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Hazelwood Christian Church, Muncie, Indiana
Disciples of Christ
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Hello Hazelwood Friends!
I’m on vacation, but I left this fantastic article that I wanted to share with you in place of my Pastor Post this week. It gives us all more “food for thought” as we think about our place in the world as the part of the Body of Christ known as Hazelwood Christian.
The beginning of the 20th Century challenged us to re-examine who we were. We met that challenge. Now, we face multiple frontiers in the 21st century as unprecedented changes press in on the church from all sides. We are called to reimagine our approach to mission and ministry to grow God’s kingdom in a waning Christian society. The vestigial images of spreading the gospel must go! New visions need to be created, endorsed, and financially supported to grow the kingdom.
The following five keys to living out your faith in your mission and ministry must be done in such a way that people will notice and ask questions. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks to give the reason for the hope that you have. Evangelism in the twenty-first century looks a lot like evangelism in the first century.
Real Mission and Ministry
Many congregations faithfully engage in mission and ministry. Then there is a “real” mission and ministry. What makes mission and ministry “real”? Real mission and ministry are being relevant in your community. Real mission and ministry mean that the level of engagement by the congregation is more than just assisting or helping other mission and ministry projects achieve their desired goals. Real mission and ministry mean congregations own the outcome. Congregations that take time to critically assess and evaluate the mission and ministry that is needed or lacking in their current ministry context understand that they must engage in “real” mission and ministry on more than a superficial level. Christ challenged his disciples to engage in real mission and ministry, and that challenge is still ours, as disciples, to live into today.
A Welcoming and Hospitality Component
It is important that not only our church members feel welcome but also each person who enters the doors of the church. All who enter must feel the welcome of Christ who invited all God’s children to come unto Him. Local congregations must develop a culture of being “welcoming” communities of faith if they intend to be relevant in a 21st-century context. Just being a friendly church will not suffice in the culture that the church now finds itself. Congregations must develop and practice radical hospitality. Welcoming and hospitable congregations understand that they must see their ministry through the eyes of outsiders. These congregations know that they will grow only as they effectively invite, welcome, and include new people.
A Spiritual Gifts Component
Does spiritual giftedness have anything to do with evangelism? Yes. The role of evangelism is no longer the sole responsibility of the evangelism team appointed or elected by a congregation.
A Sharing or Talking About Your Faith Component
This component is designed to help the local congregation grow into a deeper commitment to God and God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and in so doing, develop a lifestyle of evangelism. The aim of this component is not to enlist callers for an evangelism program. Persons who participate in this process will not be asked to sign up as bearers of a specific formula which they memorize and use to “convert” persons. While the terms “evangelizing” and “witnessing” are good descriptive words, coming from the ministry of the early church, because of some negative understanding of the terms today, one prominent church leader in evangelism has used the term “reclaiming the great commission” rather than “witness” or “evangelist.” In this component, the congregation will be challenged to empower their members to become comfortable with learning to “share their faith and talk about their faith.”
Media Matters Component
In the 21st century church, technology will be a key component of how effective and far-reaching our evangelism efforts will take us, although technology in the past has impacted the church and evangelism efforts, very few local congregations will be able to survive without a comprehensive, intentional, and effective media presence. The media ministry of the local congregation will be key in deciding just how relevant a congregation can be in its mission and ministry context. In the 21st century congregation media matters; every congregation must have a relevant Media Matters component in place to communicate their evangelism strategy.
The cost of disciple-making in the 21st century is moving away from who we were last century and encouraging Disciples congregations to embrace and engage who God is calling us to be in this frontier called the 21st century.
Rev. Dr. R. Wayne Calhoun, Sr.
Executive for Evangelism and Congregational Transformation
Disciples Home Missions
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Sometimes we fall into the habit of calling on the same people to do “all the things.” But it is VERY good to have new people and new ideas join in the various ministries this congregation carries out, and even help us imagine new ones!
