Leader to Leader
“...It seemed good also to me....”
[Luke 1:3 NIV]
Issue #5: May, 2008
The year 2008 has been designated by us as a “Year of Becoming Great.” Our theme verse is from the Book of Genesis, where God looked around at everything He had created and beheld that it was all very good [Genesis 1:31].
Our God is a God of perfection, a God of greatness!
As His people, God expects no less from us!
As His people, we should expect nothing less of ourselves!
One of the primary tasks set before us during this year of 2008 in “becoming great” is the re-identification of and re-dedication to our “core values.” According to instruction from our Board of Directors, this task is currently in the hands of our Board of Elders (Bill Files, John Ochetti and Jeff Potter) and in the hands of the Chair of our Board of Evangelism, Jessica Valentine. They are diligently studying the BEST resource book on Advanced Strategic Planning, highly recommended to us by Pastor Mike Ruhl of the Center for U.S. Missions. They will be meeting with me during the summer and hope to present some ideas back to the Board of Directors this fall for study and presentation to and buy-in from the members of the congregation.
One thing I have learned through the many leadership conferences I have attended during the past 14 years is that no two congregations are the same. The temptation for many struggling congregations is to simply replicate a ministry model that has been successful elsewhere. The common thought is that if it has worked for Dr. Robert Schuller (of the Crystal Cathedral), Dr. Bill Hybels (of Willow Creek Church), Dr. John Maxwell (of Injoy Ministries) or Dr. Rick Warren (of Saddleback Church), it will work for us as well. Of that, I am not so sure......
Listen to some words that St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian congregation:
“I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. I planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, Who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid the foundation as an expert builder and someone else is building on it” [1 Cor. 3:2, 6-10].
There are several truths held within these verses:
❶ This work before us is not ours. It’s God’s! Our questions should never be, “What do we want? What do we think?” Instead, our questions should always be, “What does God want from us? What does God want from our congregation?”
❷ Every congregation of God’s people is at a different stage in life. Some are still drinking milk – and needing to do that. Others are living off solid food – and needing to do that. To force a newborn (no matter its age) to eat adult food is not only not good; its downright dangerous. Some are still in the “foundation” stage. Others are in the “building” stage.
❸ Every congregation of God’s people is different and unique. I regularly watch the televised meetings of the Planning Commission and City Council of the City of Glendora, where I live. Every building plan submitted for approval is unique to the specific property. What is suitable for one property may not be suitable for another. The same is true for mission and ministry, for mission statements and core values, for programs and approaches.
❹ As different and unique and may be each congregation, the end result is always the same. In the end, God brings growth. The illustration of planting cannot be ignored. I have some very slow growing plants in my yard, plants that need a season or two to actually turn out the way they are supposed to. I have other plants that, as soon as they’re planted, look like what they are supposed to be. I can’t expect a bulb to instantly grow like a potted plant. In the end, though, each plant, given time and tender loving care, will grow.
What does this say to us? It says that the task before us of re-identifying and re-dedicating ourselves to our core values and our overall mission as Historic First Lutheran Church is very important. It should not be rushed. It should not simply be cloned from what someone else is doing. We need to personally get out of God’s way and allow Him to show us His plans for us and stay out of God’s way while He works.
Just food for thought for all of us.
God bless your leadership this month! Thanks for reading!
Pastor Christopher Schaar
Senior / Administrative Pastor
Historic First Lutheran Church, Pasadena, CA