By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung up our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” But how can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? - Psalm 137:1-4
If Redeemer were to close its doors, where would you go? What would you do? This is now the first question asked of a congregation experiencing a vacancy. With 80% of LCMS churches is decline and another 15% plateaued, that means only 5% are growing. Many churches are now so small that a full-time pastor and being a stand-alone congregation is no longer an option. While there is some leeway, the latest “critical mass” numbers are 75 or more in worship on a regular week and annual giving of $250,000 / year + whatever is needed for capital improvements (mortgage, repairs, special ministries, etc.). Below these numbers, congregations are encouraged to seek out shared ministry options (dual parish, part time ministry, bivocational pastorates, etc.).
Now, let me be clear, I am not currently planning on going anywhere and have received no call from another congregation. I have been here for 8 ½ years, which is well above the average 6 ¾ years for a pastoral term – a call could come in anytime and then we need to wrestle with the question, what are we to do? Unfortunately, most (80%+) members answer the above question with “nothing”. They do not start attending somewhere else, they no longer worship regularly, nor do they participate in corporate prayer, Bible study, or reception of the Lord's Supper. How would you answer the question of where to go or what to do if Redeemer closed?
This is a question that the Jews of Isaiah's day were not ready to deal with. The Psalmist quoted above also could not conceive of worship outside the Temple setting in Jerusalem. But an amazing thing happened by the waters of Babylon, the people rediscovered what their faith was all about. It wasn't about a building or a particular worship style or time, their faith wasn't about the lineage of Aaron or Moses or Judah. It was all about God and what He did, is doing, and will do for those who follow His ways. The exiles began to gather in homes where the most spiritually astute would recount what God has done, and sometimes even write it down (the scrolls were destroyed when Jerusalem was burned to the ground). The exiles would talk about these things and pray together. Sometimes they would even start to sing! Once 12 men (and their wives and children) came together, a synagogue was formed. Synagogue literally translates to “talking together”. These groups, led by a Rabbi (teacher) who may or may not have had any formal training, would continue to meet even after the exiles were allowed to return and the Temple was rebuilt. This way of “doing church” would continue in Jesus' day some 600 years later and continue in Christian circles until the time of Constantine and the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. For almost 1,000 years (the Exile in 589BC to Nicaea in 325AD) the people of God gathered, sang, prayed, learned, served, without a dedicated building or “professional” clergy.
As this goes to press, we will have just completed our annual Voter's meeting. We will have seen our average worship attendance continue to decline (48 in 2018) and our costs continuing to exceed our income (deficit budget – again). But we also rejoice in what God has been doing in and through us over the last 12 months (MoPs, Trunk-or-Treat, Preschool, Choir, Senior Ministry, continuity in worship and the means of grace, Food Pantry, Clothing bin, VBS, and many other ministries), and what, by His good pleasure, we hope to accomplish in 2019. The Church is not about a particular location or a building, nor is it a certain time or way of doing things. The Church is about God's people gathering together to talk (synagogue), pray, sing, learn, and grow in service to God and our fellow man. These things are beyond budgets or staff or building maintenance issues. All that is required to be the Church is for those who claim to follow Christ to gather together with other Christ followers to do what Christ has instructed us to do (Mt. 28:19-20).
So, will you gather with us in 2019? Will your voice join with ours as we sing the songs of Zion? As one church sign recently said; “What is missing in Ch__ch? UR!” I hope you will not be listed among the MIA's (Missing in Action) as we begin another year of worship, learning, talking, praying, and serving together. There are many ways you can be involved in the life of God's people in community at Redeemer, Newton in the coming months. Many of you are already very involved and I commend you for that. Some of you are waiting for the moment to make a difference in our church and community – that moment is at hand. My prayer for you this month is that you will discover how God has uniquely blessed you and how that blessing can be used to bless others. Peace be with you.
- Pastor Brian
If Redeemer were to close its doors, where would you go? What would you do? This is now the first question asked of a congregation experiencing a vacancy. With 80% of LCMS churches is decline and another 15% plateaued, that means only 5% are growing. Many churches are now so small that a full-time pastor and being a stand-alone congregation is no longer an option. While there is some leeway, the latest “critical mass” numbers are 75 or more in worship on a regular week and annual giving of $250,000 / year + whatever is needed for capital improvements (mortgage, repairs, special ministries, etc.). Below these numbers, congregations are encouraged to seek out shared ministry options (dual parish, part time ministry, bivocational pastorates, etc.).
Now, let me be clear, I am not currently planning on going anywhere and have received no call from another congregation. I have been here for 8 ½ years, which is well above the average 6 ¾ years for a pastoral term – a call could come in anytime and then we need to wrestle with the question, what are we to do? Unfortunately, most (80%+) members answer the above question with “nothing”. They do not start attending somewhere else, they no longer worship regularly, nor do they participate in corporate prayer, Bible study, or reception of the Lord's Supper. How would you answer the question of where to go or what to do if Redeemer closed?
This is a question that the Jews of Isaiah's day were not ready to deal with. The Psalmist quoted above also could not conceive of worship outside the Temple setting in Jerusalem. But an amazing thing happened by the waters of Babylon, the people rediscovered what their faith was all about. It wasn't about a building or a particular worship style or time, their faith wasn't about the lineage of Aaron or Moses or Judah. It was all about God and what He did, is doing, and will do for those who follow His ways. The exiles began to gather in homes where the most spiritually astute would recount what God has done, and sometimes even write it down (the scrolls were destroyed when Jerusalem was burned to the ground). The exiles would talk about these things and pray together. Sometimes they would even start to sing! Once 12 men (and their wives and children) came together, a synagogue was formed. Synagogue literally translates to “talking together”. These groups, led by a Rabbi (teacher) who may or may not have had any formal training, would continue to meet even after the exiles were allowed to return and the Temple was rebuilt. This way of “doing church” would continue in Jesus' day some 600 years later and continue in Christian circles until the time of Constantine and the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. For almost 1,000 years (the Exile in 589BC to Nicaea in 325AD) the people of God gathered, sang, prayed, learned, served, without a dedicated building or “professional” clergy.
As this goes to press, we will have just completed our annual Voter's meeting. We will have seen our average worship attendance continue to decline (48 in 2018) and our costs continuing to exceed our income (deficit budget – again). But we also rejoice in what God has been doing in and through us over the last 12 months (MoPs, Trunk-or-Treat, Preschool, Choir, Senior Ministry, continuity in worship and the means of grace, Food Pantry, Clothing bin, VBS, and many other ministries), and what, by His good pleasure, we hope to accomplish in 2019. The Church is not about a particular location or a building, nor is it a certain time or way of doing things. The Church is about God's people gathering together to talk (synagogue), pray, sing, learn, and grow in service to God and our fellow man. These things are beyond budgets or staff or building maintenance issues. All that is required to be the Church is for those who claim to follow Christ to gather together with other Christ followers to do what Christ has instructed us to do (Mt. 28:19-20).
So, will you gather with us in 2019? Will your voice join with ours as we sing the songs of Zion? As one church sign recently said; “What is missing in Ch__ch? UR!” I hope you will not be listed among the MIA's (Missing in Action) as we begin another year of worship, learning, talking, praying, and serving together. There are many ways you can be involved in the life of God's people in community at Redeemer, Newton in the coming months. Many of you are already very involved and I commend you for that. Some of you are waiting for the moment to make a difference in our church and community – that moment is at hand. My prayer for you this month is that you will discover how God has uniquely blessed you and how that blessing can be used to bless others. Peace be with you.
- Pastor Brian