Vital Signs, Five Practices and Grandville United Methodist Church Or How We Will Do Our Best to Seek God, Follow Christ and Serve Others
By Rev. Thomas M. Pier-Fitzgerald
Sophie: Abe, do you know why our forefathers and mothers wandered in the wilderness for forty years?
Abe: I don’t know but I am sure that just as God (blessed is he) is holy, you can’t wait to tell me?
Sophie: Oye Weh! You know me too well. Our forefathers and mothers wandered in the wilderness for forty years, because the men wouldn’t stop and ask for directions.
Why are we all of a sudden talking about five practices? I thought we were focusing on vital signs. What about our mission statement; is that going to change too? Where are we going with this? I don’t think we know. We have no direction! Who’s in charge here?!
This past summer, I read about a scientific theory which states that change is inevitable in natural systems like congregations. The process of change can be chaotic at times. Judging from the tone I heard in the questions and statements mentioned above, I’d say we have been experiencing a certain amount of chaos.
Conversely scientists also observe that natural systems need a certain amount of stability as well as change. In fact congregations function best when there is a balance between basic order and disorder. Systems can be too orderly, which leads to an oppressive atmosphere and systems can be too disorderly, and not able to function. Therefore, let me state briefly some things on which you can depend.
First, God is in charge. Before I became your pastor, you implicitly affirmed your faith in that reality; by naming God in the mission statement as the One you seek. I am convinced that is true of you. You can depend one me to keep us focused on God.
Second, Christ consistently loved God with his whole being and loved his neighbor as himself. Therefore, he is an excellent role model for our life. You can depend on him. It is my duty as pastor, to emulate Christ and help you do the same. By God’s grace, you can depend on me to fulfill my duty.
Third, if Christian life is anything, it is a life of love and service. You can depend on me to be relentless in calling you to commit yourselves in ever increasing depth to living a Christian life.
Finally, assume for a moment that our congregation is a business. In order to offer the very best products and service, businesses identify practices that if faithfully followed will enable them to fulfill that mission. The practices that we have decided to follow faithfully are: Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk Taking Mission and Extravagant Generosity. If we are faithful in following these practices, then our community will know that one thing they can depend on is the United Methodists in Grandville: Seek God, Follow Christ, and Serve Others.
