Time and Time Again

So, as I sit here at the coast, I ponder.  My wife and son stayed home this weekend.  She had to work and there was a baby shower for a good friend of hers.  It has given me some time to think about the next move in our lives.

To update the neat things that have been happening at the coastal church I have been pastoring since October, there have been two more baptisms and it looks like at least two addition baptisms for the end of April or May.  It is thrilling and humbling to see so much growth.   We also have seen more growth in the month of April than at any other time.

Last Sunday night, I shared with the church my observations and recommendations regarding the future of this church and the potential impact upon its community.

I shared with them five areas that, I believe, should be invested in and that would strengthened and help make this little “light” in the community more effective.

1. Have aggressive outreach and ministry programs.  (To reach the residents of the community)
2. A quality Children’s ministry expansion. (There are more young families with children than realized)
3. Develop quality new servant-leadership. (Have younger and more leaders to effectively do ministry)
4. Have worship services conducive to all ages. (Blended, focused, smooth)
5. To strengthen current youth ministries. (To reach current teens and develop for future teens)

There are many ways, ministries, and programs that could be utilized to accomplish this, but first the church as a whole needed to determine its vision, its purpose, and its desire so that it could follow where and how they felt God was leading.

After presented facts, data, ideas and thoughts on all of these matters, I was asked my thoughts on how that all could be accomplished.  Simply put, I told them that we should engage in a discipleship strategy for growth and service, to grow our own leadership, and there is a need for a full-time on site pastor.

But, that pastor is not me.  While we have been blessed serving here in our circuit riding experience, while the church has experienced physical growth and spiritual growth, and while there is an expectant excitement that is the pulse of this church now, I am uncertain if I am the one who could successfully lead them into the next phase of their ministries.

This is a difficulty thing for us, as my wife and I have gone over the pluses and the minuses of serving here.  We see avenues of opportunity and possibilities being full time at this coastal church.  And the draw and desire of living beside the ocean is quite attractive.  Not to mention the friends that have been made here.

Ultimately it will boil down to where God is leading the church and us, and what He wants to do.  I believe that this church benefits from a humble, wise, energetic man of God, who sees the same vision that is being formulated and discovered by this church.

And I am good with that.  Living in two places has seemed to hone us in wanting to be where God wants us and we realize that we can serve Him anywhere.  I do wonder what role I will find myself as we leave here and “come home”.

But part of this whole life of ours and the writing of this blog, was the "search for the elusive dream", and an "attempt to take a risk and live out in faith".  So off we go.  Time and time again.