Where is God pointing us?

A report from the Fruitful Congregations Journey Team

On February 8 several members of the FCJ team were present for a monthly "shared learning experience" in Seymour, IN. We had several very fruitful and thoughtful conversations about the life cycle of a church, where we are, and where God would like us to go. We would like to take this opportunity to share some group "Ah Ha" moments with you.

Church leaders have established that church congregations move through life cycle stages just as people do. Each stage differs by the congregation's emphasis on certain components. These components can be many different things, but some that we discussed this month were Relationships, Programs, and Structure. These are a part of a forth component - the Vision of a church.

After almost two hundred years here serving the community of Bloomington, there is no doubt that we have established deeply rooted relationships not only within our own members but with others in the community. We have fostered and driven many wonderful programs where God is using us to reach out. These include but are not limited to successful programs like the Open Door, Jubilee, children ministries, small groups and the Interfaith Winter shelter. And with the exciting opportunities placed before us with the columbarium project, the "wet" renovation, and the now useful south lot, there can be no doubt that our structure here in the heart of downtown will move with us into the bright future of the church.

But next question we want to answer is, where is God pointing us to go? What is His Vision for us for that bright future?

We see this coming year as a pivotal turning point, a significant moment in the life of our church - like a bright light burning before us glowing in all directions. And we are fed by an urgency to harness that light today and point it toward a Vision for tomorrow that God has called for us to follow. Without a clear Vision, all established Relationships, blossoming Programs and new Structures of a church stumble blindly in different directions. It is time for us to begin listening for where God wants us to go, and as a congregation we can walk toward that Vision together.

In order to do this, FUMCB will need to re-visit its core values. Strong congregational values guide and direct our Relationships, Programs, and Structure and really show the character of who we are. These core values will give us a starting point for a Christ-centered Vision.

The United Methodist mission is "to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." What will that look like for FUMCB?  

Where do our congregation's strengths, the needs and dreams of our community, and the call/commands of God intersect?  

Once we identify how we will make disciples and serve the community, what will the core values be that guide how we do what we do for God and others? What are the values you see in our congregation today, and what do you believe God wants our core values to be in the future?   How will we work with each other, how will we make decisions about mission and resources, etc.?

Please pray for the FCJ team as we continue to meet and discuss the bright and exciting future of FUMC and hold God's Vision for our congregation in our minds and hearts.

This month's meeting was based on a book entitled Taking your Church to The Next Level by Gary L. McIntosh. Next month we will be discussing topics associated with the book Simple Church by T.S. Rainer and E. Geiger. We invite you to grow, ponder and listen while reading along with us!

- With Bright Hope, The FCJ team