This month we are beginning a series of long-range planning meetings intended to help our congregation plan toward our future and then act upon the plan. One of the central questions we will tackle together is, "What kind of church are we going to be?" In his book, Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, the book that will be our guide for this process, Kennon Callahan contrasts two kinds of churches.

Bo-Peep churches do pretty much what the poem indicates:
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
and doesn't know where to find them.
But leave them alone and they'll come home
wagging their tails behind them.
The problem is, most lost sheep will not find their way home on their own and will perish before doing so.

In contrast, churches which follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus, go out into the rough and rocky places to seek out that one sheep that is lost. Rather than just waiting for people to find their way here, we bring ministry and mission to them. Christ's mission for us is to go and seek the lost.

What kind of church are we going to be and how are we going to fulfill Christ's mission for us? Please pray for this planning process. If you would like to be a part of it, please call the church office and sign up. Together in Christ, let's discover and follow His will for our church.