Responding to a Visitor at Council Road

I recieved an e-mail today from the leader of a family who is visiting our church. I have posted this for a couple of reasons,

1. I think that it would be beneficial for some of our membership to respond to his questions.

2. I am excited that God is drawing families with this kind of passion to our church.

How would you answer Michael's questions?



Hi Chris,

As I was telling you in our conversation earlier, I had some down time at work and jotted down some of what I was pondering regarding our mission through CRBC and its various ministries. I've been contemplating the membership of our church and the various potential that I envision. Greater potential with more of the right knowledge and good ole encouragement. By the way, we are so very impressed with the passion that is demonstrated by CRBC's membership that is constantly expressed through service and commitments. Chris, I want to see those committed people multiply and I know that you do as well. I'm the type of person that will usually see the glass cup as being half empty, therefore I often have this feeling of needing more and seeking healthy change. There are so many people missing from all the empty seats each and every Sunday, which gives much too great of a new meaning to the empty chair policy we have learned to embrace in our community groups.

Please allow me to stir the pot a bit and attempt to give some food for thought, in hopes of being a small contributor in a large community of well intentioned servants.

What sweet damage we could do to the cause of Satan and his chumps, if we could understand our potential a bit more and mobilize some "spiritually phat" Christians. I like to refer to it as people getting off of their bless' ed assurance and showing their faith more by their works. More action and less talk. There's a time when all the talking and teaching needs to be equaled by actions. I know that I'm sounding a lot like the Marine Infantry Man who's calling for an attack, so I'll back off of my battle call with one last thing before I move on to what I brainstormed about earlier today. "If your gonna talk the talk, then be prepared to walk the walk!"

Okay, these are applicable topics that have possibly been explored before, so please forgive me if I sound redundant. As you may know, every organization, whether it is a business, civic group (such as the Rotary, Elks, Moose, or Optimists Club), community organization (such as the PTA, Little League Association, VFW, Scouts), and especially Churches and the like), have a set of cultural anchors and core values whether they realize it or not.

It is because of those shared values, that we decide whether or not to become a part of that organization based on our agreement with that organization's cultural anchors and core values.

What is a cultural anchor? An agreement of feelings, ideas, or expectations that ties a person to any particular group or organization of people.


Can you give me some examples of core values and what they are?



What is your thoughts on why people join CRBC?



The N.W. portion of the City where CRBC is located has grown more culturally diverse in the past two decades, naturally creating the need for changes and adaptations.

As the demographics of our American society change, so does the face of our church. CRBC has a golden opportunity to respond to the changes. Members from all walks of life should see themselves as "active participants" striving toward a common goal to make our church into a strong, competent, and diverse community. Church must have community and be equipped to take that lifestyle asset out into the areas where its members live and go through everyday life, and feel compelled to share the Spirit that bonds people together in a unique way.

The power of a diverse church is found in the many talents, skills, abilities and spiritual gifts each member brings to the process of growing. It is these unique individual and often times, professional endowments that we use to strengthen our knitting together as a body or team of Christ followers.

Our diversity as a body of bible believing saints enables us to better share life's truth's to various people in numerous walks of life, with a vision of respect, understanding and equal opportunities toward growth and service. We are all small contributors in a much larger struggle for spreading priceless words of truth, regarding all aspects of life and living, (such as love, peace, hope joy, faith, healing, change, relationships, marriage, parenting, etc..)

As is the case in our various work places, so our church will be made strong through our diversity and each individuals contributions toward bringing the whole membership together as one powerful unit. A unit that is equipped to mobilize at any given moments notice and fight the good fight.

May God's will be done and when possible through us. With what the Lord is bringing to us, it is our vision and dream that we will all individually do our part of joining together in an effort to make it still yet even more possible.

Eternally,

Michael