Below, you will see the highlights for a couple of the active ministries here at Hazelwood. We will continue to highlight a couple different ministries in each of the upcoming newsletters in order to help everyone see the various possibilities for service and involvement. As you read through these highlights, please be thinking and praying about where God is calling you to contribute YOUR time and talent. As the old saying goes: Many hands make light work and glad hearts. Christian Life Team What this team does: They send birthday greetings to members, send sympathy cards, and make phone calls to stay in touch with those who aren’t able to come to worship. They send special cards to a caregiver or someone who has been struggling with health issues and get well cards to members who are ill or have had surgery. At church on Sunday mornings, they make a point to greet people they don’t know or someone who hasn’t been in church for some time as well as regular attendees. They are the glue that helps our members stay connected. It’s a big job, and they could always use another set of hands! Epiphany Action Team What this team does: This team meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the months in which Board does not meet: February, April, June, August, October, and December. They help keep the “Future Story” initiatives on track, evaluate outcomes, and suggest alternative “chapters” to the plan. The Future Story was a result of the Epiphany Process of 2018, and the story fits into a 5-year framework. In 2023 the team will conduct a final evaluation and make sure successful initiatives have what they need to continue. They could use a couple more members to make sure our work has fresh perspective going forward! |
We were blessed to be joined by Rev. Dean Phelps (by video) for worship. Rev. Pamela J. Pettyjohn, our Interim Minister, was away. The sermon title is Somewhere Listening, and the scripture is Matthew 4:18-22 (NRSV). Click on this YouTube video to see our worship service from September 12, 2021.
Greetings Hazelwood Friends!
Did you know that researchers, experts in church growth, and practitioners of ministry say that it is easier to start a new congregation from the ground up than it is to transform an already existing congregation? Why do you think that is?
There are quite a few reasons for this, but here are a few that stand out to me:
Habit. It is really easy to fall into doing things the way we have done them for decades without asking: Is this what God is calling us to do here and now? Or Is this still the best way to do this particular thing here and now? It may have made sense or been the “best practice” at the time, but times change.
Concentrated Control. It is really easy in congregations for a person, or a few persons, to control too much of the decision making without input from others. Similarly, the same people continue to hold the same office year after year after year, or only a very small number of people rotate in and out a given position, with no chance for “new blood” and new voices and perspectives, and/or the “new blood” declines the opportunity to serve more deeply.
Lack of Transparency. This is where things are kept hidden, whether intentionally or unintentionally, from the congregation. People don’t really know how decisions are made or how the congregation’s funds are spent. Clarity is really important to inspire trust in the congregation – from the congregational participants and from the members of the larger community.
I encourage us each to think and pray about how we may see some aspects of these three things happening in our congregation and how we could work to make improvements, as we enter this season of preparing for a new year. How might God be calling you to contribute to continuing transformation?
There is SO much for which to give thanks when it comes to this congregation!!! There is so much potential here, just waiting to burst forth, if we will let it. God is looking for people to be God’s hands and feet and voice for the day in which we live in NOW – not the one we used to live in 50 years ago, 20 years ago, or even 5 years ago. I firmly believe that Hazelwood Christian has already made some wonderful strides in transformation over the last few years in some areas. And I believe there is the desire to continue the transformation process in other areas that still need our attention.
This is a WONDERFUL congregation, full of folks who genuinely care about our future and our community. We are fortunate to not have the problems that some congregations face, while at the same time recognizing that we do have challenges that must be addressed. I am so excited and grateful to be serving here with all of you during this time of transition and change!!
Shalom, Rev. Pamela
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Rev. Pamela J. Pettyjohn, Interim Minister, is doing a sermon series called Where We Came From…old stories for a new day. Click on this YouTube video to see our worship service from September 5, 2021. Week 4 Sermon Title – The Drama of Desire Scripture – Genesis 3:1-13 (CEB & TIB), Psalm 32:1-5, 10 (CEB)