Brian was 25 minutes late for the next deacons meeting. He had a pre-marriage counseling session before the meeting and needed to complete a crucial part of the conversation.
He sent a text to Trip and told him to go ahead and start the meeting. But when he got there, Trip said he was unable to formally start the meeting in their typical way.
All the deacons wanted to talk about was their experience with the newly launched congregation.
One of the deacons — not Trip — had gone to the whiteboard in their meeting room and started listing all the things the deacons were talking about.
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The deacons brainstormed a couple of dozen items during their informal debriefing about the experience. Then they culled the list to seven impactful observations and action items.
First, we have never seen a group of people more passionate about the good news of Jesus Christ than the core group of the new congregation. Their passion is contagious, and we want more of it. We realize we have been missing it.
Second, many of us returned from the two days we spent with the core group more excited about our congregation’s ministry than we had been in a long time. We did not even have to attend a weeklong revival or be preached to in a way that made us feel guilty.
Third, how soon can we sponsor or launch a new congregation in the growth area of our county, eight miles from our church location? It seems like a new housing development starts out there every month.
Excitement and responsibility
Fourth, although we are excited about this, we have an even greater responsibility to help the rest of our congregation catch this movement of God’s spirit in our deacons. Perhaps we need to plan regular projects and other interactions with this new congregation and take more people from our congregation with us.
Fifth, one of the most dramatic changes was the suggestion that the $500,000 we have projected to renovate our own worship center needs to be delayed by a couple of years so we can invest in launching new congregations.
Sixth, the first reason we want to do this is to help the new people moving into the housing developments have a Christ-centered congregation through which they can invest their lives and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
Seventh, the second reason is that if we get as many people in our congregation as possible to pray, worship together and celebrate what God can do through a new congregation in that area, we will grow deeper as Christians and as a congregation. We will be different because of our involvement in launching a congregation.
Celebrate changed hearts
Trip, the deacon chair, and Brian, the pastor, looked at each other across the room. One of them smiled. The other shrugged and gestured as though to say, “Can you believe this?”
When Trip and Brian got together, Trip asked, “What do you think happened?”
“Well, if it was the emotion of the moment, it will pass,” Brian speculated. “But if it was genuine, it will last. If it was an authentic movement of God among the deacons, we need to celebrate it and move forward. Until we hear otherwise, I believe that ought to be our plan.”
They then worked on a follow-up proposal to take the deacons at their word and build on their passion.
EDITOR’S NOTE — George Bullard spent five decades in Baptist congregational and denominational ministry. His ministry roles included three churches, three associations, three state conventions and one national entity. He began as a columnist for TAB Media Group’s publication The Baptist Paper in 2022. Bullard now serves as a strategic thinking mentor for Christian leaders through his ForthTelling Innovation ministry. TAB Media Group published his new book “Soaring with Faith: The Difference Maker for Congregations” — available on Amazon.
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