​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!

Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.” 1 Samuel 10:18

As we look back at the history of this congregation, we see that it is full of change.  Yet these changes were not simply changes for the sake of change, but for the sake of Christ’s commission to His church to grow the Kingdom as God uses us as His instruments to connect others to Christ and His church, and to lead His people to be His disciples in whatever their walk of life.

Think about that first change undertaken - a core group of people, leaving the comfort of their home congregation of Immanuel to the uncertainty of a new congregation, all for the purpose of reaching more people for Jesus.  A few short years later came another change - a move from the first place of worship in the basement of Immanuel School to a place to call their own.  Once again the move was made from comfort to challenge; this time the challenge was, in large part, financial in nature.

These are just a couple of the many changes in the congregation over the last 50+ years.  From other building projects, to changes in pastors, to the change of hymnals and in style of music, to additional services, to families moving in and out of the community, Peace has been in a state of constant change, moving from comfortable to challenged.

And that’s not even looking at the changes to the culture and community surrounding us!  Life in 2017 is very different from when the church was founded and even different from ten years ago!  For example, the evangelism programs used in decades past are no longer effective.  Relational evangelism is much more effective now than going door to door.  Another example is the use of technology.  People are more visually connected today than they were in the past, and that impacts how we preach, teach, and communicate within our congregation.

The difficulty happens when the church becomes comfortable with the status quo and no longer wants to change for the sake of the unchanging Gospel. Instead, it decides that it has reached its goal and loses its purpose. In the process, the church becomes resistant to change and self-focused rather than Christ-focused (more on that in later weeks).

In life, and in the church, change has always happened and will continue to happen.  Yet as changes happen here at Peace, be assured that it will be for the purpose that God has given us to reach out to those who need to know Jesus, and to disciple those who already do.  

May God continue to guide us, reveal to us His will, and guide us to make those changes which best enable our congregation to make disciples who make an impact for Jesus!

As we begin the next phase in the life of this congregation, change is expected, and change will happen even as we remember and celebrate the past (see last week’s article if you have not yet read it.)  Yet in the midst of changes, be assured that there are some things that will not change.

First, our mission of making disciples will not change!  This has been the mission of the church since Christ gave it that great commission before He ascended into heaven.  At times the greater church has wandered from that mission of growing up (teaching) and growing out (baptizing / evangelism) and leaned too far on one side or the other.  However, she has always returned to that Great Commission as her purpose on earth.

Second, we will always be a Bible teaching and preaching church!  While newer methods may be used (e.g. sermon series, outlines, and video clips on the screen), the Truth and His truths we teach and proclaim will never stray from the Word of God.

We will remain thoroughly Lutheran in our doctrine and in our worship.  Please don’t understand this to be only a certain style of liturgy or music, but a Christ-focused, grace-filled, Law and Gospel balanced service where we confess our sins, profess our faith in the Triune God, receive His gift of forgiveness through His Word and Sacraments, and respond in our prayers and praise.  As in the past, we have done so with different styles of worship, so we will continue to do in the future.

Above all, Christ crucified for the sins of all man-kind will continue to be preached, taught, and confessed through our words and actions.  He will continue to be glorified in all we do and say, inside and outside the walls of our building.

Yes, things will change in the future as they have in the past (more on that in next week’s article).  But what will NOT change are those things that make us distinctively who we are!

May God continue to guide us, reveal to us His will, and bless us as we make disciples who make an impact for Jesus!

In His Peace,

​Pastor Cory Burma

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.  Psalm 90:1-2
 
Change can be difficult, especially in a church.  After all, in order for Peace to be where we are today, great things had to happen in the past.  And it seems as if we are ignoring the great things of the past as we move forward with changes to address the future.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Our past is still very important to us.  It made us who we are today.  We celebrate our beginnings over 55 years ago, the move to our first sanctuary (now our fellowship hall), and then to the current sanctuary back in the 80’s. 

We celebrate the hundreds of people baptized, students who confirmed their faith, couples who were united as one before our altar, and lives remembered at their funerals.  We celebrate all those who grew in their relationship with their Savior through the Word proclaimed and Lord’s Supper received. 

We celebrate the pastors and staff we’ve had who have led us spiritually over these years.  We celebrate the mission emphasis of our congregation in the past, growing in numbers and planting a congregation.

We celebrate our music, from the traditional choir, to bells and brass, to the contemporary groups, and to the youth and children’s teams who have enriched our worship life.

We celebrate a willingness to look forward, stepping out in faith with multiple building projects, a new style of worship music in the 90’s, an emphasis on children and youth with the calling of DCEs, and the initiation of a plan of cooperation with Immanuel to solidify the funding of the school. 

Most of all, we celebrate a faithful God, who has blessed us beyond measure in ways we cannot begin to comprehend.
No, we will not forget the past.  Nor will we make it our idol.  We will build on the past as we move forward into the unknown of the future.

I am excited, yet at the same time, apprehensive about the future.  There are so many more uncertainties in today’s age than in the past.  However, the same God who has guided Peace in the past is the same God who is guiding us into the future. 

May God continue to guide us, reveal to us His will, and bless us as we make disciples who make an impact for Jesus!

In His Peace,

​Pastor Cory