We recently held a meeting of the pastor, elders and congregation to discuss our vision for the future of Stonebridge Church. The following is my attempt to record in writing everything that was said so those who were unable to attend can “hear” it for themselves and so those who heard it can remember what we said. The meeting fell into two sections as follows:
- Pastor Dan’s vision comments
- The congregation’s comments and questions
Part 1: Pastor Dan’s comments
First, I shared two questions I’ve been asking as I thought about a vision for the church:
1) What are we called to do; and, 2) If we could do anything (if we had no limitations, etc) at this juncture in the life of Stonebridge, what would we do? Since Jesus said, “I will build my church,” we can trust that he is working among us and is interested in using Stonebridge to expand his kingdom in the world numerically, geographically and spiritually, so we should, on the one hand seek to determine his particular call for us, and on the other hand, seek to, “attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God” (William Carey, missionary to India).
As I was reading through Ephesians recently (especially 1:9, 17; 3:19; 4:13; as well as Psa 105:1; 2 Cor 2:14; and Phlm 1:6) the phrase, “Knowing Christ and Making Him Known through the Gospel” seems to fit this church’s calling. Since God has made Christ known to us through the Gospel, we should, through our study of the Gospel, come to know Christ more and more fully, and we should, through sharing the Gospel, make Christ known to others. I will speak more about this at a future date.
I looked for guidance from the EPC Book of Order regarding our vision and found the following helpful. First, from the Book of Government:
§4-1 Definition of the particular church
- A particular church consists of all those professing Christians who, along with their children, are associated together
- to live their faith,
- to worship together, who seek individually and jointly
- to serve the Lord in witness and service, who agree
- to submit themselves to the government and discipline of the Church, and who promise
- to promote its purity and peace.
§4-2 The primary duty of the particular church is …to worship
It is the privilege and primary duty of the particular church
- to worship God regularly. Out of the experience of worship, the Church renews her faith and clarifies her understanding of obedient service to God.
§4-3 The first work of the church is …to evangelize, and… to nurture faith
In terms of its work, the first duty of the church is
- to evangelize by extending the Gospel both at home and abroad, leading others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and
- to provide for the nurture of that faith that all might grow in grace and in sanctification.
- Evangelism must remain primary. The Church must never confuse its primary task of evangelism (the Gospel) with the fruit of faith (good works).
- Good deeds are fruit of evangelism. It is to be remembered that good deeds in ministry and service to others, offering relief to those in need, is the fruit of the Gospel. Without the clear evidence of such fruit, all else is brought into question.
§4-4 Spiritual nurture of the children of the church by the parents with help from the church
The spiritual nurture, instruction, and training of the children of the Church are
- committed by God primarily to their parents. They are responsible to the Church for the faithful discharge of their obligations.
- It is a principal duty of the Church to promote true religion in the home. True discipleship involves learning the Word of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit both at home and in the Church. Without learning there is no growth, and without growth there is no discipline, and without discipline there is sin and iniquity. (I Timothy 4:7).
§4-5 Special provision for instructing children in the Bible and Catechisms
…establishing and conducting Sunday schools and Bible classes,
…encouraging parents of the Church to guide their children in the catechizing and disciplining
The home and the church should also make special provision for instructing the children in the Bible and in the Church Catechisms. To this end
- Sessions should establish and conduct under their authority Sunday schools and Bible classes, and adopt such other methods as may be found helpful.
- The Session shall encourage the parents of the Church to guide their children in the catechizing and disciplining of them in the Christian religion.
§ 4-6 Maintaining good relations with the children
The Church should
- maintain constant and sympathetic relations with the children. It should also
- encourage them, on coming to years of discretion,
- to make confession of the Lord Jesus Christ and
- to enter upon all privileges of full Church membership.
- If they are wayward they should be
- cherished by the Church and
- every means used to reclaim them.
