Video specifically mentions two sign-up links. Please RSVP ASAP
1) Youth Night – this Friday, September 13
2) This Sunday’s lunch. (Sept 18)
Video specifically mentions two sign-up links. Please RSVP ASAP
1) Youth Night – this Friday, September 13
2) This Sunday’s lunch. (Sept 18)
Joseph Myers in The Search to Belong, with the help of sociologist Edward T. Hall, identifies four kinds of spaces in which we find a sense of belonging. DISCIPLESHIP HAPPENS IN ALL FOUR OF THESE SPACES. Each intentional space has a unique purpose and set of expectations.
Our goal is to prompt each one of us to take a deeper step in our walk with Christ.
Public space is about sharing a common experience in a larger space, like a public worship service.
WE SHOULD EXPECT to come to worship with expectation of encountering the living God, prepared to listen to stories about the in in-breaking of the Kingdom of God, and leave with a renewed sense of purposefulness. We should not expect this space to do the challenging and long-term work of transformation.
WE SHOULD NOT EXPECT this space to do the heavy lifting in the long-term work of transformation. While this space may feel intimate to those participating, it isn’t meant to be a replacement for the smaller spaces where people can be vulnerable and practice accountability.
AT IT’S BEST, corporate worship becomes missional if it reshapes people to inhabit God’s story in their everyday lives.
Community space is where people select a community – people with whom they want to go deeper – to belong to. In our congregational setting, this space is more like a mid-sized group of 20 to 40 people. The It’s small enough for people to experience authentic community, but big enough to mobilize.
WE SHOULD EXPECT this space to facilitate deeper relationship building and lighten the load by spreading out the work.
WE SHOULD NOT EXPECT the deepest levels of vulnerability and accountability to take place in this space.
AT IT’S BEST, this space gives people a foretaste of the Kingdom, where people are known and, together, we’re living out love and relationships in meaningful ways.
Jesus discipled the disciples through constant invitation and challenge. Personal spaces of belonging are small by design, 5-12 participants, and are uniquely suited for a deeper formation.
In this closed and temporary space we invite people to live out a common rule of life and share in habits together that will help us to have eyes to see, ears to hear, and practices that will encourage us to live out the mission of God.
WE SHOULD EXPECT accountability to happen in this space because Christ calls us to help one another explore our unique struggles, hopes, and callings. In this space we invite and challenge one another to open up honestly. We create safe space a shared commitment to expectations and embracing the importance of keeping trust in the holding of one another’s stories.
WE SHOULD NOT EXPECT everyone to feel comfortable to participate (yet) and we shouldn’t assume this is space where we expect the “naked truth” of our lives to be fully revealed.
AT OUR BEST, The farther we move from the public space into personal/intimate spaces, the greater the accountability and vulnerability becomes and the more intentional we should be in fostering the invitation and challenge to walk with Christ into a hurting world.
Higher depths of accountability and vulnerability don’t come easy for many of us. Trust takes time to build. Whereas, we should assume that everyone is expected to go deeper, with each step they take with Christ, the stride and pace of those steps will vary dramatically. If you’re ready to step into something that promotes vulnerability and accountability, we’ll have a space for you now. If you aren’t ready yet, it’s ok. We’ll be ready when you are.
This is like the space Jesus had with Peter, James and John. Whereas, we aren’t yet ready to invest energy in creating intimate space, we want to be mindful of it’s importance!
Explore our fall programming guide
Short on time? Here’s a snapshot of what to expect this fall
“What would the church look like if everyone in the church used their God-given gifts and talents to equip the rest of the church in such a way that the entire church became more like Jesus?” For if the whole church looked and lived more like Jesus, how much more would our neighborhoods and cities look more like heaven?
– JR Woodard
The Pastoral Staff has been hard at work in preparing to equip the church in this next season of life together. Early this week, we’ll share the details of what the church can expect. This document will serve as a primer in better understanding why we’re beginning “here” and what to expect from each space we’re creating. Our goal is to prompt each one of us to take a deeper step in our walk with Christ; we make the road by walking.
It’s all about equipping the people of the Church to be more like Jesus in a world that needs the love of Jesus. Christian discipleship is about calling others to join us in practicing a way of life in which we embody (flesh out) the life of Jesus in the context of the world as we journey to fulfill God’s mission together.
Explore the primary tool we’re using to develop three unique spaces of belonging in Fall 2022.
Explore our fall programming guide
Short on time? Here’s a snapshot of what to expect this fall
* Adapted from Jr Woodard's Creating a Missional Culture: Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World
We continue to lift up Eloise, Massie, and the entire Fulks family, as they grieve Margaret Anne’s death and celebrate her homecoming.
Alcorn, Margaret Anne Fulks, 66, of Boise, ID, formerly of Richmond. VA, joined her beloved ancestors and her Heavenly Father on August 4, 2022.
She was the third child of Melvin Earl Fulks, Sr. and Margaret Broach Fulks. Margaret Anne was a loving, caring, and mighty child of God. Though quiet and willowy she had an unyielding personal sense of justice that would summon her into immediate action when a stranger, dog or cat needed help. She leaves behind her two children, Matthew Alcorn and Samantha Alcorn, as well as ex-husband, Scott Alcorn.
