It was my first Sunday back from my six-week renewal leave, it felt great to be back home at John Wesley, it felt great to be back with everybody, and it felt great to back in the pulpit. However, not everything was great. This particular Sunday we were saying goodbye to several of our dear John Wesley family members who had or would soon be moving away. Lonnie & Yvonne Diedering, Sara & Dale Eppinger, and Phyllis Siewinski were all moving to be closer to their children and grandchildren. And Bill & Bonnie Ellis are moving to Bossier City, Louisiana because of a job promotion. With these good folks leaving, there’s a big hole in our hearts and in our church.
With these good folks leaving, there is a sudden realization that our church is in trouble - deep trouble. Our current situation didn’t happen overnight. It has been moving in that direction for some time, years in fact. At the August Administrative Council meeting we took a look at our current situation. We know our attendance has been steadily declining and our finances have gotten tighter and tighter. But at the meeting we recognized some other things that spell trouble for us:
1)We have become more concerned with growing our church rather than witnessing to our faith.
2)Our leaders’ efforts are more directed to running the church rather than forming disciples.
3)Our worship has become more “people and their preference-led” rather than “Spirit-led.”
4)We have been participating in mission projects without having an overall mission.
5)We have become focused on fixing our problems rather than creating something new.
Our current situation is an opportunity to get reoriented to God’s intention and purpose for John Wesley United Methodist Church. As a United Methodist Church our mission is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Our current situation is also an opportunity for us to re-think what our mission is and how we will accomplish that mission. Over several weeks in September and October I’ll be presenting “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations” in worship and in our Sunday School classes and study groups. The Five Practices are: Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-taking Mission and Service, and Extravagant Generosity.
I believe we are at a point in our church’s life that if something significant isn’t done and done soon, we will cease to exist in the very near future. I believe it is up to each one of you, the church members, to make a decision and a commitment to re-think what it means “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the
world.” You will be here to see this become the intention and mission of this church. So I offer you these five practices as a way forward from where we are to where God is calling us to be.
Putting these practices in place is going to require some significant changes in our church’s lifestyle. Just like someone who has been diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease has to make lifestyle changes to stay alive and get healthy, we will need to make some lifestyle changes for our life and health.
I plan to be here to offer help in making these changes but ultimately the decision for health or sickness, life or death, rests with you. If you want to live, to become renewed as the living body of Christ, you will adopt these new patterns of living. If not, then you will be counted among the many churches that have closed because they refused to revitalize.
In Deuteronomy 30:19, we read “I set before you life and death, blessing and curses…choose life.” God is with us, God is for us, and God is going to lead the way, if we will but follow.
I am so pleased to be back and am so proud to be your pastor,
