Moving Forward

Transition series • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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The interim period provides an opportunity for the church to "recalibrate," in which it works to reconnect, refocus and reorganize.

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Romans 12:9–13 NRSV

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

A couple of weeks ago, we bought a new car for Deann

Romans 12:9–13 NRSV

Like most cars these days it has lots of built in electronics, including a compass,

A couple of weeks ago, we bought a new car for Deann

I decided to look through the manual

It has lots of built in electronics, including a compass

I decided to look through the manual

One note was entitled: If the letter “C” shows in the compass

Should this happen, the manual instructed, we should drive the car in a circle three times

Somehow, this “recalibrates” the car’s compass

Compasses are not the only thing that needs to be recalibrated from time to time

This reminds me

In a sense, recallibrating is what this interim period is all about

One note was entitled: If the letter “C” shows in the compass

We may not all have to walk in a circle three times

But the interim provides an opportunity to ask whether we as a church are functioning properly

If a compass is not working correctly, it may send you off in the wrong direction

If a church is not functioning correctly, it may become distracted and lose sight of what God is calling it to do and be

So, what does a church do to “recalibrate”?

First, it seeks to reconnect.

It is important that, from time-to-time, a church reconnects with its identity as the body of Christ

We need to be reminded that Jesus is the head of the church

And that we serve as the body of Christ in the world today

We represent Jesus in the world today

We are also the hands of Jesus—the instruments through which God ministers to the whole world

This is our identity, this is who we are

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul describes Jesus as the head of the church

But he also uses another term to point out the critical role that Jesus plays in the church

Should this happen, the manual instructed, we should drive the car in a circle three times

In , he writes

Ephesians 2:19–22 NRSV

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

Somehow, this “recalibrates” the car’s compass

Compasses aren’t the only things that needs to be recalibrated from time to time

Paul says that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church

Compasses aren’t the only things that needs to be recalibrated from time to time

In a sense, recallibrating is what this interim period is all about

Today, when we think of cornerstones, we often think of a ceremonial block in which we place various items

We may not all have to walk in a circle three times

But traditionally, the cornerstone was the first stone put down in the process of constructing a house or other building

But the interim provides an opportunity to ask whether we as a church are functioning as effectively as we could

So everything about the church is measured off of the cornerstone

Unfortunately, it is easy to lose sight of the cornerstone and we begin to measure the church by other standards

If a compass is not working correctly, it may send you off in the wrong direction

If a church is not functioning correctly, it may become distracted and lose sight of what God is calling it to do and be

By what standard are we measuring the ministry of the church?

So, what does a church do to “recalibrate”?

A second thing we can do to recalibrate the church is to refocus.

First, it seeks to reconnect.

It is important that, from time-to-time, a church reconnects with its identity as the body of Christ

Our connection to Jesus as the head of the church remains constant

So does the call upon us to be his hands of ministry remain constant

To avoid getting lost, we would use a compass to determine the direction we were headed and then choose a landmark

We need to be reminded that Jesus is the head of the church

And that we serve as the body of Christ in the world today

But the specific ways that we are called to minister . . . the specific ways we are called to be the hands of Jesus . . . will change

The way this church was called to minister in this community in 1919 is not the way we are called to minister in 2019

That we represent Jesus in the world

We are also the hands of Jesus—the instruments through which God ministers to the whole world

As a result, Any church must regularly ask, “what is God calling us to do and to be in this time?”

What does it mean to be Jesus’ hands, his ministers, today?

This is our identity, this is who we are

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul describes Jesus as the head of the church

I have had people in various churches ask, “why do we need to talk about vision again—we did that 10 years ago?”

But he also uses another term to point out the critical role that Jesus plays in the church

But determining the vision of a church is not a one time event

In , Paul writes:

The interim period is a great time to discern God’s vision

Ephesians 2:19–22 NRSV

Which is why we have been talking so much about vision

In this passage, Paul says that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church

Paul says that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church

It is by discerning what God is calling this church to be and to do in 2019 that we refocus the ministry of this church

Today, when we think of cornerstones, we often think of a ceremonial block in which we place various items

A third thing we can do to recalibrate the church is to reorganize.

But traditionally, the cornerstone was the first stone put down in the process of constructing a house or other building

The cornerstone becomes the point of reference by which every other stone is set.