Margaret Anne had a long career as a meticulous, cheerful legal secretary in Boise. Her sense of humor and many hijinks kept everyone laughing. Her siblings, Melvin Earl Fulks, Jr. (Lynn), Eloise Fulks Hines (Vic), George Massie Fulks (Betsy) and Darryl Wayne Fulks will miss her greatly. She also leaves behind seven nieces and nephews and a host of great-nieces and great-nephews.
There will be a Graveside Service at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Monday, August 29, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
Before I get into the specifics, I want to acknowledge that the majority of the Deacon’s job description was just parsed out to the entire congregation:
it’s a new day and God is doing a new thing. Whereas, I have no specific recommendation to bring forward about long term structure, I do have a specific recommendation to carry us through the remainder of this year. As we practice intentional walking and listening, I am confident God will give us what we need. Here it is again, “We make the road by walking”.
The early Christian Church relied upon a small handful of folks, all with unique backgrounds and giftedness, to care for the “widows and orphans”. A deeper form of care was needed for those without traditional support structures. I believe we need 6 folks, all with unique backgrounds and giftedness, to care for those most isolated among us. (e.g. folks living with deep depression, those privately struggling with substance addiction, couples that might have experienced a recent miscarriage, etc.) Privacy would be paramount and it would be presumed the six would work closely with the pastoral staff and likely help to creatively coordinate the meeting of physical needs along with spiritual and emotional needs.
4. Ask the nominating team to identify 2 individuals to serve as Deacons, specifically installed to work closely with our teachers, small group leaders, and staff in equipping the church to establish a deeper culture of care. If Jesus expects us to love one another, he probably intends for us to offer deeper care to both those in our immediate circles AND those in the church outside of those circles. Having a couple of trained and called deacons to focus on changing culture feels faithful and wise.
5. Ask the nominating team to identify 1 person to serve as the Deacon Chair. This individual would work closely alongside the personnel committee in supervision, support, and encouragement of the staff. The Deacon Chair would also stay in close contact with the other two groups of deacons and, should the need arise, call the entire group together should a major issue or opportunity need to be addressed.
6. Lastly, I would like to suggest the nominating committee identify 2 members to join Eleanor Brown in researching Stephen Ministry, an innovative model for caregiving that could be invaluable in shifting culture and helping us explore potential for caregiving and relationship building in Abundant Community.
Please join me in praying for guidance as we embrace the moment God is giving us, recommit to purpose, and bury practices that feed our addictions. I’m not certain that the recommendation I’ve shared is the right next step but I give you my word that I’m thinking about it a lot, I’m continuing to pray about it, and I genuinely want to hear what God is prompting in your own hearts in your listening.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Sterling W. Severns, Pastor
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Sterling W. Severns, Pastor
Tomorrow, we get really specific. Part Four features the promised recommendation for Deacon Ministry.
Still walking! Well done. In part two, I’m going to make a case that our leadership conundrum isn’t as simple as it seems….Let’s get to it.
Baptists are freedom people:
I want to focus specifically on Soul Freedom here (aka Priesthood of ALL Believers). As Baptist, we believe that followers of Jesus are a priesthood of ALL believers. It means we don’t need an intermediary between ourselves and God and it means that we’re all on equal footing with one another. “Priesthood of All Believers” is a beautiful principle in it’s purest form and pretty awful when it goes amuck. As I’ve pondered how to best identify the opportunity and challenge here, I’ve come to see our dysfunctional deacon structure not so much of an identify crisis for a specific group of leaders and much more of a systemic crisis of identity. I believe that we’ve joined the majority of western christians in confusing disciple identity with democracy identity.
Theoretically, a democracy puts all of us on equal ground: every person matters and every life is full of potential. Democracy supports the idea that we all work together to build a society that helps people live into their potential. Theoretically, in a democracy, every vote counts the same. We vote to give certain folks authority and those folks help enforce and/or create boundaries that respect the dignity of all citizens. Here’s the thing, democracy is beautiful in it’s purest form and pretty awful when it goes amuck.
Once somebody has been given authority, it’s pretty hard for that someone, or a group of someones, to resist onset addiction to control. If you’ve every seen someone in the world (or mirror) struggling with an addiction, you know the struggle is real. It’s doesn’t take much time for things to get out of control.
In a democracy gone amuck, here’s what the addiction looks like. Those in the controlling party find themselves growing more and more fearful they’re going to lose control. In turn, those in authority justify their disfunction. Dehumanization is the strange fruit born of addiction to control. When we feed that addiction, we cease to believe that all people matter because we don’t really see “those people” as human and those in authority become less human every time they feed the addiction. Addiction to control creates a culture addicted to contempt.
Keep walking. Stay with me, here
As Baptists, we are a Priesthood of ALL believers. It means we don’t believe anyone in a position of authority gives us access to God. It means that we don’t believe that any one person is more important than another. It means that every person, every voice, counts the same. It’s extraordinary when practiced faithfully and incredibly destructive when it isn’t.
