Change
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” -John 15
The Christian church around us is changing quickly. In many places it appears God is cutting off branches that are not bearing fruit. In others, God is pruning branches so they will be fruitful and grow. Either way, churches are changing. Our goal is to be part of the pruning so we can grow healthy fruit and be blessed by God.
Things are changing at our church. We are looking closely at how to enhance the ability of all our people to love God with their Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength. We have a great church! However, I have heard a number of concerns that we are a little too active, and often we are asking people to choose between loving God with your Heart, or your Mind, or your Soul, or your Strength. This is especially true for our children and teens. We are a strong ministry, however too often our resources are spread out and dispersed in such a way they no longer have the dynamic impact God wants us to have.
So we are looking to provide a better experience with a few less options and expectations.
Just like branches on a vine need pruning, so does a ministry. Over the last few years we have developed attitudes and activities that draw us off mission. These are not bad things. We even enjoy a lot of these things. But, year after year we have been drifting as we slowly become less fruitful. Ministries can look strong and healthy, but be like a grapevine that is all leaves and no fruit. Our church is still an amazing church. But it can be much better. Most of what you have loved about our church will still be there, but we intend that we will be more focused and more targeted to achieve the results God expects from us. That’s what pruning does for a vine.
Our staff design is changing. We now have a Vision Team in place to help guide our ministry. This includes myself, Gidget Hughes leading our Nurture Ministries, Pastor Sherry Mahar leading our worship ministries, and Debbie Parise providing leadership for our business ministries. Many of our other staff are being redeployed to better serve our church.
Please pray for our church. God’s leadership is the most essential thing we are seeking. Be open, but also be honest. If you like something, let us know, if you don’t, let us know, if you’re not sure, give it a chance.
As I said before, most of the changes are to adjust what we do and make our ministry more effective. You will notice change, but our goal is that everything our church should be will remain and thrive. Pruning leads to growth and to fruit. So long as we stay connected to the vine, which is Christ, God will give us the growth.
Pastor Tom