Connect the Dots
One of my memories from elementary school was when the teacher would give us a “connect the dot” worksheet. It was a piece of paper with a bunch of what appeared to be randomly placed dots that each had a number beside it. You would have to find the number one and then draw a line to connect to dot number two. You would do this until you reach the end and then all the connected dots formed a picture that you couldn’t see beforehand. However, if you connected a dot to the wrong dot that comes after, you would discover that it messed up your picture. Each dot represented an important aspect of the picture…if left unconnected, your picture wouldn’t be complete. Thus, in the process of completing the picture, you had to be diligent to find each number in its proper order and connect them appropriately.
The church is like a giant dot to dot worksheet. There are so many important elements that go into the structure and activity of the life of the body. When they are all connected and ordered in appropriate fashion, the result can be a beautiful masterpiece that people love to be a part of. If the dots aren’t connected in the right order, or if some are missing, it is obvious to tell that the picture isn’t complete. Scripture gives us the framework for the local church. Then, in our local context and mission, we are to place and connect the dots to fulfill our calling.
Grace Bible Church has experienced significant changes in the last five years. Some of those days were survival, others were like a physical therapy session where you must push through the pain and wonder if you will ever get back to what you once were. Then there are the seasons of hope and growth where you have new life and excitement for what could be, which are soon followed by the reality that your structure and facilities are not capable of meeting all the needs and desires of the newfound growth.
As church leadership looks out at the vast array of dots that need to be connected, we recognize that there are great needs in our church, both relationally and structurally. There is a temptation to just throw something out there to see if it sticks, however we want to invest into and develop healthy ministries that give us the desired outcomes. For that to happen, we must analyze what we are doing and why we are doing it. Sometimes we must ask hard questions about our why’s. As we work to the end of 2024, here are a few things that have our focus.
Who are we? We are trying to clearly define who we are. That begins with knowing who our people are, what are their needs, and how can we help them become disciples and families that are making disciples. While we have gathered a “basic” communications list, we are now trying to figure out our demographics. What ages, stages of life, and ministry needs do we represent. Armed with this understanding, we can more strategically plan and implement ministry strategies.
What do we stand for? Whether we like it or not, churches are governed by an agreed upon document and way of operation. Our current constitution reflects the ministry that was operating in the old church building in a very different context. Many of the positions and responsibilities that it lists are no longer relevant to how we do ministry in our context today. The elders are working on a cleaned up and more clearly defined document that will help us navigate today’s ministry experiences in a more functional and freeing way. It also needs to reflect the theological positions and values that we hold so that we have a common base upon which we serve in unity.
Where are we going? What is our mission? We are called to make disciples. What does that look like? Have the traditional ideas of spiritual growth given us the result we desired? Is it time to think differently about ministry? How do we help families disciple their children? How do we use the limited resources we have most effectively. The right answers can only be discovered by a process of asking lots of questions and not settling for the simple answer, but rather by digging deep to unearth the wisdom and direction that is often multiple layers deep. These answers help us to focus on the important ministries and strategies of Grace Bible Church.
Jesus had a vision ahead of him when he called his first disciples. They didn’t know what the journey ahead involved, but they faithfully and obediently followed. He calls us to do the same. Please keep the elders and pastors in your prayers as we seek to faithfully and obediently follow where Jesus is leading as he continues to take us on this exciting journey. Thank you for walking with us.
Pastor Dwight