Pea Ridge Baptist Church

Dateline – January 26, 2010 – Over the past three days we have held town hall meetings to gain feedback and input for a proposed Constitution draft that was presented to the church from Church Council.  These meetings have been exhausting, but wonderful.  We have talked about so many things concerning our church structure and how we do certain things…but what I keep coming back to is the very simple understanding that no matter what structure our church has in place, it will take people committed to do the work of God through this church.  This question was raised at one of the meetings….”Will a new structure cause more people to get involved?”  The simple answer to this question is, “NO!”  A structure document is only as strong as those who will carry it out.  Perhaps what I have learned the most in the past three days is that we haven’t done a good job of grasping the reality of what we are supposes to be doing as a congregation.  Sometimes it takes a moment of chaos to shake us up to respond in different ways.  And for me, these past three days have brought about some good, productive chaos for me.  I have thought more clearly about who we are as a church and how we can be all that God wants us to be.

We have been given a great responsibility as a congregation.   It is called the Great Commission… ”Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV).  We are called to make disciples…and so our mission statement is “To Know Christ and Make Him Known”.  Pretty simple…we have been commissioned by God to build his kingdom…period.   And throughout the history of the church, the people of God in local churches have been faithful to carry this same message to people everywhere.  Our calling is no different.   We must be faithful to keep our hearts and minds focused on bringing Christ to the world around us.

And that calling is not just to a select few…it is for everyone.  We must move beyond the understanding that the work of the church is for just a few.  It is a work for all of us.  The Bible says, ”But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10, NIV).  We are God’s people chosen for God’s work in the church called Pea Ridge Baptist.  That is our calling!  The church needs YOUR gifts and talents, your participation, your prayer support in carrying out the mission of the church.

So my point is this…perhaps these moments of “good, productive chaos” are there to bring us closer together and to bring us more in line with who God has called us to be as the church.  One day we will each stand before God and have to give account of our lives.  I would like to think that there might be two questions that God would ask us…”What did you do with my son, Jesus Christ?” and “What have you done to tell others about him?” We have a great responsibility and it must not be taken lightly.

I am praying for wisdom and discernment as we seek God’s direction for our church structure – that His call will be clear in our individual lives and in the corporate body called Pea Ridge Baptist Church.  I am also praying that whatever the structure…you will step up and step out in service and giving of yourself.

God bless you as you endeavor to service him alone!

Pastor Greg