Lay Leadership & A Call to Simplicity

On Sunday, we will install and recognize leaders from across our church during worship. This will be a special act of worship for all of us, whether we hold a position or not, as our church leadership commits to service to the church and the congregation commits back to them to support their efforts. I appreciate that about so many of our liturgies, just like in the baptism this past Sunday: there’s commitment from those involved and commitment from the congregation. In short, it takes all of us!

This year, those leaders on the church council will begin to engage in strategic planning for our church. Together, we will review our current efforts and begin to dream about the future, prayerfully asking God, in the words of church leadership guru Lovett Weems, “what’s the next faithful step?” Our new church council chair, Julia Magda, has set an agenda focused on facilitating such conversations. Such a focus, and such facilitation, will ensure that we as a church are on the same page, pursuing the same vision that the Holy Spirt has made manifest among us.

As a part of that work, I am calling us as a church and the council in particular to a focus on simplicity. When I arrived, I preached on simplicity, defining it this way: focus on the mission, be authentic in doing so, and trust God with the rest. Christian simplicity is not about finding the easiest solution or the lowest common denominator; rather, it is ensuring that we’re focused where God would have us focused, while living out exactly who God called us to be, trusting all the while that if God has called us to do it, God will provide, even if it’s challenging to see the road ahead. I invite you to pray with me and with the council for this simplicity: that we see the vision God has for this church as we, together, stay focused, remain authentic, and trust God to provide.

I am excited for the future of this church! In the last six months, we have made significant progress and I am grateful for all the support you have given me and our staff. Let us, together, be prayerful for our future and continue that support.

Peace,
Ted