Two weeks ago I spoke
with a room full of our leaders and used the image of church as a team of
trapeze artists. We are, right now, finishing swinging on a trapeze that
was set in motion more than twelve years ago.
Twelve years ago God led us to make a commitment to be a regional church located in downtown Bloomington. We didn’t move out to the edge of the community. We also decided to do a major upgrade of the facilities at First UMC.
A part of that plan included a courtyard project which would include a labyrinth, fountain, garden and columbarium.
We continue to work to finish the plan started more than a decade ago. What does that mean? We are working to complete the courtyard project AND we will be dealing -later this Spring- with the need to raise $120,000 from the congregation to pay for debt service on the remaining debt. This debt has hampered our ministry outreach and the leaders have decided we can no longer limp along and allow this debt to limit our ministries.
As this trapeze bar swings out towards the center of the ring we are holding on, finishing this movement. I am inviting our congregation to look up as we anticipate the trapeze bar coming our way. Sometime in the next 6-12 months we need to be ready to jump and catch this next thing. What is it? The next key movement for us, I believe, is an honest, wide-ranging, Biblically-guided, contextually appropriate (using good data on our community and church) conversation about our mission and future.
What strategic steps must we take to be faithful to God and be a vital church that is healthy, alive, and growing? This conversation, this need to achieve greater clarity about our identity and mission, is essential. Living churches and great organizations are always adjusting to a new reality so they can thrive.
So even as we hang on to this bar let’s lift our eyes to the bar that is swinging our way…preparing ourselves to let go and fly through the air towards what God is bringing towards us!
In the meantime we continue to focus on these major projects:
Twelve years ago God led us to make a commitment to be a regional church located in downtown Bloomington. We didn’t move out to the edge of the community. We also decided to do a major upgrade of the facilities at First UMC.
A part of that plan included a courtyard project which would include a labyrinth, fountain, garden and columbarium.
We continue to work to finish the plan started more than a decade ago. What does that mean? We are working to complete the courtyard project AND we will be dealing -later this Spring- with the need to raise $120,000 from the congregation to pay for debt service on the remaining debt. This debt has hampered our ministry outreach and the leaders have decided we can no longer limp along and allow this debt to limit our ministries.
As this trapeze bar swings out towards the center of the ring we are holding on, finishing this movement. I am inviting our congregation to look up as we anticipate the trapeze bar coming our way. Sometime in the next 6-12 months we need to be ready to jump and catch this next thing. What is it? The next key movement for us, I believe, is an honest, wide-ranging, Biblically-guided, contextually appropriate (using good data on our community and church) conversation about our mission and future.
What strategic steps must we take to be faithful to God and be a vital church that is healthy, alive, and growing? This conversation, this need to achieve greater clarity about our identity and mission, is essential. Living churches and great organizations are always adjusting to a new reality so they can thrive.
So even as we hang on to this bar let’s lift our eyes to the bar that is swinging our way…preparing ourselves to let go and fly through the air towards what God is bringing towards us!
In the meantime we continue to focus on these major projects:
- Developing a thoughtful and comprehensive way of welcoming and assimilating new guests at The Open Door/First. Hospitality.
- Developing a path to discipleship. What are the best resources we can offer people as they grow in faith, hope and love?
- The Open Door – thoughtfully and faithfully stepping into a new season as we focus on community building, ministry teams, discipleship and outreach.
- Leading our Jubilee College Ministry into a second stage of maturity. Putting in place what will be necessary (leadership, structure, funding) for our outreach to students to continue and grow.
In Ephesians 2 Paul says we are “God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things.” Later (verse 22) he says, “Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit.”
We’re swinging out towards the center of the ring on a bar set in motion a decade ago. Holding on… and looking up to see the trapeze coming our way.
It’s all pretty exciting…and just a little scary. But there is a net of grace beneath us and God can be trusted!
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark
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