A Dramatic Change At Emmanuel

See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? 
- Isaiah 43:19

Hello Church,

If you missed worship on Sunday, you missed a dramatic mess! (and you may want to watch the podcast... it is sort of unbelievable).

Circle Chart ripped up

The Circle Chart is gone.  Not just gone, but destroyed; ripped up; thrown away.  The Pathway that led us through the last 9 years is history.  At this very moment, tiny pieces of paper are littering the sanctuary.   It was dramatic, at least for me.  I have spent the last 18 years letting the Circle Chart (officially known as the Discipleship Pathway) keep me focused on that which God wants me to be focused.  Emmanuel has spent more than half of its existence making decisions as guided by the Pathway.  It is no more.  So what now?

Emmanuel is now a blank slate.  You are invited to help fill in the blanks.  Relive Church 2019 is a retreat for Emmanuel only... to be held at Loveland UMC on Saturday, Feb. 9th, 9:00-4:00.  Lunch will be provided.  Let me know if you want to be a part of this new thing (pastorjoe@emmanuel-umc.com)

As for me,  I am going to implement what I've learned about myself and about the church over the past year.  I am changing how I do my job.  Here are some guidelines that I will be using, in no particular order:

1.  God's Good News is good enough.  We don't have to embellish it.  We just have to live it.... which can be difficult enough.

2.  I am not the church.  I am the leader of the church.  Therefore, I will do my job and the church will do its job.  This is healthier for me and healthier for the church.

3.  A lot of what the church has done the past 3 years doesn't work.  Therefore, I will discourage the church from doing a lot of what it has been doing the last 3 years (but I will not make decisions for the church.... see #2).

4.  I will lean on those who have passion for God's desires; love the church; has energy to do work; and are not afraid to take risks.  I will engage them and spend more energy empowering them.  I will spend less energy on those who want the status quo.  Why?  Because the status quo doesn't work. (see #3).

I suspect these guidelines will be more difficult for the church to get used to than for me to live out.  Mentally, I have already begun.  But I believe, in the long run, the church will be a better place.  People will be a part of the church instead of being observers of the church.  I will live closer to my Call and feel more fulfilled.  The church will live closer to its Call and feel more fulfilled.  It's a win-win for everyone, but especially for God.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe