How is the Holy Spirit calling St. John’s to change?
In October each year, we celebrate the 16th century Lutheran Reformation. One of the slogans of the Lutheran Reformation is “always reforming,” that is, that the Holy Spirit is always changing the Church! (Not just St. John’s; the whole Christian Church includes people from many congregations from many denominations). The Church needs to change, in part, because culture and language are always changing. The Church must change to speak and act in ways that proclaim and show Jesus as God’s promised King to people in each time and place. The Church also needs to change because it is prone to error and Sin: it is made up of human beings! The Holy Spirit convicts the Church of its error so it may live more fully in forgiveness as the body of Christ in the world.
Over the summer, we were using a Bible study to ask the Holy Spirit to refresh St. John’s. We went through many areas of St. John’s ministry and reflected on Bible passages and how, for example, our Worship & Music fulfills our purpose as a congregation to celebrate, proclaim, and serve. We’ve been having Forums to discuss what we found. Now, Council and leaders are discussing next steps.
Here’s a set of questions we’re asking:
Does our mission statement of “Celebrate God’s Love, Proclaim the Good News of Jesus, and Serve our Neighbor’s” still capture God’s purpose for St. John’s or does it need revision or replacement? Or perhaps we need to better communicate and use the mission statement in our day-to-day work as a congregation (for example, did you know the mission statement? If you are making decisions, do you refer to it?)
Does our vision statement of “Deepen relationships and develop leaders” still capture the direction we should take our celebrating, proclaiming, and serving? Or does it need revision or replacement to face the current situation? Or does it still fit, but we need to use it more explicitly, asking “how are we intentionally deepening relationships and developing leaders in this activity”?
Mission and vision statements aren’t worth much if we don’t know them or use them. Lack of knowledge and use may indicate they need replacement. On the other hand, maybe they are still appropriate but need to be more consistently and intentionally used.
Over the next few months (maybe it will take a year) we will develop goals and desired outcomes for the next 5-10 years. Our last set of goals from 2018 doesn’t apply anymore—you know how massively the world has changed! But before we set goals for the next chapter of St John’s story, we need to be sure our mission and vision is aligned with God’s desires.
So, please join in praying for God’s desire for St. John’s to be know, what God’s mission and vision is for this season. Look for opportunities to participate in the process, asking God to guide us every step of the way through your prayers and your voice and your leadership.
The Holy Spirit is always reforming!
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Peter
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