As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Mark 1:16 – 20
Welcome to the next step on the Congregational Vitality Pathway that we call EPIC: Empowering People, Inspiring Change. By now, your congregation has been reflecting on how it can become a more Healthy Missional church. No matter how strong our churches are, they are not perfect. That means all of us face the need for change in our congregation.
When Jesus met his disciples for the first time, he did not give them a detailed plan that included everything that was to come. He simply invited them to follow. They did not know where he would lead them or how long they would be on the journey, but they stepped out in faith and began to follow. I don’t think for a minute any of them regretted their decision. I also don’t doubt that all of them came to points in their life where they wondered, “What have I gotten into?” or “How am I going to get through this?”
The Pathway is not a prescribed journey of exercises and programs. It is a shared journey by a church that primarily focuses on everyone listening to God speak and then agreeing to follow him, where ever he may lead. We have no more guarantees on our journey than the disciples did.
As you prepare for the EPIC workshop on December 10, we invite you to pray for God to speak clearly to your congregation AND for the body to be ready to follow where ever he may lead. Stop now and ask God to prepare your heart to be a part of this grand kingdom adventure.
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