FollowBy Dan Amos
“Challenging.” That’s the nice way of saying being pushed out of your comfort zone. That’s where I am regarding our transition to our next pastor and exactly where I expected to be. We chose to engage an intentional interim pastor, not because we expected him to do things for us, but because we wanted to be challenged. We want Elim to reach its potential for what God has for us.
In elder meetings and Transition Team meetings, we are looking at where Elim has been and where we want to be in the future. I don’t always like what I hear, nor do I always agree. But the process is important, and I remind myself that we want this and need this. It would have been simpler to immediately form a search committee and hire a senior pastor, but we want to find the right person who will lead us to more effectively reach our community. Even saying “reach our community” is a decision. We could focus internally and create a place where people can come in and worship. Or, we can reach out and bring people in.
We’ve spent a lot of time over the last several Transition Team meetings trying to create a mission statement. Over the decades, we’ve spent a lot of time on mission statements.
An oasis for renewal with God and one another
Nurturing passionate followers of Jesus Christ who know God, grow together in Christ, and go and serve South Hill and beyond
I would be lying if I said I enjoy mission statements. My job title is strategy analyst and I’m no stranger to mission statements. In our exercise at Elim, we are looking for a handful of words that describe who we are and what we’re about. Words that will speak to those outside the church and inspire those within. Words that will be a measuring stick for what we do and whether we’re successful.
Within that, we continue to go back to the Great Commission, looking to tie our mission to what Jesus told us, His disciples, to do. This is exceptionally difficult in just a handful of words that speak to those inside and out, that inspire and draw in, that challenge and measure. But I believe the process has been good. This group of 20 plus people are wrestling with the future of our church. Within this, I have been challenged by a number of thoughts.
We value transparency and authenticity. People can see when we’re trying to hide and when we’re not. We want a place that is full of imperfect people building each other up into something better—Christlikeness. We want a place where we can come with all our faults and mistakes and worship the God who knows them and died to forgive them.
One phrase my wife suggested for a mission statement was doing life together. That challenges me deeply. That means not just coming to church on Sunday and serving here or there. It means being an intimate part of other people’s lives. Sharing in their joy and pain, struggles and triumphs. It means bringing others into mine, too.
The last challenge I’ll share is our current assignment to interview community leaders and unchurched people. We have a list of questions to prompt a conversation, but really, we’re going out and talking to people we don’t know and asking them to think about what our little church can do better to serve and reach our community. Challenging. Necessary. Impactful. A first step . . .
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