Where's Everyone Going?

Over the past month or so I have seen numerous people leave our church. It started off with our executive minister deciding to move to Colorado, to pursue a senior minister position at an up-and-coming church that could, actually, really use him. Then, one of the production team members decided to leave his position to become a police officer. Last week, a close friend of mine in the Information Systems department let me know that he and his family will be moving back to Colorado, to be closer to family and pursue things there. And, yesterday afternoon, I got an e-mail sent out from our age-level minister saying they were moving to Seattle to plant a church.

At first, it seems like something weird is going on that so many people would be leaving our church - people who are fundamentally important to various ministries. But, two recent messages delivered at our church shed light on the situation.

The first was a few weeks ago - called "iBucks" - that dealt with stewardship and our role in the kingdom mission. At our 608 service our senior minister was hard pressed to put into the words the extraordinary things God had put on his heart - but our congregation, through the power of the Spirit, understood and ended up singing and shouting and being set on fire with a passion beyond our church walls.

Then, this past week during our executive minister's last message with us, he said how he had actually met someone in Colorado who had been baptized at my church a while back. It just cemented into his mind and heart that we are one body - even if that body is over large geographic areas.

Our church has heard the call to be the body to the world. We have heard the call to bring the Kingdom of God in His power. And, thankfully, we are not letting this passion, desire, and purpose in our lives become compacency and inaction.

I will miss every one of the people who are leaving us - but I do not doubt for one second that each and every one of them are following God to where He wants them. I just hope more of our church silents itself to hear where God wants them (myself included).