Pastor

Does greater influence = greater Glory for God? Recently I found myself struggling with a series of decisions about our church’s direction.  While walking and praying I found myself saying something like, “God, if you expanded my sphere of influence then I could give you more glory.” As I continued to walk and wrestle with the Lord, the Spirit began to correct the erroneous equation I had written in my mind.  As a citizen of the USA and a modern person…

Communities Practice Vulnerability By Pastor Scott Roberts A community that loves and serves one another, practices times of fellowship, and incorporates others will also be a community that practices vulnerability. To understand why vulnerability is necessary, one must first understand what vulnerability is. Vulnerability means that one is exposed to the possibility of being harmed or attacked. The vulnerable person opens his or her life to others who can theoretically cause pain in return. Sometimes this pain is caused by…

What is forgiveness and why is it necessary for community building and sustaining? I really like this definition of forgiveness: …a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you,   regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness.1 Such a definition places the burden of forgiveness upon the one bearing the cost of the pain involved. This is what Jesus himself modeled upon the cross. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them,…

As we continue to reflect upon Biblical Community this year, we consider another aspect of vibrant community – its ability to incorporate others into the fabric and life of the existing community. Any group of people that is unable to incorporate others will eventually flounder and die out as the members do the same. But what does it mean to incorporate others? To incorporate means to include, enfold or absorb. When a community is able to bring others into the…

The first week we attended church in Bozeman, MT as newlyweds, we were invited to supper with 3 different families. Those invitations continued to be extended and accepted for months as Jen and I were settling into a new community, starting a new life together, and trying to figure out what it meant to leave college and begin life as working professionals. The meals to which we were invited developed friendships and a sense that we belonged to that church…

A Thought experiment Imagine a group of people where no one ever talked to each other, or hung out together, or was aware of the happenings in each other’s lives.  Now imagine the same group but instead of never talking, these folks never stopped talking; instead of never hanging out, these people are always together; and instead of being unaware, they are intimately aware of one another including the good, the bad, and the indifferent things that are happening in…

Imagine a group of people where no one ever talked to each other, or hung out together, or was aware of the happenings in each other’s lives. Now imagine the same group but instead of never talking, these folks never stopped talking; instead of never hanging out, these people are always together; and instead of being unaware, they are intimately aware of one another including the good, the bad, and the indifferent things that are happening in each other’s lives.…

Imagine a group of people who knew of the needs of others, but then never acted to meet those needs. Would such a group be deserving of the noun community?  Now imagine a group of people who learned of the needs of others, either because those needs were shared or because someone noticed that a need existed, and then the group came together and met that need in a tangible act of loving service. Undoubtedly, it’s not the first group,…

What are the marks of a true community?  This question has been swirling around in my mind the past few days. As we reflected upon the coming of a new associate pastor, the flood relief work we have engaged in, the growing number of teens and young adults, and the struggle with some people not returning to church, the council agreed that God was inviting us into and teaching our congregation about community. But what is a community and how…