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| Our Vision (Part 3): To Grow in Size Today is the third part of our Vision Series. We are a people whose mission is to be a welcoming family joyfully sharing God's Light. We dream of a church that welcomes and accepts people as they are. We dream of a church that reaches out to others in need. Another part of this dream is that we dream of a church that grows in size. Our goal here is not to become a large church. Our goal is not to be bigger than another church. Our goal is not related to numbers. Growing in size is simply a result realizing our vision for everyone who enters our doors. In other words, if we do a good job of welcoming and accepting people...if we do a good job of reaching out to the poor...if we do a good job of helping people grow in their faith...people will come! It's that simple! Do you like coming to St. John? Does this church help you grow in your faith? Pollster George Gallup, Jr. reports that 70 percent of Americans believe most churches and synagogues are not effective in helping people find meaning in life. He said the ongoing vitality of American religious congregations depends, in large measure, on their effectiveness in responding to six spiritual needs of Americans as identified in his surveys. See if these are needs you have, AND how well is St. John helping you meet them. 1. People need to believe life is meaningful and has a purpose. Does being a member of St. John help you meet any of these basic needs? As I listen to you in small groups and one-on-one I am hearing a resounding YES. 2000 years ago Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, stood on the street and preached a powerful message about the risen Christ. The first thing those people on the streets did was listen. They heard the words of Peter, not on some superficial level, but at a deep place in their hearts. The Bible says "they were cut to the heart." The second thing they did was to be baptized. Baptism was and is a sign of the love of God and our desire to turn towards God and accept forgiveness for our sins. The third thing they did was to devote themselves to teaching, fellowship, food, and prayer. They knew how important it was to study and learn, be together, eat, and listen to God. The 41st verse of the second chapter of Acts reads, "so those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 persons were added." This was no slow church growth. This was phenomenal, explosive growth in the early Church of Christ. Peter and the disciples had a problem. How were they going to build a faith community of 3,000 people? St. John has about 650 members with an average attendance at our four services around 500. Over the past three Sundays we are averaging over 600. How are we going to build a faith community for these folks? When you think about it we have a dangerous mission statement. Our mission is to be a welcoming family joyfully sharing God's Light. If we are not going to welcome and accept everyone because we'd rather not become a huge church, at what point are we going to stop welcoming others? Should we set a limit of 600 people? How would we enforce the limit? Rose suggests that we hire a bouncer! Can't you just see it? A big guy is standing at the door counting as people arrive for worship. 598...599....600. That's it, folks. I'm sorry. That's all we can handle. The fact is that we may be close to getting a bouncer. We're not talking about a big, hairy guy, but a barrier just the same. I'm talking about the barriers of small classrooms, insufficient worship space, lack of adequate parking, and inadequate fellowship and program space. If left in place these barriers will speak a strong message to new people that we cannot welcome them into our faith community. At this time I want to invite Chris Hyatt, co-chair of our Building Committee to share with you some important thoughts. There's a church in Kerajestan, built in the 15th Century, during a time of a mysterious and paralyzing illness. The congregation was much concerned to minister to those in the community who were struck down by this debilitating disease. They built the church with wide doors, and gently sloping ramps, so that people might easily approach, if need be even carried, on their beds or in litters. As they built the church, they remembered the story of the man who was sick, whose friends hauled him up and labored to lower him down into Jesus' presence through the roof, that he might share in the healing community. For many years the church did not finish the dome of the sanctuary, but left it open, covered only by a large tarp. The hole in the roof became a sign. However people needed to get in, this congregation was ready, prepared. What are the "holes" we need to have in our roof in order to continue welcoming people in the years to come? What do we need to leave unfinished and perhaps imperfect because we know that it may change down the road to accommodate new folks? We do become attached to buildings. It is easy for our attachments and affections about church buildings to want them to stay the same forever. When I was young I went to Methodist church camps. I have fond memories of my camp experiences there. When ministry needs changed for my conference both of those camps were sold. I could no longer return to my roots and tromp around the sacred ground of my childhood. It didn't bother me because the mission of the Church was not in maintaining buildings but making disciples of Jesus Christ! At St. John we need a deep understanding of our mission by EVERY man, woman, and child that our purpose is to welcome others and grow disciples. This building is not the Church of Jesus Christ! We are! We need to leave a "hole" in the roof of every building we build...a sign that we will do whatever it takes to welcome and accept those who come. The reason we do this is because God does the same for us. God leaves a "hole" for us, for every human being, a way to enter into the kingdom of God. Our job is to protect that "hole", to keep it open for you, for me, for all. |
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09/30/01 - Our Vision (Part 3): To Grow in Size (Acts 2:37-41)
