.com.
A church’s purpose is its reason for being. Without clarity of purpose, no progress is possible. Renewed vitality always begins with a rediscovered understanding of why the church exists and why your congregation exists. Founders of churches must be clear on purpose, but over time the primacy of mission may recede amidst the work of keeping all the church activities going. Use every opportunity to remind people of why your church was established in the first place.
During the summer before launching the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in 1990, Adam Hamilton wrestled with three questions:
Why do people need Christ?
Why do people need the church?
Why do they need this particular church?
Alice Mann and Gil Rendle suggest three critical questions for looking to the future:
Who are we?
What has God called us to do or be?
Who is our neighbor?
The full article is available here (with permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary and available at churchleadership.com)
May you all feel the glory and majesty of our Saviour this season.
Rev. Jeffry Bross,
Prairie Central District Superintendent
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