Friday, June 29, 2007

leadership dreams and congregational reality

I was in working late on Thursday night, trying to clear some piles of paper from my desk. As the Irresistible Evangelism course finished I poked my head in, asking them not to set the church alarm since I was still working in my office. It was their last evening and the co-leaders were beaming.

I sat and listened to them tell story after story, of how the Irresistible Evangelism course had given people new insights, of how people had put the teaching in practise and actually been able to talk about Jesus in their social settings.

It was a high point for me as a pastor. At our church members meeting in August last year, we spent time asking “what is one thing Opawa Baptist could do to put Ephesians 4:3-16 into practice in 2007?” 7 ideas were generated and affirmed by those gathered.

At the start of the year we committed ourselves to 3 of these ideas:
– Every person be given the opportunity to mature in one area of discipleship
– Workplace blessings
– Everyone to know (be taught) how to lead someone to become a Christian

The Practicing our Faith preaching series and take home cards were one practical response to the first idea. Their is a group of people discussing how to make the second idea an integrated part of our church life. And now the first Irresistible Evangelism course was complete. And so together we brainstormed next steps: how to report back to the church, how to hold people accountable for their learning, how and when to run the course again, given it’s effectiveness.

I like it when our dreams and plans become reality. I like being part of a church that takes the Bible seriously and let’s it shape our life. I like see different gifts working together as a church body. I like being part of an outward looking church community.

Written for front page of Sunday’s church newsletter

Posted by steve at 01:37 PM

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