Dear Friends,
Hope for the Future: Building on Rock, Not Sand
I want to share with you our bishop’s words and my reflection as we think about doing ministry in the 21st century.
Nearly 60 clergy and lay leaders gathered and online at the Sacramento headquarter on September 6. Our Conference Bishop Sandy Olewine framed our shared ministry and mission ahead as “a new way of living into our shared vision.” She pointed to the Conference’s vision—Following Jesus, Thriving in Community, Healing the World—and urged leaders to always keep the phrase so that at the center: “Whatever we do, we do so that our vision becomes real, increases our chances of fruitfulness, and our mission is fulfilled.”
Building on Rock, Not Sand
Quoting Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 7, Bishop Olewine reminded leaders that strategy must be built on a firm foundation: “When we are grounded in God’s claim on our lives and the gospel of Jesus Christ, we need not fear the storms. That doesn’t mean there won’t be pain or mistakes, but God will partner with us to bring new life.”
“In times when foolishness abounds and anxiety overwhelms, the church is called to be different. Often when we start a new thing, we’re tempted to say, ‘yes, but’ or ‘we’ve done that already’ or ‘this won’t work,’” she said. “I invite us instead into a space of curiosity and wonder. We don’t need quick judgments. We need to ask questions that open doors for God to create something new.”
Hope for the Future
Bishop Olewine concluded, “Thriving in community means we work for the thriving of all God’s people. There are no asterisks in God’s grace.” As one participant shared in reflection, “It feels like we’re turning a page—moving from maintenance to mission.”
I’ve been giving some thoughts on the challenge of doing ministry in the 21st century when increasingly people are moving away from churches, even though statistics from various researches found a very high percentage of the U.S. population believe in the existence of God and spirituality to be important in their lives.
The universal truth is that humans are meaning seeking beings who want vitality and aliveness in their lives whether they are religious or not. People want to be part of something bigger than themselves. Upon my reflection, I came up with “5 Keys to Church Revitalization”: Authenticity, Vitality, Spiritual Growth that leads to deep and meaningful transformation, Community that offers opportunities for authentic connections, and engagement in Social Justice & Service in their community.
I plan to use the pulpit in the near future to unpackage the list of “5 Keys to Church Revitalization.” I invite you to give some thoughts on this topic and share it with me and with the congregation. I am heartened to see many of you showing up every Sunday to be faithful to Jesus Christ. I see how much you love your church and care for one another. That’s a good foundation to build our ministry together that is built on a rock and not sand.
Yours in Christ,
John