§4-7 Nurture of the church’s members
It is the further duty of the particular church to provide for the nurture of its members,
- to promote the welfare of the whole Church,
- to provide the sacraments,
- to teach the faith,
- to observe special days, including times of prayer and fasting, and
- to otherwise further its common life together as hereafter set forth in the Book of Worship.
§4-8 Its government
The particular church is governed by the
- Church Session which is composed of the Pastor(s) called by the congregation, and Ruling Elders. A particular congregation may also have a
- Board of Deacons with whom is lodged the primary duty of sympathy and service. A congregation may elect not to have a Board of Deacons, in which case these duties return to the Church Session.
Second, from the EPC Book of Worship:
§1-1 Our Purpose: …glorifying and enjoying God.
Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. In giving glory to God, the Christian is to worship God as a private exercise of faith and as a part of the spiritual exercise of individual families. However, each person as a Christian becomes a part of the larger family of God, a community of faith called the Church. Within this family, all believers are called to share a corporate fellowship of praise, love, commitment, and service. This life together finds visible expression within the family and to the world through worship together.
§1-2 Called to worship: …joining together in common worship.
Since natural understanding reveals that there is a God who is Lord and sovereign over all, that this God is holy, loving, good, merciful and forgiving, it is appropriate for God’s own people to hold Him in awe, to praise Him, to pray to Him, to trust in Him, and to magnify Him. While Christians are bound to give God this worship as individuals and as families, it is especially incumbent upon them to join together in common worship. In such worship, God’s love and power in giving the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ for the remission of sin is to be acknowledged and the dedication of life in service to Him is to be made.
§1-3 Called to serve: …proclaiming the Gospel through our words and works.
The worship of God has, as its natural consequence, the response of commitment and service to Him. This finds expression as God’s people gather to worship, then scatter into the world to serve Him. Such service includes witnessing to all peoples the marvelous deeds of Him who calls us out of darkness into His wonderful light.
- It includes, as a first duty, the proclamation of a grace that reaches out to forgive, to redeem, and to give new spiritual power to life for Him through Jesus Christ, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
- It includes a witness to the Word of God revealed in Scripture.
- It includes a witness to God’s love and compassion by embodying that love in acts of ministry to the needs of others.
- Summary: Thus, the Church becomes God’s instrument in the world for the fulfilling of His divine purposes for mankind.
§1-4 The Church as a body of Christ: …building the inner spiritual life of the Church by extending its ministry to the world with the goal that every knee bow and every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, both within the Church and in the whole world.
As the Church gathers in common worship and fellowship and then goes back into the world to live out its faith and commitment before men, it is acting as the Body of Christ. As a result, the individual Christian, the particular Church, and the visible Church in the world, combine to serve the great Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, when it is engaged in its worship and work. To be in Christ means to be involved actively in the Body by building the inner spiritual life of the Church and by extending its ministry to the world. The goal for the whole Church and each member of it is to have every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, both within the Church and in the whole world.
Next, I answered the question “who are we called to reach?”
Stonebridge should not only be a church for us, but we should also seek to reach with the Gospel:
- Our friends: co-workers, neighbors, family, acquaintances – those in your personal sphere of influence
- Our city: praying for it, blessing it, renewing its culture, establishing small groups in its neighborhoods, planting churches for its various people groups in the surrounding towns
- Our world: sending missionaries to the uttermost parts, helping plant churches for every tribe and tongue
Next, I addressed a number of issues regarding the future of Stonebridge in no particular order.
Facilities
The Session together with the Facilities committee should establish goals regarding location, square footage, uses, etc for a congregation of up to 300 to serve as a hub for worship and service from which subsequent EPC churches may be planted in the surrounding towns and city
The Facilities committee should be appointed and empowered to begin working toward those goals
Small groups– building community and outreach
Small groups serve as the next step beyond Sunday morning worship for members and especially new attendees to get to know one another more deeply and to grow in the practical application of our faith
Small groups serve as “neighborhood outposts” to extend the reach of the church. It’s often easier for a neighbor to attend a group meeting in your home than to attend a worship service.
Small groups can be the first step to planting a new church in a surrounding town or section of Toledo.
