The Burden of Leadership

We have a problem at FPC.  It's a great problem to have, but a problem nonetheless.  What can we do to make room for more people in worship, more room for ministry, and how can we better use the terrific facility we already enjoy?  A group of people began to formulate answers to these questions several years ago, creating a long-range strategy for our facility and our mission together. 

The umbrella under which our decisions rest in any setting comes from our mission statement: to follow Christ and share his Word.  Even though many different opinions exist about whether expanding our facilities is a good idea at this time, the litmus test we all need to appreciate is provided by our mission statement.  Can we faithfully and responsibly expand our facility while being aligned with our mission statement?  This is the kind of scenario our leaders have faced for several years. 

Expanding our facility has been a long-term conversation.  I came into this conversation almost 2 years ago, and since that time, I've been astonished at the level of intentional dialogue, prayer, and focus given to this important challenge we face together.  Churches falter when decisions about facilities are ignored, rushed into, or delayed for so long that the problem (more people coming to our church) disappears.  Thankfully, a great team of people spent a long time working on this very issue way before I arrived in leadership here.  And it has been my pleasure to watch our elders, building team, stewardship & finance team, and capital campaign team work together to pursue our mission through the lens of our facility.

Our session came to an important decision last Thursday night: we are moving forward with our building plan.  Under the grace of God, we plan to follow the Spirit's leading and make room for more people, more mission, and more ministry.  We still have a lot of work to do, so I would covet your prayers for our elders and teams as they make decisions about: financing, design, timing, and other important details.  In the near term, you'll see some important changes around our facility as we prepare to expand and as we do our best to serve the needs of both the elderly and the youngest among us.  Come to the forums we'll be having in May (go to firstpresgj.org and click on "Calendar") to find out more.

Also, please be praying for our staff, pastors, and session members as we travel to the front range this weekend to meet with 7 other churches in the Fellowship of Presbyterians.  It should be a great time of connecting, worship, and growing together in Christ for the sake of his mission.

Solo Dei gloria,

Travis

New Sermon Series starting May 5

One of the phrases I used to introduce myself to the staff and session nearly two years ago was: "I'm not here to maintain the status quo."  In hindsight, those words could have brought me a bit of trouble in another setting.  At FPC, we speak regularly about raising the bar, reaching those who have not yet heard the gospel in our community, and doing risky things like expanding our facilities - and I'm grateful to be a part of many of those decisions.  As a church, we're not content with the status quo.

I also appreciate that our preaching is not about maintaining the status quo.  You'll always heard God's Word preached here, but the form of our messages will change and hopefully become more and more accessible to those who aren't quite sure what to make of Jesus - while being attentive to those who already love Jesus and want to grow in their love for him.

Eugene Peterson says that it takes about 100 sermons to "find your voice."  I agree.  I'm not anywhere close to 100 sermons just yet, but I do feel a movement toward finding my voice and submitting that voice to God's service.  Starting in May, I'll get to do something I've never done before: start and end a sermon series.  Actually, our worship team has given me a lot of freedom to design this series from the ground up, and I'll be preaching the majority of the sermons throughout May and June.  It might be a good time to schedule your vacation. :)  I'm really excited to see what God is going to do in our worship during this series and truly humbled by the task ahead.

What's it about?  Good of you to ask. :)  If you follow this blog regularly, you've already seen one component of the series.  All of the sermons will be focused on Scripture and it's witness about how the gospel makes us whole.  In addition to Scripture, we'll hear pieces of Brene Brown's wonderful 2010 TED talk on vulnerability (http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html) in a few of the sermons.  I really do think Dr. Brown has a lot of insight to offer our congregation on what it means to be a community of people who are devoted to and pursuing transparency and vulnerability for the sake of Christ.  By the way - the apple image above is a teaser for the logo for the series.  Stay tuned. 

By no means do I think I'm the first preacher to integrate a TED Talk into a sermon.  And who knows - maybe this will be a risk that doesn't pan out very well.  I'm happy to take a risk with our church and see what the Lord does as we study His Word together.  Take a moment and watch Dr. Brown's talk and join me in praying for our worship this summer and always.

Solo Dei gloria,

Travis
 

What are you reading?

A few good books I'd suggest from my shelves:

Change or Die, by Alan Deutschman
Although the title is a bit harsh-sounding, the book is absolutely fascinating.  Deutschman, who writes for Fast Company and Wired magazines, outlines the key elements for creating lasting change in individuals and institutions.  He presents case studies involving heart patients, auto workers, and criminals.  It's in my top-5 books for 2013.

Deep and Wide, by Andy Stanley
Also included in my top-5 books for the year so far is Stanley's latest book, which focuses on creating church cultures which welcome and include the unchurched.  Stanley's church in Atlanta certainly knows a thing or two about reaching people for Christ, and his practical teaching has been both challenging and refreshing to read.  I'm reading Deep and Wide with a group of folks from FPC who want to see us grow in our outreach to the unchurched.

Sanctorum Communio, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Bonhoeffer is one of my heroes - he stood up against the Nazi regime in Germany and lost his life in a concentration camp days before VE-Day.  His theology covers a huge variety of topics, and Sanctorum Communio ("the community of the saints") is his doctoral thesis on the nature of the church.  I've been told that the key to understanding Bonhoeffer's later works is reading this early work.  So far, it's been a lot of theological heavy lifting, but well worth it.

Solo Dei gloria,

Travis