The Mission Briefing – April 2024

Happy Spring! It’s hard to believe we are already through the first quarter of 2024.
Since this is a Mission Briefing, I wanted to provide a ministry report on some of the
church health indicators listed in the February newsletter. As we might expect,
there are some indicators of good church health and some data revealing values we
want to improve. As I began to compile the information, I experienced joy at some of
the information below because it is so good but also because this information will
be very helpful at keeping us accountable to being and becoming those called to advance the Kingdom
of Christ Jesus.

In this first table, you will see the numbers and categories we are tracking. New contacts are people who have filled out white cards from the pews. We use these because they are the best ways to collect information and enter it into the church database. Filling out a card is a key first step in becoming an active part of the congregation. If you are new and have not filled one of these cards out and placed it in the offering plate, please do so. If you are an online participant, please email your information to info@moabcommunitychurch.com. If you are already in the system and an active participant in Sunday morning worship, please encourage visitors to fill out a white card. One new contact per month is a good start but we are missing a lot of follow up opportunities.

Notice in the table that we had one new conversion (Gregg Lodin), one baptism (Talaila Williams), fifteen rededications to Jesus. (The definition of this was in the survey.) We have no new members and fell slightly below our average attendance goal of 120 with only 117. We can easily reach this goal with consistent attendance but inviting friends and neighbors will also have an impact. Remember that you are not just trying to get a number up, you are expressing that the worship of the Lord with others is a priority, and you believe others can benefit from worship participation in many ways as well.

Our mission is to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ throughout the world. 62% of you believe we are doing well at this or better. 38% consider our eƯorts average or below. This indicator is subjective to the experiences of the individual respondent. About 2/3 see our ministries moving forward and making a difference. This gives us a good baseline to look at again later in the year. To determine church health, we also want to look at how people feel about one another. 88% of respondents identified our gatherings as relationally warm or very warm. No one responded that people have acted cold or very cold to them but there is a 12% minority that feels people can be indiƯerent to them. Let’s be sure that we are creating an environment where people are welcomed and loved. Greet someone you know before or after the service. Go out of your way to say “hi” to someone you don’t know. Ask them their name and how long they have been attending. If they are new, give them a white card. We are all family here. them a white card. We are all family here.

This next metric may be one of the most important questions in the survey. How is your connection with Jesus? Over the past three months, 38% say they feel “tons closer” to Jesus. Another 38% identified as a little closer. 18% have been holding steady (Either close to Jesus or possibility some distance away.) A couple of respondents are drifting away or completely losing their connection to Jesus. This is an overall exciting table to see, but even better is the truth Jesus is the Shepherd who leaves the 99 and goes after the 1. If you are that one, Jesus sees you, loves you, and is coming for you. Please reach out to Him and reach out to me or someone you feel safe with in the congregation. Express your doubts, your needs, and your hopes. We are all here for you.

A healthy disciple is a learner. They are growing in their un- derstanding of themselves and God through the Bible, and other forms of preaching, teaching, and reading. 94% of the respondents said that were understanding a little or a ton more. This is likely through participation in One Year Bible reading, Sunday worship attendance, Connection Class, and small groups among other possibilities. No one responded that they were understanding less but a small minority of 6% reported just holding steady. To be an adult “learner” there are a couple necessary ingredients. The most essential is a desire or need to learn. Sometimes we view this as a bad thing. Someone asks you a theological question to which you say, “I don’t know.” Or a Bible teacher introduces a doctrine that is unfamiliar to you. You wonder, “How did I not know this.?” These are not bad. Your learning “edge” is being exposed. For most of you, it inspires a hunger to know more. That is such a good thing for the advancement of the kingdom. Keep digging, refining, and developing your understanding. We will all benefit from your growth.

Yet is this growing in understanding equipping us for service? Yes, partially. 38% responded that they were gaining new ministry skills. 50% reported that they were about the same and a small minority, about 10%, were beginning to or were losing ministry skills. This reported loss of skill is likely due to physical aging but could also be attributed to spiritual health. Ideally, we want theological and intellectual growth to lead to service. This brings us to the “Serving” pie chart. Most of the church is actively serving through the church’s ministries, 64%. A smaller group does not serve through any church ministries but do participate in Christian ministries outside the church, 12%. This leaves 24% as not serving in any Christian ministries. About 1 in 4 Christians in our church are not putting their gifts and knowledge to work in our community. This is lower than I would have guessed but the respondents to the survey are likely the more engaged 20% of the church. If that is the case, then there is room for improvement and a greater need to focus on equipping the saints for ser- vice. (See Ephesians 4:11-12.)

Part of the missional service we are calling the church to is the BELLS strategy. If you have been around for awhile this needs no explanation but just in case, BELLS is an acronym that begins with “B”, standing for Blessing three people every week, at least one person inside the church and one person outside the church. “E” is Eating with three people every week. Again, at least one person inside the church and one outside. The first “L” stands for Listening to the Spirit. He will guide us to the people we need to bless and eat with. The second “L” is for learning Jesus. We need to be in the Bible or the gospels of Jesus constantly. The “S” communicates that we know we are sent into the world. 59% are consistently practicing the BELLS missionary lifestyle. This is FANTASTIC, so encouraging! Keep blessing, eating, listening, learning and being sent! We just need the other 41% to catch the vision and join in this abundant life full of Jesus and relationships.

Lastly, we looked at our prayer lives. While no one responded that they didn’t know what prayer was, almost a quarter (23%) reported struggling to pray everyday. Another group of about 18% of us prayed daily but without much depth. It was mostly quick petitions for help. 47% described their prayer life as strong and another 12% described prayer as a central part of their lives. Since prayer is a core value, I would like to see prayer become more central in all of our lives.

One specific request on my heart to be praying for is our teens. There are many items on our prayer lists worthy of attention. The sick, the poor, the homebound, the lost, and others are all important but one demographic we have identified as especially important for the Kingdom and the church is our teenagers. These kids are on many of our hearts and discussions of finding a way to bring in a youth minister and possibly younglife back are happening with leadership teams. Before we get too far along with these plans, lets commit to praying for our teens. Only 35% of the church consistently prays for middle school, high school, and college age kids. As we look at this survey and consider our prayer lives for the next few weeks, let’s connect with Jesus in prayer and lift this vulnerable and influential population up in prayer. They are not just the future of the church, they are the present church.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey. You will have another chance in early July, if you missed it this go around. Some questions will be repeated and a couple new ones will appear. As we go into this 2nd quarter, nurture your relationship with Jesus through prayer and Bible reading. Intentionally connect with others with kindness and use your gifts to bless them. Look for places to serve. Your life will get richer and you will improve the lives of others as you advance the reign of Jesus here at home. It’s such a blessing to do ministry with you all. Thanks for your love and commitment to God’s call on your lives.
With you in Christ,
Pastor Kyle