Wow! There is bold love at Concordia. Bold love for those who have yet to meet Christ in a personal way. Sacrificial and selfless love that recognizes that creating environments for that encounter might mean being church and doing church in a new way. For that love, we are so grateful. In the middle of this mission launch …. where the way has not been clearly marked out ….. where we keep the vision before us that the goal is communicating Jesus in a way that will mean something to this new community and will stick…. we are delighted for those who have traveled this bumpy road without a road map. We know that there is transformation in this journey. We are seeing it, we are living it, we are grateful to the Holy Spirit for that gift of a deep and abiding trust in Him that although we cannot see the road far ahead, we are safe and He will guide us to fulfill the call He has given us — Concordia, little Concordia asked to serve at this time and in this place. We are grateful for God’s abiding love and mercy. Here are some words of encouragement written by a member of Concordia in response to something Pastor wrote on his blog about ministry being more like finger painting than painting by the numbers. With permission I share here:
Well Pastor, you painted a very vivid, very “right on the mark” picture for me when it comes to doing church. I realize and appreciate that there’s a time (NOW) and place for the finger painting type of church. And I’m thankful we have a great team at Condordia that is on board for the “I’m not sure where this is going or where we’ll end up” type of service, as this obviously appeals to a different group than traditional church does. It is our mission to reach these people for God. I get that.
However, I much prefer to paint by number! A place for everything and everything in its place. I know what I’m aiming for, how to get there, no surprises, and a nice, neat path to the predictable end result. Now for another HOWEVER-the end result with this predictable, traditional type of service has not been growth, but rather maintaining the status quo or keeping God for ourselves. That is definitely not what we are called to do. So I need to learn to bend, to be willing to get my hands a little messy by getting comfortable with the unpredictable. In short, I need to loosen up a bit if I want to help the unchurched come to know the Great God I serve. So the question for me becomes, Can I learn to be unselfish enough to go with the flow that enables the unchurched to experience God in a way that is comfortable for them????? And do I love “them” enough to try? Yes, I do. And I want to make the effort. Thanks for helping to clarify that for me.
Continue to pray for those who have been invited, those who will come, for the details of the preparation, for protection and strength for the mission launch team, for EVERYTHING concerning this new mission.
Put these dates on your calendar: Previews December 13, Jan 10, Jan 31, Feb 14 and the GRAND OPENING LAUNCH, February 21 and pray leading up to, during and after these dates! Just pray every day……
We have seen how your prayers — faithful prayer partners —- are NECESSARY and CRITICAL!


