Important Info from the Pastor Part 2

Dear First Methodist Church Family,

I shared some important news with you a couple days ago.  And that was that the Administrative Board is making a serious attempt to answer the question, “what has God chosen First Methodist Church for?”  And that every person associated with First Methodist Church was invited to start seeking God in the following three ways.  First, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to all of us what He has chosen First Methodist for in the next season of its life and ministry.  Secondly, ask the Spirit to put a fire in our bones for it.  And third, ask the Holy Spirit to identify and/or raise up 10-12 individuals who will help the congregation identify a shared vision and intentional disciple-making strategy.  

John Maxwell tells the following in his book The Winning Attitude.  “In the Canadian north lands, there are just two seasons, winter, and July.  When the back roads begin to thaw, they become muddy.  Vehicles going into the backwood country leave deep ruts that become frozen when cold weather returns.  For those entering this primitive area during the winter months, there is a sign which reads, Driver, please choose carefully which rut you drive in, because you‘ll be in it for the next twenty miles.” (Pg. 145-146). 

Similarly, someone could say, “Churches, please choose carefully which rut you drive in, because you’ll be in it for the next twenty years.”  

It's been a long time since our congregation has reflected on who it is, what our guiding values are, and what our sense of shared purpose is.  July is approaching, and the Administrative Board believes that now is as good a time as ever to affirm who we are as a congregation, who God wants us to be, and determine how we can significantly impact the people of Stuttgart and the Grand Prairie with Christ for years to come.   

The Administrative Board has secured the coaching services of Spiritual Leadership, Inc., to guide us in doing just that.  The first action to take is the creation of a 10–12-member task force that will work closely with the SLI coaches.  The next letter will focus entirely upon this team, its makeup, and the criteria for serving as a member of it.  

If you’d like to know more about the services of Spiritual Leadership, Inc., please visit www.spiritual-leadership.org. Also, the task force has not been named.  If you would like to suggest a name, please let the pastor know.  

In the meantime, please keep seeking God in the following ways.  First, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to all of us what First Methodist has been chosen for.  Secondly, ask the Spirit to put a fire in our bones for it.  And third, ask the Holy Spirit to identify and/or raise up 10-12 individuals who will help the congregation identify a shared vision and an intentional strategy for making mature disciples.

Praying for fire in our bones,

Pastor B