Currently, we have two existing groups, one for men and one for women
We should seek to establish a number of new small groups in the homes of various neighborhoods making them accessible to people who live in those areas and on various days and at various times in order to make them accessible to people with various schedules.
Providing accessible (“quick”) ministries for new people– assimilation
A second “next step” for new members and new attendees are accessible “quick” ministries in which they can easily participate
Examples include refreshments, ushering, setup, cleanup, etc
We should make these ministries more accessible to new members and new attendees through our communications and through brief training sessions led by those who are in charge of these ministries
Children
The primary responsibility for their training and nurture is the parents and the church is responsible to help the parents do this
We should offer classes, workshops and groups to help parents “survive and thrive” in their child-raising years. Older parents should instruct and support younger parents
We should invite younger children to come forward on communion Sundays after the elements have been served to receive a prayer of blessing from the pastor and elders.
Sunday school teachers who love and serve the children should be encouraged in their work by the pastor and elders
Youth
Again the parents are responsible for their training and nurture, but parents should be aware that teens are influenced more and more by their peers and by other adults at this stage
Beth and I intend to host a weekly or bi-weekly small group for our high school students as soon as we finish getting our house in order after the move. In my experience teens benefit the most from a weekly or bi-weekly small group led by committed adults other than their own parents. They need to spend time with other adults who love them and are living authentic Christian lives before them. And they need to spend time their peers who are also seeking to live out their faith so they can learn from and support one another. Other adults may want to help us lead and support this group, and I would ask others to consider starting a group for our Junior High students.
We should provide frequent short-term service opportunities for youth. The second greatest benefit to teen spiritual growth is short-term service opportunities to share their faith and serve those who are less fortunate. This puts into practice what they are learning in church and in small groups. Examples of these include tutoring younger students or holding a vacation bible school at Perrysburg Heights, serving at the Cherry Street Mission in Toledo, at Military Avenue EPC in Detroit, or at the EPC Kentucky Impact Project this summer.
Worship
I am seeking to provide what Tim Keller calls an “evangelistic worship” experience on Sundays by speaking in such a way that you will be motivated to bring your friends with you to worship. I am seeking to explain what we are doing and why we are doing it in the worship service and to communicate in such a way in the sermon so that you will begin to think “I wish my friend So-and-So could be here or could hear this.
My next sermon series after Easter will be from the book of Ephesians to help us clarify our identity in Christ and to help us to better function together as a community of Christ.
I intend to utilize more (substantial) contemporary songs with which the youth are familiar to encourage greater participation on their part
I intend to provide more practical application in upcoming sermons
Discipleship
I’m intrigued by Redeemer Presbyterian’s “Center for Faith and Work” through which they are seeking to renew the culture with the gospel and to integrate their faith with their vocational work in New York City. I believe this may be something we can do at Stonebridge as well. More on this later.
I would like to see us provide classes, workshops and/or groups perhaps once a month in the evening at Graystone to address specific areas of spiritual growth or training, e.g., apologetics for the 21st century, parenting, marriage, faith in the workplace, etc.
Outreach – making Christ known
Currently (as far as I know) our outreach consists of individual efforts combined with service to the Manor at Perrysburg, the PCU food bank, and financial support for a number missionaries most of whom are serving overseas
Evangelism training for the 21st century. Unbelievers are asking different questions now than they did 20 or 30 years ago and we need to keep up. We should provide the resources for our members to be able to defend their faith.
I would like to see us maintain a balance in our outreach so that we are at the same time serving locally “in Jerusalem,” regionally in “Judea and Samaria” and internationally “the uttermost part of the earth.
I believe, based on our make-up as a congregation that we may be gifted to offer a ministry to international students and perhaps internationals in general
As we improve our “evangelistic” worship (above) I believe you will be more motivated to bring your friends and neighbors to worship
Small groups are a great place to bring your friends as well to hear the gospel and see it lived out in community
Elders and deacons
We are seeking new elders who love the people as shepherds, who are able to teach the Word as needed and who are capable of leading the congregation by their example. We are seeking new deacons as well.
