Transitions

Change is an inevitable part of life and in most circumstances it is good. This is true for us spiritually as individuals. The Holy Spirit is about taking us from where we are to developing our hearts and growing us more in the image of Christ. This is also true of churches. As a church with Christ as the Head, we must be willing to adjust in order to follow God by faith wherever He leads us.

We’ve all noticed that God is bringing more people to The Brook. While we don’t know how long the significant increases will continue to occur (that’s entirely up to the Lord), it is important for us to be willing to adjust and to cooperate with God in this development. This is what faith means for us right now.


Allow me to enumerate a few things that are very important as we go through these transitions. In order for us to stay the amazing, unique, warm and unified church family that we currently are; these are matters that must be focused upon.

• Scale not Identity. You should know that while our church is changing from the standpoint of scale, scope and structure in order to accommodate the people that God is bringing, we are not changing (nor seeking to change) who we are. As long as we continue to stay focused and do a good job of assimilating people into our church family, we will see people join us who broaden and enhance who we are, not modify it. This is happening now even as we’ve grown and is a testament to the faithful people in our church currently. Our values remain firm and our vision is the same. As we grow, the culture of our church family is only being enhanced and our impact into the community is only being broadened.

• Circles of Belonging. This phrase and concept becomes critical during this time of growth. It means that in order for us to “stay small” as we grow larger, people must find relational connections with other people. We will not know everyone in the church, but we should all know some people and be known by some people within the congregation. These are the people who know us by name, whom we know by name, who miss us when we're not there, and have some knowledge of what’s going on in our lives in order to encourage us, pray for us, and care for us in times of need. Unless everyone finds a circle of belonging, our church will be a place that people only attend, rather than a spiritual family that people belong to.

• Community Groups. This brings up the important matter of Community Groups. I cannot over emphasize the critical nature of this ministry in the years ahead. We currently have needs for new groups and new group leaders. If God has placed this ministry on your heart even a little bit, would you consider being trained to be a Community Group leader? Most people think this involves a heavy teaching role. While this is true for those who have the teaching gift, facilitators, not trained Bible teachers, lead most of our Community Groups. We have powerful video series where gifted teachers teach the Bible on the video and then the facilitator simply leads discussion. The preparation is not near as draining, and it frees up Community Group leaders to do the important job of getting to know those in their groups. Please pray for this ministry. And if you’re not involved in one, determine in your heart that you’ll find a Community Group soon.

• ReUnion. ReUnion is such a significant and unique part of our particular church. I can’t tell you how I look forward to it each time we have it. As a part of the church family, would you make ReUnion a priority? This is the one time every other month where our church family reunites to hear important information, to fellowship together, and to celebrate together the awesome memorial of the Lord’s Supper. If we can continue to have a large core of our church family continue at ReUnion, then we will build a church unified rather than a church scattered. ReUnion is essential to our health as a church.

• Communication. As we grow larger the need to communicate is only expanded. You can help us remain a church unified by reading the Sunday bulletins, my blog and the Econnect. Believe it or not, one of the most important roles that you play as a church member is the one of simply staying informed.

• Serving. Serving teams are the heartbeat of the church! People are often amazed when we tell them that 90% of our church members and just over 80% of those who attend on Sunday mornings are serving in some capacity at The Brook. This one thing has been the unique distinctive of our church family now for years, and it is a powerful, cultural dimension of the church that is filled with life and love! The needs in the current ministries are great and certainly we need more people to serve, but more importantly – people need to serve for their own benefit. Truly the one who receives most is the one who serves others… and we are never more like Jesus then when we serve! May God continue to protect us in this one area so that we remain the kind of church that we are-- a church with broad ownership by all, deep love, and serving hearts.

• Welcoming Others. As churches grow, more people can slip through the cracks and not be noticed or welcomed. It’s very important that all our church family take responsibility not only to speak to their friends on Sunday mornings, but to also find others to say hello to. Let’s not gain the reputation that so many large churches have – that they are unfriendly and unwelcoming. With purposeful intent each-and-every Sunday, we can overcome that stereotype and remain the warm and loving place that we are now.

Finally, let me say how I continue to be amazed at how blessed we are at The Brook. God is truly growing something unique in us and through us. Let’s remain humble and hungry for more… always finding that balance between celebrating what we currently have together, and yet moving forward in faith as we follow our good God into the future.

Thank you for your time and devotion to The Brook! You are the ones who make it special!

Pastor Mike