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Abbotsford, B.C.
Touching all the bases


BC Mennonite Brethren pastors and spouses gathered at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C. on Feb. 24 for an afternoon of worship, sharing and encouragement.

Guest speaker Tim Schroeder, senior pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna, B.C., stated, “When it comes to transitioning a church, the shortest distance between two points is not a straight line. As in baseball, you have to touch every base before you score.” He then outlined seven things he had learned regarding how leaders can move a church forward to the next stage of growth:

Affirm everything that’s affirmable. Churches respond better to compliments than criticisms, and Schroeder found that his church was already doing many things right. Teach and preach the biblical values that support where you want to go. People will follow vision for a while, but it is biblical values that will keep them going when things get tough. Leaders cannot assume that even mature Christians necessarily know biblical core values well. Design your church’s ministry around your church’s gifts. Don’t waste time, energy and resources doing things you aren’t capable of doing. Constantly clarify the vision. Constant repetition keeps the church on track. Find help and encouragement (particularly from churches and ministries that are doing the things that you are trying to do). Be ready to exercise more courage than you ever thought would be necessary. Some people will eventually challenge the vision. At such times, church leaders should re-examine whether the vision is right; if it is, they should resist the challenge and stick to the vision whatever the cost. It never gets any easier, and the battle is never won once and for all. Celebrate the progress. To demonstrate this, Schroeder showed a video he had shown in a worship service – five minutes of person after person being baptized in his congregation.

After the pastors and spouses enjoyed fellowship over supper together, the pastors and church moderators met to hear and give feedback on reports from the B.C. MB Conference boards in preparation for the upcoming Conference convention May 5-6 in King Road MB Church.

 – JC

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Last modified May 5, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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