A new generation of ministry

I sure hope you'll be joining us tonight for our Campaign Dinner in fellowship hall. It's a great opportunity to enjoy some great food, even better fellowship, and to better understand the importance of our G2G phase 2 campaign.

Many of you have already made a commitment to the campaign. Others are waiting until Commitment Sunday on February 23. To all, thank you for your commitment to preparing space for a new generation of ministry.

I'm not sure who helped to build my elementary school or Lineberger Park in Gastonia -- where I spent my first 7 years -- but I know it took a committed group of folks who had kids like me in mind. I'm not sure who drew up the plans for Robinwood Lake or Lutheran Chapel Church, but I know it took a group of faithful men and women who dreamed of future generations being woven into the fabric of that community.

That's how I think of this campaign. Future generations may not remember our names, but they will be formed, encouraged, cared for, challenged, and immensely blessed because of our commitment today.

Thank you for who you are and the important work you do at St. John's and in this community! We hope to see you tonight.

Ripping up the speech

This has been a politics-heavy week.

Final votes on the impeachment trial are due today. Monday was loaded with the Iowa caucuses and the drama of counting ballots (still not complete). Last night was the State of the Union, with the Speaker of the House ripping up the president's speech and the President refusing to shake her hand. 

That's a lot to process in three days!

If ten of us were to meet for lunch and talk about it all, I'm pretty sure we'd have ten different opinions. I HOPE we wouldn't end up in a food fight, but these days, well, you never know. Tensions are high, compromise is nearly non-existent, and kindness is nowhere to be seen.

Through this roaring sea of change, I find myself repeating a mantra I learned as a kid in Sunday School: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore" (Hebrews 13:8). As policies shift and tempers rise, I lean more and more into the sure and steady presence of Christ, a "peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). As I become more and more distressed about the state of politics, hoping/waiting for an adult to enter the room, I remind myself that God's great desire is "that we might have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

I hope that you see your faith (and your church) as a counterbalance to the chaotic seas around us. That's why we gather in the early morning of the first day of the week -- so that your week might begin from a place of peace and rest, after having been reminded of God's great love for you and this world. We're fed simple gifts of bread and wine, we're forgiven of sins that weigh us down, and we're joined together with a much broader family of Christ. I'm so very thankful for that weekly rhythm. To be honest, I'm not sure how I'd get through the week without it.

This week we'll focus on being a "light to the world." We certainly need some light these days! I'll look forward to seeing you in church.

Doggone good leaders

To quote Roy Williams, our church leaders are doggone good. 

I don’t mean that to sound overly cocky, just honest. This past weekend was our annual Leaders Retreat (Jan 24-25), where members of Council, staff, and some key leaders of the church gathered to establish priorities for the coming year (Friday evening) and engage in leadership development on Saturday morning. Even though I lead these retreats, I do my best not to show up with pre-determined priorities. I’m far more interested in seeing how a new crew (and every year is new) approaches the very basic question: What are our three priorities for the coming year? 

We reviewed our congregation’s strengths and opportunities, considered what’s on the horizon for our community, and identified under-impacted audiences. Armed with all that data, we divided into small groups and asked them to dream a little. They filled four newsprints with ideas, which were then whittled down into three buckets/themes: 

1.     Rethink the Sunday Morning Experience,

2.     Discipleship in the Digital Age, and 

3.     A Faith-Filled Approach to Abundant Living for All. 

These three priorities will be further developed at next week’s Staff Retreat, and then considered by each of the five ministry groups in developing goals for the 2020-21 ministry year.

More than you want to know? I get it! But at the very least it’s important to see that planning for robust ministry takes great prayer, discernment, intentionality, and planning. 

And good leaders. We’re blessed with some really good leaders. Doggone good. 

Speaking of which, special kudos to a trio of folks who guided us through the “leadership development” portion of our retreat: Mike Edwards, Dr. Cyndi Osterhus, and Mark Ritchie. They bring a wealth of experience to building leaders, and we’re grateful for their eagerness to building a culture of leadership development at St. John’s. 

And there’s more. Kudos, as well, to a group of 7 of our folks who have just completed part 1 of our Young Leaders Cohort. The goal is to identify, build, and equip early career adults to thrive in their vocation, community, and congregation. Part 1 includes four months of weekly gatherings, bookended by two retreats. In part 2, these young leaders are yoked with a vocational mentor for 1x1 mentoring between now and May. It’s a great process, and I can’t say enough about the character and competency of the participants. If you’d like to join a future cohort, just let me know. 

We take leadership development very seriously at St. John’s. It’s a long process with lots of starts and stops, but the investment of time and resources is necessary as we build a new generation of leaders for the church and community. From generation to generation. Sound familiar? I hope so. 

Blessings to you as we continue to plant trees under whose shade future generations will sit.