Transition II
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Turn to Exo. 18. Continue to ask what does a good church look like, but from a different angle. Last week I mentioned that
The Church is always in transition.
What we were, what we are, and what we will be as a church – it changes. That’s nothing new. Truthfully, KNaz has been in transition since the day it was planted. Transition is natural, normal, part of life.
Here’s the truth - If we stop transitioning as a church - we’re a dead church – and
Dead churches don’t save people.
We must navigate this transition together. And
How do we navigate transition? A lot of prayer and a lot of communication!
If it’s helpful,
We can replace the word transition with journey.
The Church as an organization and as individuals are on a journey. Again, when Christians and churches stop walking the journey that God has for them, we become irrelevant, ineffective, lukewarm …. Does anyone here really want us to become ineffective?
So, let’s talk about this journey or transition within KNaz. Let’s look at Exodus 18 and see what God’s Word has for us this morning.
If you recall, Israel were slaves in Egypt. God raised up Moses to lead Israel out of captivity. When we get to chapter 18 of Exodus, we can assume that Israel had been out in the desert for a minimum of several weeks – probably longer. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law from Midian visits Moses. He said, “I’ve heard all these great things God has done. I’ve heard about the 10 plagues, and the crossing of the sea! God did all that through you! Wow!”
Think about it – God did these mighty powerful miracles through Moses. Question - what kind of a leader does this make Moses? This guy should be able to do just about anything! This is the kind of leader we all want.
Let’s put a little modern spin to it. Let’s call Moses, Pastor Moses and Israel is the congregation he is responsible to oversee. If God did all these mighty deeds through Pastor Moses, then what kind of a pastor should he be? Pastor Moses should be able to do it all – get things done – grow the church …. I think we would all agree that Moses would make an amazing pastor, but might he have some limitations? Let’s find out.
The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening.
When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?”
And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God;
when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.”
We have a problem.
What’s the problem? The congregation was stuck.
stifled, bottlenecked. They’re all standing around all day doing nothing, waiting for Pastor Moses. Not being effective. That’s the problem. But what’s the cause? Was it Moses? The congregation? Or both? I’d say both, but for today we’re going to focus on Pastor Moses.
Moses’ heart and his intentions were good. He genuinely wanted to help and serve his people. However, in his effort to help, he hindered the people. Pastor Moses, this great leader who confronted Egypt and led Israel to freedom stifled his congregation. He took on a role that he wasn’t designed for.
We need to be careful here. A lot of pastors take on roles they’re not wired to do, and it’s not healthy or beneficial to themselves, their families, or their congregations. Pastors are not wired to do everything well. Pastors have strengths and weaknesses like everyone else!
Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good.
You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.
Aside from the congregation’s part, Pastor Moses brought the church to a standstill (not good). Most of us can think of a time when we went into a coffee shop or restaurant, and it took forever to receive what we ordered because there was a lack of employees. What’s the solution?
Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God,
and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do.
Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
Pastor Moses caused a problem. Jethro provided a solution.
What’s the solution? Vv 19-22 is an outline for pastoral or church leadership.
1. The pastor brings the people to God.
The pastor is not responsible to fix anyone’s problem, but helps people find God in their problems.
2. The pastor enlists a ministry leadership team.
The pastor needs a team to help bear the burden of ministry. We see this in the Gospels – Jesus selected 12 men and a few women to be on His ministry team. The pastoral letters, Timothy and Titus mention selecting overseers and deacons. So, having a ministry team who helps the pastor lead the congregation is Biblical.
We have a problem. We have a solution. What’s the payoff?
If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
What’s the payoff? Endurance. Longevity. No one gets burned out. No bottleneck, less frustration, no hindering. Satisfaction or peace – which means wholeness. I think we can connect this to Eph. 4:16 – when each part of the body (the church) does its part in love, the body builds itself up. In other words, the Kingdom of God expands.
So
What’s the payoff? A church that’s better equipped to follow Jesus.
What does this mean for us? Like I said last week, we’re moving toward this model. If I focus on 100 people, that will hinder the church. So, we now have a
Ministry Leadership Team (MLT)
My primary focus will be on the leadership, their spiritual health, etc. The MLT will primarily focus on their ministries. If we do this well, the people of KNaz and the people God brings to KNaz will be a sense of satisfaction, a sense of momentum, and the Kingdom of God will expand. Believe me, this is about reaching souls for Christ. That’s the journey we’re on and we need to be on this journey together.
If you’re not clear on anything I said or you have some concerns, what do you do? Communicate. Ask. Get clarity. Dialogue!
Switch gears. The leadership team and I are in an 18-month cohort with 7 other churches on the District. We’re helping each other navigate this new world and learn from and encourage each other. To start the cohort, the Board and I met with the DS this past Monday. DS challenged us to create 3 goals to accomplish over the next 18 months. Here they are:
18 Month Goals
1. Create a comprehensive discipleship process from pre-Christian, to Christian, to a follower of Christ.
2. Light the salvation candle 30 times by March 1, 2025.
3. Hire 1 staff (i.e. music or youth pastor)
I’m asking that we pray for these consistently, that we cooperate with the Spirit to accomplish these goals, that we seek first the Kingdom of God, and do this in faith.
A few questions as we close. As we navigate this transition, this journey over the next 18 months,
1) What are three best things that could happen?
2) What are some new opportunities for you and for this church?
3) Where might God be stretching you and calling you to get on the journey?