You may have heard that we are going to be getting together in our family groups again this August and September, and I wanted to share more about our hopes for doing so as an elder team.
First of all, let me explain what our family groups are. Since we strive to be "a welcoming family of believers" as a church, one concrete way we do that is to make sure that every elder is paired with a deacon and together they are called to care for a "family group" - a small gathering of families and individuals in our church, usually between ten to sixteen people. We've had the idea of family gruops for several years now, and we used our family groups for similar conversations back in 2013. I'd like to use our groups again to begin good dialogue among us - helping us talk about where and how we see God at work in our congregation, as well as to start talking about where we sense God leading us.
I'll be sending out a letter this week that will show you our different family groups, and I hope that we have captured everyone. But, please … please make sure you let us know if anyone has been inadvertantly left off.
Our elders will be reaching out to you in the coming days to see what day and time would work best for your family group to get together. Please let them know. Our first priority is just to listen to you. Where do you sense God at work in our church? How is God using our community to bless, nurture and strengthen you for your own life of service? How is our church helping you live out your faith daily and at home?
In other words, these conversations will help us live out one of our core values: being a family.
But, they will also help us explore further another crucial value we've lifted up in our mission statement: being a welcoming body.
In the book that I mentioned recently in worship, Ryan Lamothe notes that there are three different types of faith communities:
1. Functional-Cooperative
2. Oppositional-Closed
3. Mutual-Personal
I think we've all had experiences with all three types of communities.
Funcational-Cooperative communities are places where groups and individuals are able to get along well and can contribute to the shared work of the community. I would say that we do well as a functional-cooperative church, especially in our ability to attend to the more practical needs of our church home and life together. But, even here, we can use some encouragement. Plus, it would be good just to talk about the areas you see that need further support.
Oppositional-Closed communities are places where an unhealthy mindset or culture sets in, one in which there is energy in the life of the church, but it is primarily geared towards what the community doesn't what to happen or - to put it more positively - holding onto the accustomed traditions or culture. Any faith community is going to face this challenge, but one way we address it is to talk more openly about where we sense this to be true for us.
Finally, Mutual-Personal communities are those places where there is an ability to not only do the work of the church, but it is also a place that fosters new ideas, welcomes and receives new members, and allows for deeper relationships to occur, relationships not only about what we can "do" for each other, but where there is shared life and a willingness to support and encourage the other person.
My hope and desire with these family group conversations is to help us start exploring deeper where we are as a church community.
Finally, my hope is that we'll start coming up with some new, practical goals for us.
When I came here in 2009, this congregation had set for itself five specific goals:
1. To increase church attendance by 10% each year
2. To create more small group opportunities / Bible studies
3. To create ministries and events that impact our local community - like SAWs & Second Saturdays
4. To help grow our ministry to youth - leading to the hiring of a youth minister within 7 years
5. To make sure there is intentional pastoral visitation
About which one of those goals are you most excited? Which one seems not as important to you? What new goals or hopes do you have for our church family at this point?
I'm looking forward to our conversation together and exploring where God is leading us.
in Christ,
Wes
First of all, let me explain what our family groups are. Since we strive to be "a welcoming family of believers" as a church, one concrete way we do that is to make sure that every elder is paired with a deacon and together they are called to care for a "family group" - a small gathering of families and individuals in our church, usually between ten to sixteen people. We've had the idea of family gruops for several years now, and we used our family groups for similar conversations back in 2013. I'd like to use our groups again to begin good dialogue among us - helping us talk about where and how we see God at work in our congregation, as well as to start talking about where we sense God leading us.
I'll be sending out a letter this week that will show you our different family groups, and I hope that we have captured everyone. But, please … please make sure you let us know if anyone has been inadvertantly left off.
Our elders will be reaching out to you in the coming days to see what day and time would work best for your family group to get together. Please let them know. Our first priority is just to listen to you. Where do you sense God at work in our church? How is God using our community to bless, nurture and strengthen you for your own life of service? How is our church helping you live out your faith daily and at home?
In other words, these conversations will help us live out one of our core values: being a family.
But, they will also help us explore further another crucial value we've lifted up in our mission statement: being a welcoming body.
In the book that I mentioned recently in worship, Ryan Lamothe notes that there are three different types of faith communities:
1. Functional-Cooperative
2. Oppositional-Closed
3. Mutual-Personal
I think we've all had experiences with all three types of communities.
Funcational-Cooperative communities are places where groups and individuals are able to get along well and can contribute to the shared work of the community. I would say that we do well as a functional-cooperative church, especially in our ability to attend to the more practical needs of our church home and life together. But, even here, we can use some encouragement. Plus, it would be good just to talk about the areas you see that need further support.
Oppositional-Closed communities are places where an unhealthy mindset or culture sets in, one in which there is energy in the life of the church, but it is primarily geared towards what the community doesn't what to happen or - to put it more positively - holding onto the accustomed traditions or culture. Any faith community is going to face this challenge, but one way we address it is to talk more openly about where we sense this to be true for us.
Finally, Mutual-Personal communities are those places where there is an ability to not only do the work of the church, but it is also a place that fosters new ideas, welcomes and receives new members, and allows for deeper relationships to occur, relationships not only about what we can "do" for each other, but where there is shared life and a willingness to support and encourage the other person.
My hope and desire with these family group conversations is to help us start exploring deeper where we are as a church community.
Finally, my hope is that we'll start coming up with some new, practical goals for us.
When I came here in 2009, this congregation had set for itself five specific goals:
1. To increase church attendance by 10% each year
2. To create more small group opportunities / Bible studies
3. To create ministries and events that impact our local community - like SAWs & Second Saturdays
4. To help grow our ministry to youth - leading to the hiring of a youth minister within 7 years
5. To make sure there is intentional pastoral visitation
About which one of those goals are you most excited? Which one seems not as important to you? What new goals or hopes do you have for our church family at this point?
I'm looking forward to our conversation together and exploring where God is leading us.
in Christ,
Wes
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