Traditionally summer in the local church is a time to relax before ramping back up when fall returns. The prolific hymn writer Fanny J. Crosby wrote the lyrics to Redeemed in 1882. The chorus of this well know hymn says, “Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed by the blood of the lamb! Redeemed tho’ His infinite mercy – His child, and forever I am.” As you evaluate your local church, do not see the issues; see the one who can help redeem the problems and turn them into an altar of glory for God.
Summer is an excellent time for your church to redeem a room piled with items for a future classroom for children. To reevaluate programs to see if they meet the current or future needs. Instead of fretting over change, see it as a way to redeem what God wants for your ministry and the local church. Three ways you can redeem the local church are to redeem the vision, space, and community connection.
Redeem the Vision
When a church finds itself in a crisis, the glory days mentality takes hold. Typically, a tiny remnant of believers holds on in search of clear direction and guidance from a faithful pastor and take their spiritual eyes off the call God has placed on the church.
When was the last time your leadership discussed the mission or vision statement? Many churches had not revised the words since before a new pastor started. Use the summer to refresh the commitment to the call and how the community of believers wants to connect with the community by updating the statements to fit the new season in the church’s life.
Allow the vision to drive the process of revamping the church culture by shining a light on the mission of who the church is called to be. It’s an incredible opportunity to speak of God’s fresh vision for the church.
Redeem the Space
Traditionally churches have large empty spaces that were filled with children and families but have now become closed-off areas or storage rooms. The once large footprint seen as a growth area has become an albatross around the necks of declining churches as deferred maintenance issues have piled up, which force already financially strapped churches to make tough choices. Instead of seeing these spaces as lost to the history of the past, reimagine the area as a computer room for adult education classes, incubators for future startup businesses that rent out space for offices, or even for sharing space with another church.
Redeeming unused space is about reclaiming what was lost for what could be with God’s help. No program, the way service is done, or room should be off limits to evaluation by those who want to see the church redeemed for God’s glory. Challenge yourself to find one program or space and dream about what it could be and who you hope to reach. The challenge is not in redeeming the area but in reclaiming the glory of God for what he wants to happen in the future.
Redeem the Community
Change is consent in the world in which the church ministers. As the community has changed, the leadership should ask, has the church adapted to the culture or contextualized the experiences it finds itself in? The church is not called to live in the world but to find ways to infiltrate the community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As the church leadership evaluates the current and future needs of the church, begin to see where God is currently working and lead your people there. There is no need to recreate programs God already uses within the community. However, are there areas where the community could use the church’s help, passion, and leadership? If yes, that is where the church goes into action.
What an opportunity to redeem the faltering community around the church by the church setting its sights on reinvesting in community relationship building, compassionate ministries, and intergenerational relationships within the neighborhood. Many cities need religious leaders to use their connections to help lift the community through investments in reading programs, park clean-ups, and volunteering at the senior center.
God is not done with the local church. In fact, he is redeeming the church for his glory. Join with God in prayer and spend the summer redeeming the vision, space and community in and around your church to enter the fall with a new focus on redeeming what has been lost on behalf of God.