I was reminded of the ministry audit that we had in 2000. Back then, we agreed to a number of principles that helped drive us over the next 16 years. Here is the short version of them.
From church council, Saturday, August 26th, 2000 6:00pm and passed unanimously.
4. Motion: That the missions statement is the plumb line of the church by which everything else is measured.
5. Motion: We affirm that the mission is non-negotiable and that everything else is expendable for the mission if need be. I.e. ballfield vs parking
10. Motion: when we find that we are struggling to reach consensus, we are committed to pray and to carefully ask the question “What is God doing, and do I disagree because this goes against the leading of the spirit and the mission of the church or because I prefer something else?” And that we consider the question “where is God’s will, and where is my will?”
11. Motion: that we work toward balanced programming by affirming the cycle of ministry as defined by the “inviting, forming and sending” model.
14. Motion: that we commit to sharing space among the various ministries. That our mission comes before our personal feelings about, or preferences regarding particular programs or particular spaces in the church.
15. Motion: while being committed to serve those who hurt, we agree to grow in Christ so that we are able to affirm the statement “we are called to serve, not to be served”
16. Motion: that we commit to dream big. That we affirm the belief that God is big enough to fulfill his dreams in us as outlined in Eph 3:20 “God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
18. Motion: that we affirm the statement “membership is a responsibility not a privilege” [33]
23. Motion: We affirm the belief that those who are not here matter as much if not more than those who are already here.
25. Motion: that while we work to nurture people of all ages, we make a stronger commitment to reach folks in their 20’s, who are the future of tomorrow’s church. [35]
You can see that there were many more motions that passed, but I hold these few out as those that seem most important to me. You can hear the outward focused nature of the proposals. You can hear the church reaching for and embracing the ideals of selflessness.
When we make it about me, my comfort and my preference, we get off track, we get off mission. When we put others first, when we put the mission first, things start to get back on track.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
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I am leading a River Cruise to Belgium and the Netherlands March 19-27, 2022. If you are interested in reading about the trip or joining in, the link is below.
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/RC22_031922T_TulipTime_002_FINAL-1.pdf
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