Same Team

One of the greatest joys in this season of my life is to watch my ten-year-old son play basketball.  He and his friends are at that age where they are really beginning to develop an understanding of the game and yet it still isn’t quite natural to them.  There are still those confusing moments when you can see the panic set in and they aren’t quite sure what to do.

One of those moments is when they and one of their teammates comes down with the same rebound and they both have the ball simultaneously.  They’ve been taught since they first stepped on the court to be aggressive and to grab the ball.  Suddenly they find themselves where they are not quite sure what to do and the natural instinct is for them to fight and struggle over the ball.  While they struggle against each other, the coach (and me) are yelling, “Same team!  Same team!”

In the question of church planting or church renewal the answer is “yes.”  The fact of the matter is we are on the same team.  If the Church of the Nazarene is going to change the current trend of decline then it is going to take both church planting and church renewal.   The good news is that our denomination has already recognized the need for both church planting and vibrant church renewal.

Under the direction of USA/Canada Regional Director Bob Broadbooks the Church of the Nazarene has identified five key strategies to address these challenges facing our denomination. The five strategies include:  intentional leadership development, vibrant church renewal, clear and coherent theological identity, passionate missional outreach, and multi-faceted new church development.  Vibrant church renewal and church planting (multi-faceted new church development) are both valuable members of the same team.

The most recent report from the Board of General Superintendents pointed out that the average weekly worship attendance of the Church of the Nazarene in USA/Canada has declined by nearly 38,000 people between 2005 and 2013. That is a significant challenge and it is going to take both vibrant church renewal and church planting to meet the need.

So, the message is clear...we are on the same team!  We need pastors who are gifted and passionate about church planting, and we need pastors who are gifted and passionate about vibrant church renewal.  Let us not become confused and start fighting over the ball. Let's cheer one another on and together we can win. 

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For more resources from Vibrant Church Renewal visit usacanadaregion.org/church-renewal.