Back in the 1950s a new way to organize churches came about

It was an approach to church organization that had never been tried before

And it had a name: the “functional committee” system

So when we say that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church, it means that he is the reference point by which everything else in the church is set

It was promoted by the Disciples and many other denominations

Every church I have been part of has had some variation of this organizational structure

Unfortunately, it is easy to lose sight of the cornerstone and we begin to measure the church by other standards

This means we need to constantly ask “by what standard are we measuring the ministry of the church?”

Essentially, it said that the church’s life and ministry should be organized around committees

Finance, membership, evangelism, worship, property, outreach, Christian education

I knew one group who had a Committee on Committees

And all of the committees were to be coordinated by a board made up of officers, elders, deacons, all committee chairs and a rep from every group in the church

A second thing we can do to recalibrate the church is to refocus.

Our connection to Jesus as the head of the church remains constant

And it all worked beautifully for about 30 or 40 years

As things began to change, however, churches began to be weighed down by their structures

I served a church where the constitution called for a board that was literally larger than the church’s average worship attendance

As does the call upon us to be his hands of ministry

But the specific ways that we are called to minister . . . the specific ways we are called to be the hands of Jesus . . . will change

We have people serving on 3, 4, 5 different committees

The way this church was called to minister in this community in 1919 is not the way we are called to minister in 2019

Today, people are coming to understand that churches need to regularly evaluate their structure

As a result, Any church must regularly ask, “what is God calling us to do and to be in this time?”

Does it fit the current congregation? Does it help us carry out the ministry God is calling us to today?

What does it mean to be Jesus’ hands, his ministers, today?

Again, the interim period is the best time to do this evaluation

I have had people in various churches ask, “why do we need to talk about vision again—we did that 10 years ago?”

Does our organizational structure facilitate our life and ministry or does it weigh down our life and ministry?

But determining the vision of a church is not a one time event

The interim period is a great time to discern God’s vision

We used to go hiking in the Everglades a lot when I was in Boy Scouts

But hiking in the Everglades could be a challenging event

Which is why we have been talking so much about vision

There were no trails, but lots of critters, so you needed to have the right shoes

It is by discerning what God is calling this church to be and to do in 2019 that we refocus the ministry of this church

There was no drinkable water, so you needed a canteen and probably some sort of snack to give you energy

A third thing we can do to recalibrate the church is to reorganize.

Back in the 1950s a new way to organize churches came about

The most important thing you needed, however, was a compass

In those days before GPS, you would use a compass to determine the direction you needed to go and then pick out a landmark

It was an approach to church organization that had never been tried before

But, even so, every once in a while you needed to stop and recalibrate

And it had a name: the “functional committee” system

You needed to check the compass to see if you were still headed in the right direction

It was promoted by the Disciples and many other denominations

In many ways, that is what we are doing right now

This approach was so pervasive that every church I have been part of has had some variation of this organizational structure

And to talk to us more about what is happening, I want to invite Daryle Coleman to come forward

Essentially, it said that the church’s life and ministry should be organized around committees

Finance, membership, evangelism, worship, property, outreach, Christian education

I knew one group who had a Committee on Committees

And all of the committees were to be coordinated by a board made up of officers, elders, deacons, all committee chairs and a rep from every group in the church

And it all worked beautifully for about 30 or 40 years

As the culture and congregations began to change, however, churches began to be weighed down by their structures.

I served a church where the constitution called for a board that was literally larger than the church’s average worship attendance

We have people serving on multiple committees

Today, people are coming to understand that churches need to regularly evaluate their structure

Does it fit the current congregation? Does it help us carry out the ministry God is calling us to today?

Again, the interim period is the best time to do this evaluation

We need to regularly ask, does our organizational structure facilitate our life and ministry or does it weigh down our life and ministry?

We used to go hiking in the Everglades a lot when I was in Boy Scouts

But hiking in the Everglades could be a challenging event

There were no trails, but lots of critters, so you needed to have the right shoes

There was no drinkable water, so you needed a canteen and probably some sort of snack to help keep your energy up

The most important thing you needed, however, was a compass

If you didn’t know what you were doing, you could easily get lost

In those days before GPS, you would use a compass to determine the direction you needed to go and then pick out a landmark

But, even so, every once in a while you needed to stop and recalibrate

You needed to check the compass to see if you were still headed in the right direction

In many ways, that is what we are doing right now

And to talk to us more about what is happening, I invite representatives from the Interim Steering Committee to come forward

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