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“How is the church doing?” I get asked that question quite a lot these days. I suppose that sometimes people ask it just as a rather mindless way of making conversation, such as when we ask people how they are doing and we don’t really want to know but it is the polite thing to do as you say hello. But most times, I do think that people genuinely want to know. Often, they are church members. Sometimes, they are not. But no matter who is asking, or for what reason, sometimes it is a struggle to decide exactly how I should answer the question. Should I cite some statistics about membership and giving? Should I mention new initiatives like our Kingdom Academy, or old ones like Sunday worship and providing food for hungry people?
Let me ask you a question: How do you think the church is doing?
A couple thousand years ago, when you could say that the church was just getting started, Jesus prayed for us. Yes, I believe even more so now that the church is people, not buildings. Jesus prayed for our unity, our love for each other, our growth in spiritual maturity, our mission of serving others, and our call to reach out to welcome others into our family.
I wonder what Jesus would say about how we are doing.
Sunday morning, we’ll continue our Lenten series of messages about Jesus’ love for us and what that means for us. Read John 17:20-26. Come to worship. Come in person or online. But come. And I’ll speak a bit more about us in my message, “The Savior’s Love: Creating the Church.”
As well on this coming Sunday, at the end of our second service, we’ll have a brief Congregational Meeting. Click the link below to read our Annual Report, which is part of what this meeting is about.
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