01
Jul '25
What Church Revitalization Is and Is Not*
01
Jul '25
*Excerpt from an Alan Weinacht article first presented in NMYM Connection 6/21/25
“Church revitalization is not a new program or trendy way of trying to engage a post-modern culture. Whatever it is, it is not a cure-all, follow this program and all will succeed proposition. Thankfully it is not about trying to become a megachurch or assuming that the biggest church is the best church. So, what is revitalization?
Church Revitalization is (and this is why it may be so hopeful for Evangelical Friends) an open door to slowly but surely work on the disconnect between our churches’ cultures where we think we are committed to outreach but we really are not. Looking back, over my being a member and eventually a recorded Friends minister with an entire working career in pastoral and yearly meeting leadership among Friends, I’ve concluded that the real issue for Friends is culture. We believe that we are outreach-minded, when in reality our mindset is that anyone is welcome in our churches if they want to take us, just as we are.
This is not a mindset that stands beside Jesus and sees that the fields are ready for harvest. Church Revitalization is not about creating outreach and evangelism strategies that are an add-on to our current programming and life of fellowship in the church. If a church hangs with Church Revitalization it has the potential to vastly improve how it opens its doors to the community and reaches out to invite people in. In the process, the mindset and pace of Church Revitalization creates room for the faithful believers to adapt and adjust, so that they become effective at passing on what they’ve learned about cultivating an intimate walk with Jesus to new believers.”
Read more...
01
Feb '25
Small Ships, Big Impact
01
Feb '25
There is a story about a naval expedition to rescue soldiers from an embattled town on the coast of France during World War II. The town’s name was Dunkirk. Over the course of eight days, more than 800 ships, many of which were small private vessels of fishermen and other everyday people, rescued over 300,000 soldiers. This amazing occurrence is sometimes called the “Miracle of Dunkirk.”
Why do I mention this? Because so often we consider the actions that we take to not have an impact. Without those little ships, it is very likely that many of the soldiers rescued would have been captured or killed. It mattered a great deal that those ships were there, even when they weren’t large enough to ferry the whole contingent waiting on the beach or in the surf.
Any that were taken away were that many saved. If you had been on the beach that day, you wouldn’t have asked for a bigger ship, you would have been grateful to get away. These small ships had a big impact over the course of the rescue effort. I wonder, what small efforts can we do to make a big impact for God’s great rescue mission?
Read more...
20
Dec '24
Something’s Afoot in the Church and it’s not at the End of Your Leg
20
Dec '24
One of the neat things about coming into a new situation — for example joining a church you’ve never been part of before — is that you have no idea really about what is and isn’t possible. When you don’t know whether a thing can be done or not and you’ve got a sort of eager go-getter mentality that for better or worse believes there isn’t anything you can’t learn or be taught to do, there aren’t a lot of barriers to you when you say you want to do things that no one else has looked at in a while. Libraries, for instance. Coffee service, for another. Websites for a third.On my first day at MFC, as I am sure he will confirm, the big question I felt lead to ask Pastor Jesse was, “What does your church need most?”
“Volunteers,” he said.
So, I took him at his word (which you should definitely always do with Pastors) and, as I walked around the church building with him the next week on his tour, I asked him a lot of annoying questions about who was doing what every time I saw something I thought needed doing. Which is how I ended up sorting out the library. And why the renamed Sunday coffee ministry, Fellowsip, is back. And why you are now looking at a shiny new website for the Church.
I was pleased to discover that the church Facebook page had become a sort of repository of Church History and photographs. I’ve incorporated many of those from the earliest days of the church right up to the most current ones into the redesign of the website. I hope it will bring fond memories to those of you who are seasoned enough to remember some of the people in them or the events that occasioned their taking. Eventually, I’d love to add a dedicated Church History page to the site, showcasing documents and photographs that tell the story of MFC from its beginnings to today.
Another project close to my heart is reviving the Pastor’s Blog. One of my goals has been to make it easy for Jesse to communicate informally with the congregation through the website. While there are still a few technical details to work out, we’re much closer to making this a reality today than we were yesterday. This post is proof of that.
Now, I know it can be daunting to see the new guy come in and just sort of leap into doing things that you might have been wondering if you’d ever see again, but, as someone told me last Sunday before service, “You came with your skates on.”
To which I could not help but reply, “Yes I did. And anyone else who wants to hitch on can come along for the ride.” Because as Peter reminds us in his first letter:
7 For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer. 8 Above all keep your love for one another fervent because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let it be with God’s words. Whoever serves, do so with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.–1 Peter 4:7-11 NET
I came to MFC in that spirit, confident from the start that this was where I needed to be after a long absence away from any church whatsoever. Did God pick me up and send me here? I won’t claim that. I can’t say for certain. But I know this: it feels right, and I am committed to serving with all the energy and love I can muster.
–Brian
Read more...