​Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6
 
So what will change here at Peace?  A few things:

First, the staff of Peace will be working together to guide the congregation to fulfill our mission to make disciples who make an impact for Jesus.  Our mission statement is more than just words, it is what we as a congregation will be focusing on to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission of growing together as His people while reaching out to care for those who are not connected to Jesus and His church so that they, too, may know of the hope we have in Jesus!

Second, we will be working to make Peace a permission-granting congregation instead of a permission-withholding congregation for new ministries.  If someone has a desire to start a new ministry that (1) lines up with God’s Word, (2) matches up with our discipleship process in more than one way, and (3) does not need funding from within the budget, the ministry will be approved.  If funding is needed and the other two areas are true, we will work with the person or group to find funding.  We want to encourage people to find their ministry and equip them to lead and serve.

Next, we will be working on establishing better communication within, as well as outside, of Peace.  We have a new part-time Ministry Communications Assistant who will be working on finding more effective ways to communicate what people need to know when they need to know it.  We have also renovated our website to better inform and engage the congregation in the continuing and new ministries and events happening here at Peace.  Be watching for more changes to improve communication in the next few months.  One note on this: all the communication we might provide is only effective if it is read! 

Finally, I promise that whenever a major change is being proposed, we will provide a means for input from the congregation, most likely through listening sessions or something similar.  This might happen at different times for different types of changes.  Some changes might require more work be done before presenting the proposal to the congregation; others might receive input earlier in the process and then again later.  The point is that we do want your input, and that no final decision will be made until we have heard from the people of Peace.

There are a couple changes on the horizon.  A task team from the council is working hard, looking at our current congregation governance structure and constitution, and is planning on presenting their suggestions to the congregation in a listening session in January.  The Sanctuary Design committee has taken the feedback from an earlier listening session and is making a few changes to present back to the congregation in another listening session before the council gives the final go-ahead.

As I write this final weekly note, I know that different people will take it in different ways.  Some will think the changes are too drastic, others that they are not drastic enough.  Either way, I’m glad you care about Peace, and I pray that you are encouraged and excited as we move forward, and hope that you will join us in our mission to share Christ in our community!

Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.  Joel 2:15

So far we’ve looked at our past and the challenges and changes this congregation faced as we worked to fulfill our mission of making disciples by reaching the lost and teaching the found.  For most of the history of Peace, God’s work through His people was evident, as the congregation grew and was known as the friendly church, welcoming others into our midst to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ in our worship services as those gathered were strengthened in their faith through the study and proclamation of God’s Word.

Yet somewhere along the line, the focus began to move from reaching out to taking care of ourselves.  It wasn’t one specific event or a series of events, but a slow fade of attitude that moved from being “others” focused to “self” focused, from caring about neighbor and community to caring about us.

Perhaps it is the influence of our culture, or relaxing after our 50th anniversary and paying off our mortgage since we ‘made it’, or the plant of our daughter congregation, or change in staff, or a number of other reasons, but one thing is for sure:  the evil one is at work, turning our focus off of those who need to be connected to Jesus and His church, and turning the focus to us: what we want, what we think we need, what benefits us.

When our focus is turned inward, we are less concerned about those who need Jesus as well as those who know Jesus.  We become less friendly and welcoming of outsiders, more protective of maintaining the status quo, and less and less willing to make changes for the good of the church because those changes might move us out of our comfort zone.

It’s a slow fade from a healthy, balanced congregation to an inward-focused, complacent congregation.  Unless something changes, that slow fade will continue until our congregation is no longer able to maintain our programs or building and slowly fades out of existence.

So what’s the solution?  Return to the Lord our God.  As a church and as individuals we need to repent of our sins of selfishness and not showing our love for others.  We pray that God would change our hearts, and move our focus away from ourselves and toward others who need to know Jesus’ love for them.   

To be honest, this has not been an easy note to write.  It’s one that I have been dreading writing from the beginning, but one that is so important for us as a congregation as we seek to be disciples who make an impact for Jesus.  This repentance I write of is one that I, too, need.

​Lord God, forgive us for our sinful desire to be served instead of to serve, to be loved instead of to love, to want what’s best for us instead of what’s best for the church.  Forgive us, renew us, and move us from apathy to passion for You and Your mission for us.  Amen

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  Matthew 28:19-20

As we remember the past and look to the future here at Peace, one key thing we need to keep in mind is why we as a congregation exist.  Without this guiding principle, our congregation is like a ship without a rudder – not going in a specific direction with a specific purpose.  Our focus is scattered with different groups and people going in different directions. 

Our mission statement is like the rudder for Peace.  It states why we exist and sets the direction for the church and unites us in our common purpose.  Our mission is:

          Making Disciples who Make an Impact for Jesus

There are two parts of our mission statement.  The first is more focused on those already inside the church walls.  In Jesus’ Great Commission shown above, it is the baptizing and teaching aspect of His call to His church.  That is the “making disciples” of our mission statement.

A disciple is more than someone who is following Jesus, but someone who is committed to learning from Him, growing in Him, connecting through Him, and making an impact for Him.  A disciple is someone who trusts in Jesus and lives their life in the obedience which flows out of faith.  However, being a disciple is not simply an end goal, but an ongoing process throughout our lives here on this earth.

The second part is focused on those currently outside the church, and more importantly, those who do not know the promises found in Jesus.  This is the “Go”, or translated a better way, “While you are going,” part of His Great Commission.  As we go about our day-to-day lives, at our work, in our homes, around our neighborhoods, and on the sports fields, we are called to reflect Christ’s love to those around us through our words and actions. 

As a church, it’s important for us to keep these two parts in balance.  A church that directs its energy solely on feeding the found becomes selfish and self-focused, not caring about the lost but only about the church taking care of its own inside the church.  On the other hand, the church that directs most of its energy outward will not develop the next generation of strong disciples to continue the church in the future.

Certainly, the church exists to provide worship, education, fellowship, and ministry opportunities to its members, but it’s also called to reach out into the community with the love and forgiveness found in Christ Jesus.  Moreover, it is the members who are the church who are called to be the ones who do that reaching out.  That is Christ’s commission for each of us!  What an exciting calling He has given to each of us!

May God continue to guide us to make our church a place that makes disciples who make an impact for Jesus!