New Staff? Now What?

Hello Emmanuel,

Yesterday was exciting!  We welcomed Pastor Shawn and his family as a new addition to Emmanuel.  Now what?  What new potential does this bring to Emmanuel?  2013 has much in store for us.  As we expand in staff, we intend to also expand in ministry.  I thought I would share my thoughts as to what I see 2013 might bring us.  Here are the plans anyway... (and we all know about 'plans').....

1.  More retreats!  We intend to provide 4 retreats a year for various demographics.  There are 2 retreats already scheduled.  There will be a couples retreat on February 9th.  You'll hear more about it starting Sunday, but I am guaranteeing that it will be a time and place for couples to learn more about each other, more about God, and more about what can make a relationship more loving, more vital and, yes, more fun than it already is.  Whether you are struggling in your personal relationships or not, come join us.  Whether you've been together for 1 year or for 51, it doesn't matter.  It will be a good, enriching time.

Also, there is a women's retreat scheduled for March 2nd.  All women are invited to this event.  Plans are still in the works, but put it on your calendar.

2.  Re-launching the Saturday worship service.  Now that we have more staff, I'll be working my behind off to get more leaders equipped so that Emmanuel can sustain a 3rd service.  My hope is that we can re-launch by at least the Fall.  Stay tuned.  And pray.

3.  More Radical Hospitality.  We are experimenting with a new role:  Church Host.  We already have one person (Chris Swofford) who has offered to be the guinea pig for this experimental role.  In a nutshell, he will be specifically in charge of identifying and greeting visitors who come to worship.  In addition to Church Host, I will be working with the team to explore new ways of being the hospitable church God wants us to be.  Tackling the issue of parking, especially on the big days/events of the year, will be another issue delved into.  

4.  More Compassionate Care.  Probably the biggest challenge for a church of Emmanuel's size is being attentive to the regular attenders of the church.  A problematic dynamic in a growing church is that as it gets bigger, intimacy can be lost.  When that family feel is lost in the worship setting, people can fall away for various reasons.  Communicating illnesses and surgeries become more complicated.  People may not missed when they are absent for long periods of time.  Not everyone knows everyone else.  As a result, sometimes the opportunity to show Care is missed.  While some people are very understanding of this problematic dynamic, others can get hurt feelings.  This contributes to what is known as 'The Revolving Door'.  People come to the church as quickly as people drop away from the church.  In my opinion, this is a big reason why it is difficult for churches to get through that dreaded '200 barrier'.

The solution?  It isn't an easy one.  Finding a multi-layered approach to being attentive to worshippers is the best way to go.  As part of the approach, I believe Small Groups will play a very important role in part of the solution.  Leaders who are involved in Small Groups will, over time, become that 'family feel' for many individuals.  Leaders communicating with other leaders will be paramount when it comes to care.  Because 35% of Emmanuel is involved in Small Groups, it gives us a great start!

5.  I will also be looking at how teams implement ministry and considering different approaches.  The purpose is to explore Emmanuel's organizational structure and function and to see if it is equipped for growth or if is only equipped for maintaining what we have now.  There is already a experiment in the works with the Trustees in re-looking at how we implement ministry.  As I work with them over the next few months, we may be able to develop an approach that allows for more people to be more involved in transforming lives.  And the more people we can get invovled in taking ownership of being the church, the more disciples that can be made.

The list is longer, but I will stop now.  There is a whole other world to be explored in Youth/Children ministries; tweaks to be made in Outreach, Missions, Finance, etc;  Suffice it to say, I am excited.  I feel like a new job has opened up for me and for Emmanuel.  I invite you to share in my excitement.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe