4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
~ 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 12
How are your New Year’s resolutions coming? I’ve mostly stopped making them because … well … like many people, I don’t do very well keeping them. Bethel doesn’t exactly make New Year’s resolutions, but we do set goals. From time-to-time, people will question whether churches need goals because goal-setting sounds so business-y, and aren’t we supposed to be a church not a business? God calls us to be faithful stewards of the ministry in the Manassas area. That means that we are also good stewards of the time that our volunteers so wonderfully give. No one wants to go to meetings that don’t have a purpose or direction, that don’t result in some kind of decision, or don’t further the ministry. People go to church meetings because they care and they want to make a difference.
In the church, we pray, listen, discern God’s call, think, and plan. And we do this together. Sometimes that means decisions are a bit slow. Sometimes that means not everyone is 100% satisfied with the decision. I’ve learned so much through my research over this past year! One of the consistent themes is that having 100% consensus is desirable, but we realize that achieving it isn’t realistic. We don’t, however, want to leave others behind. If we are truly the body of Christ, leaving people behind isn’t even possible. Making decisions at Bethel requires that we listen to and respect each other, that each of us engages with others in the congregation in healthy and faithful ways, and that we ask good and thorough questions.
You see … while our basic call from God is the same as every other Christian church’s call, God has a specific call for Bethel and for members of Bethel. This is why we discern God’s calling through the Holy Spirit and why we set goals. The goals we set are based in God’s call and in our shared values. Throughout this year, Council and Ministry Teams will work together to establish congregational and ministry level goals, we will create a detailed ministry plan to guide us through the next several years, and we invite the congregation to be active in this process. It is crucial, however, that we don’t merely set the goals, but that we live them and accomplish them. Council, ministry leaders, and I will do our best to ensure that you know about decisions that are coming up and that you have a voice. This is where you come in. We need everyone in the congregation to do their part to read materials, be involved, and be prepared. One of my personal goals is to help each member find at least one way in which they can be involved in the ministry at Bethel. We are one body with many members, but the same Spirit is active in all of us. Help Bethel ensure that the goals we set are not meaningless goals that sit on the shelf after they are written down, but that we live our values as the body of Christ to do the work of God with our hands.
In Christ,
Pastor Jeff
Epicurious Lutheran 