Here’s the thing, Church isn’t a democracy. “Church” is what happens when a group of beautifully diverse individuals, find themselves actively walking with the One that each of them calls “Lord”. A Priesthood of ALL Believers, by name and definition, fall under the authority of Jesus Christ. In principle, we don’t have to worry about addiction to control because we understand that we aren’t in charge. On our best days, we understand that God is actively at work in the world to transform, something better than any of us could possibly offer.
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done…..
I believe the problem we’ve experienced with Deacon Ministry points to a systemic problem, an addiction to control. The signs of addiction are everywhere.
Yes, the church is a business. Yes, we are citizens of two kingdoms.
AND
It’s not your business. It’s not my business. It’s God’s business.
It’s not “God bless America”. It’s God has called the church to be a blessing to ALL of the world.
The Kingdom of Heaven on earth cannot be confused with the Kingdoms of this world and the le church cannot be run as if it were a local government, bank, or a moose lodge.
Which means everything we do begins and ends with spiritual discernment and faithful action, especially in the moments when the priesthood of all believers feels like God is calling us into reckless abandonment. If we don’t believe this to be true, we should stop telling the stories of all those first disciples and apostles that followed with wild abandonment.
All of this may not seem very practical because it isn’t. It may not be efficient because it isn’t supposed to be. It may not be the way you or I would choose to run a business or a government. . Fortunately, the Church isn’t a bank, moose lodge or a democracy.
God is.
Siblings in Christ, the first step in recovery is admitting we’re powerless over our addictions. We mustn’t continue to pretend as if we’re capable of managing the unmanageable. In these tender days of rebuilding, I pray we will all come to believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore our hearts so that we might be healthy enough to participate in the restoration of the world.
We Make the Road by Walking,
Rev. Sterling Severns, Pastor
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
– John 13:34-35, The Message Paraphrase
Ok, we want to talk about Deacon Ministry, right? Here’s the thing, our Deacon Board has struggled with a perpetual identity crisis for well over 40 years. Realistically, the Board has been struggling much longer but we probably didn’t become aware of the identity crisis until our membership numbers began to plummet in the 1960s.
We don’t have to talk about all of the various iterations of the Deacon job descriptions over the decades, at least not right now. Why? Because, ultimately, I don’t think they’re the problem. Rather, they’re symptoms of the problem.
The actual problem is kind of a big deal and it’s going to take some time for us to learn to walk again.
The God we serve is an expert in all things rehabilitation.
Let’s start with a few basics. While the list below isn’t even close to a comprehensive understanding to core beliefs, this particular list is relevant to the topic at hand….rebooting Deacon Ministry:
Tomorrow, in Part #2, we’ll deep dive, The priesthood of all believers isn’t the same thing as democracy.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Sterling W. Severns, Pastor
Ring the bell. Honk the horn. Start your engines.
It’s time for our congregation to take immediate steps in the re-introduction of Deacon Ministry. It’s essential to remember that we’re rebuilding structure, which requires a great deal of intentionality.
The urgency we’re all feeling is good; it’s healthy and timely. I have every reason to believe God will take the urgency – confusion – concern – desire – hope – and potential – to do something great.
Over these next three days, I’m going to ask you to join me in praying specifically about Deacon Ministry and how it fits into a larger picture. Today, I will begin to invite you to consider some foundational “stuff” with a promise to get more and more specific along the way. The first part isn’t overly specific and crucial. The last part is very specific and it’s crucial for us to quickly determine if it’s the next faithful step.
Let me be clear, as it relates to rebooting Deacon Ministry, It is my strong conviction that it’s time for our congregation to go:
Before I proceed, I want to offer a word of gratitude. Much of what I’m going to lay out in this series of articles will reveal what I’ve been struggling to convey over these last couple of years. My heart is in a different place these days. In the peaceful assurance, I feel like God is providing some clarity. Like many of you, I’ve felt pretty misunderstood and I’ve struggled to listen. What I’m about to share with you is a direct result from active discernment but I’m certain it’s not complete.
Soon, “two or more” of us will need to come together to listen in unison and determine what God is revealing. That’s what the Spirit does, she brings a new version of “us” together and helps “us” determine what the next faithful step looks like. I’m grateful for your willingness to listen and eager to listen together.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Sterling W. Severns, Pastor
BUT WAIT….THERE’S MORE
Bob and Anita R., two of our most gifted organizers, will determine….
WORK ROOM + STORAGE CLOSET
Which items need to be placed into which storage containers and which shelf/cabinet those containers should be placed upon.
Doesn’t sound like much fun to most of us. However, for some of us…..and you know who you are…..it’s like Christmas all over again.
If you’re the type of person that loves to bring some order out of the mess of this world (aka organizing and labeling) AND you’ve got any amount of time on Monday, Feb 7 to join Bob and Anita, come on down for the “Christmas Party”. The more the merrier
Seriously, anyone that enjoys this type of thing and has some time to spare, they’d love to have some help. Contact Pastor@tbcrichmond.org if you’re interested.