We are seeking to clarify the deacon ministry as “sympathy and service”
We intend to provide training and support for new elders and deacons
Women’s ministries
We intend to establish a more clearly defined leadership team among the women that works in cooperation with the elders to oversee ministries particular to women
Ministries to one another (“body” ministry)
Our goal is to use our complementary gifts to build up the body of Christ among us
This includes speaking the truth in love – spurring one another and encouraging one another as needed
This includes practical help for one another in times of need, eg, meals after surgeries, home repairs – painting, building steps, etc.
In so doing we will care for one another and our neighbors will see us serving one another and say, “see how they love one another”
Clarifying next steps– to reiterate what should be the steps for people as they join us
Worship – Small groups – Beginning to serve – Membership – Giving – Finding and serving in “your” ministry
Website(s)
We intend to continue to improve the website www.stonebridge-epc.org and Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Stonebridge-Church-EPC/252610444765469 to communicate who we are and what we are seeking to do both to our members and to those who are seeking a church in the area
Building on our strengths
Some have said our greatest strength is “sound theology”
I want us to build onto our sound theology: 1) a solid identity in Christ individually; 2) a solid identity and practice as a community of Christ; 3) a solid understanding and practice of witnessing to our faith through our words and works.
Next we opened it up for comments and questions from the congregation
Part 2: The Congregation’s comments and questions
Have you done, could we do a vacation bible school, for example, in the evening at Perrysburg Heights or take it to Military Avenue EPC in Detroit for several days?
Go as a congregation to a Mudhens game where they announce the group’s name
Be available for serving people locally or in neighboring towns who are victims of tornados, storm damage, etc
Have monogramed Stonebridge shirts made for us to wear in the community
Suggested that the need to understand and communicate apologetics to the “postmodern” minds in our community and to our own high school students preparing for college or career may be identical
Hopes I will by this time next year feel comfortable referring to Stonebridge as “us” rather than “you.” I agree!
Asked me what is the best way for me to hear feedback on my sermons. I said by email or a phone call (whichever you prefer) about Wednesday or Thursday, but not on Monday (my day of rest) or just before the service on Sunday.
Elders told everyone that they frequently give me feedback on sermons and other service elements in our Session meetings and have found that I am very approachable and often make the suggested changes immediately.
Asked me to tell the congregation “why” I intend to make a particular change so they can understand the reasoning behind it.
Told the congregation that Military Avenue in EPC offers tutoring after school for students who are struggling and suggested Glenn’s school no doubt has students who need the same
Suggested Stonebridge host a meeting of the Midwest Presbytery as a way to familiarize the congregation with the work and membership of the Presbytery and they with us, perhaps together with some other churches in our area (eg., Paulding)
Suggested we participate in the Perrysburg Festivals and in the Chamber of Commerce, both of which others said we have done in the past but have not done recently
Suggested we might tutor, etc at an elementary school in Toledo where a friend of hers is a teacher. Said Toledo schools seem more open to this than Perrysburg schools
Suggested we participate with Habitat for Humanity, and Jim Hawke (I think) said the Lucas County chapter is more active than Wood Co.
Said he believes most of youth are here because of their parents;
We need to fill the gap in our ministry to them: Perhaps with 2-3 churches joining together, Camps, Christian service opportunities for teens available in Toledo
Suggested putting together a team for the Walk for Cystic Fibrosis on May 5 to get the Stonebridge name out there
Told that I am helping out once a month with Cub Scouts in Stewart’s pack working on God and Family or God and Me programs
Offered to get the building committee rolling, has a real estate license and other past experience that could be helpful
Told me after the meeting he has a friend in Pittsburg who speaks on the subject of postmodern apologetics, for example to hockey teams, etc, who might be willing to come and speak to us
Conclusion:
Thanks to all who attended and contributed ideas to this event and thanks to all the faithful members of Stonebridge.
Pastor Dan