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Dear Church,
Each fall, our staff and lay leadership council prepare for the coming year a ministry plan and develop a budget proposal to support it. Then in December, our 34-member church council votes to approve the ministry plan. Similar to how many of you prepare budgets in your fields of work, this process includes reviewing the previous year’s expenses, evaluating our ministry goals for the coming year, and developing a prudent financial proposal that seeks to accomplish kingdom objectives as prudently as possible.
I am involved in each phase of this process, and every year it causes me to pray and discern what God would want our ministry priorities to be for the coming year. These priorities can shift year to year due to a variety of factors, including church growth, changes in technology and culture, emerging needs inside and outside our church walls - and as we learned in 2020-2021, surprising events beyond our control. I look forward to this season each year when I can reflect on what God has accomplished through us and prayerfully consider new ministry priorities should be for the year. I always share these ideas with our staff and leadership team to receive their input.
As we begin 2024, I would like to share with you that I believe God would have us make Church Health a priority.
According to the New Testament, the major marks of a healthy church:
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Christ-Centered Unity: A healthy church looks to Jesus in the Gospels as our final guide for how to love God and people. The church is comprised of people who honor one another at points of personal disagreements, but are unified in their trust of and commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord.
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Loving: A healthy church speaks and acts in ways that demonstrates affection towards others. This love is manifested in speaking truthfully, forgiving graciously & caring compassionately.
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Missional: A healthy church sees and serves the physical and spiritual needs of those beyond her walls. This includes help for relief and restoration.
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Engaged: A healthy church has a congregation highly engaged in serving, learning and leading, rather than relying on paid staff to lead and carry out ministry.
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Generous: A healthy church invests in God’s ministry inside and outside the walls in meaningful ways as an act of worship.
Let me state first that from my perspective, by God’s grace, we are already a healthy church! Our church is marked by all the qualities listed above, and many others. These are signs that the Holy Spirit is active in our church.
But while our church is healthy now, we can always be more aware and intentional in how we live together in Christian community (and perhaps especially in another highly charged election year). Jesus prayed in John 17 that his disciples would remain unified in Him and promised them the Holy Spirit to enable it. As his Body, filled and guided by his Spirit, the Church should be the healthiest most unified organization in the world!
So in 2024, keep an ear out for themes in our preaching, teaching and serving that will lift up the importance of spiritual, relational, mental, marital, parental and physical health. Maybe even take a look in the mirror and ask God how you can become healthier. I think God would be honored if we became the healthiest church in our county. And you know what healthy things do, don't you? They GROW.
With hope for the new year,
Pastor Nathan
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