Your Church Can Grow

VITAL CONGREGATIONS By Doug Ruffle
(to appear in the May RELAY) Coordinator of Congregational Development, GNJAC
God Does Not Foreclose

Afraid
of loss,
of what could be,
what might happen,
the uncertain future
of deepening disappointment;
Afraid for family.
Like the psalmist who asks
if help comes from the mountains,
he asks from whence comes
strength and assurance
in these times
in these days.
And the words he hears:
Our God is the God
who
does not foreclose.

Ashamed
upon the loss of a job,
of being downsized,
of sinking below the waters;
Now drowning
in a sea of debt,
now out of balance,
ashamed even
of being ashamed,
like the psalmist, she seeks
refuge from the slings and arrows
of enemies all around.
From whence comes the peace
to calm her anxiety?
And the whisper she hears says:
Our God is a God
who
does not foreclose.

To foreclose is to shut
and exclude,
a padlock with no key
no tomorrow
no hope,
no strength, no peace,
orphaned,
cast away,
without home.
Like the psalmist
He longs for …
She longs for …
the embrace
of the One who
Imputes no iniquity,
Who wipes the slate
clean of trespasses,
who knows every need
more deeply than one could imagine
The comfort and grace of the God
who
does not foreclose

How do we know this God is near?
Where do we see him?
When do we hear her words of comfort?
Is it not in community?
In the solidarity of brother and sister,
In the foretaste of glory divine
that comes with
deep-seeded communion
of saints, of sinners
together
loving
caring
listening
providing
Being the Church
of the God
who
does not foreclose.

Dr. Lovett Weems, head of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, sent an update today on how new church planting has made a significant difference for mainline churches. Among the insightful findings: “After years of declining new church starts, in the last ten years the number of new churches has reached the same high level as the 1950s . . . More than 70 percent of new congregations formed in the past ten years are comprised primarily of people of color, reversing the pattern of ethnicity found in churches started during the first ten years of the study period . . . Decline in membership and finances in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s can be seen as a result of the failure to begin new churches . . . Despite recent high numbers of new church starts, there will need to be higher levels of such starts to show growth.” (from Update, a monthly report to subscribers of Leading Ideas on the work of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. To read Weems complete article click here.

Roadmap to Renewal: Rediscovering the Church’s Mission was published yesterday, March 31, 2009, by the General Board of Global Ministries. It is available online at the Cokesbury website. I thank all of the well-wishers who have sent me notes via email and Facebook. In the book “Acknowledgments” I thank those who were so kind to read the manuscript prior to publication and gave insightful feedback. I want to thank Bishop Devadhar for his review of the book and his endorsement that appears on the back cover as well as the helpful comments made by the Rev. Varlyna Wright and others. My prayer is that this resource will help our local churches in their ministry of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.