by Dr. Jeff Mathis
In thinking about the journey ahead, let’s maintain a clear and straightforward perspective.
Undoubtedly, the act of rowing a boat a mile at a time demands focus. Yet, to truly reach one’s intended destination, it’s imperative that we know where we’re headed.
As a congregation, we find ourselves tasked with a dual mission: both propelling the boat forward in the present and charting our course for tomorrow and beyond. Our current actions and future aspirations must harmonize.
To do just that, we are embarking on a process of discernment framed by two pivotal questions:
Who is God calling us to be?
What is God calling us to do?
This process of discernment and exploration is called Dawnings.
Dawnings encompasses a series of four congregational meetings where we will delve into God’s teachings, share stories from our church’s history, present, and envisioned future. Through spiritual practices, we will listen to our own voices, each other’s perspectives, and the direction of the Holy Spirit. Beginning on the evening of Wednesday, September 20th, our Mission and Fellowship Center will host our first of four meetings scheduled for the fall.
The insights gained from Dawnings will illuminate our navigation, much like illuminating the act of rowing a boat. These four gatherings are not about grand, long-term planning as much as they will be an exploration of immediate opportunities bestowed upon us by God.
Dawnings seeks to answer the twin questions: “Who does God want us to be?” and “What does God want us to do?”
Our focal point rests upon our identity and our divine calling.
When considering the broader direction we, as part of the Universal Church, are heading, I encourage you to join me in reading the work of historian and theologian Phyllis Tickle. Her book, The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, offers a historical survey on the Church’s evolution. Tickle adeptly portrays how the Church undergoes profound transformations roughly every five centuries. And guess what? We’re in one of those shifts right now.
Tickle’s preface introduces Anglican Bishop The Right Reverend Mark Dyer, who correctly observes that every five hundred years, the Church undergoes a monumental shift, akin to a colossal rummage sale.
A study of Church history reveals three consistent outcomes when the Church sheds its old skin for the new:
“A new, more vital form of Christianity does indeed emerge.”
“The organized expression of Christianity which up until then has been the dominant one is reconstituted into a more pure and less ossified expression of its former self.”
“The faith has spread—and been spread—dramatically into new geographic and demographic areas.”
Fascinating and hopeful, isn’t it?
I invite you to join me in the coming months as we continue our diligent rowing while simultaneously reexamining our focus on our shared destination. As I boldly mix my metaphors—do forgive me, please—it is through this dual effort that we build a bridge connecting our past to our future.
Actually, the concepts of movement and transition are inherently linked metaphors. Whether rowing a boat or constructing a bridge, our objective remains the same:
Forward progress.