Green Hill Church is approaching a crossroad.  I’m no prophet, but I can sense it coming.  I began pastoring here on April 15, and over the last several weeks we’ve been getting to know each other, learning the ropes, inviting people to Jesus and to church, and loving our community.  Like your church, our summer schedule has been full of mission projects, student camps, and Vacation Bible School.  And even in the dead of summer, attendance has been awesome and new guests are coming every week.

In the midst of all of that, our staff has been praying through and focusing on three basic areas of ministry: (1) The Sunday morning experience, (2) our small group ministry called LifeGroups, and (3) preschool and children’s ministry.  There are certainly other key ministries going on, but these three are our focus for now.  And I couldn’t be more excited about how the health in these areas can recharge our church family and position us to make disciples at home and around the globe.

Now back to that crossroad.  Yogi Berra said,  “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”  That’s profound, but before our church or yours takes the fork in the road at least three keys are important:

Clarity

It’s very difficult to cross the road if you can’t see where you’re going.  For us, this is where mission comes in.  Why are we here?  Is friendship our primary motive? Is familiarity our security blanket? Is comfort king?

We would never affirm any of those as our mission…that’s crazy.  But unless we embrace Jesus’ challenge to make disciples of all the nations, we will gravitate to something else.  Many churches have grown very comfortable with something less than the Gospel mission.  And while their death is slow, it is certain.

So as we approach this fork in the road, we avoid distractions that distort our vision, and we crystallize our focus on Jesus’ Great Commission.

Capacity

I heard this statement from a Christian leader a few years ago.  He said, “Your church is perfectly organized to reach the people it is currently reaching.”

I’ve been incredibly encouraged by our leaders who serve throughout our church family.  But to prepare for the future church, the current church must flex, shuffle, move around, and reorder to make space for new people.

As we talk about space, we are not only referring to physical space, but relational space.  We re-order our lives and our ministries, and do whatever it takes, to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the glory of God.

That means current leaders enlist, equip, and empower new servant leaders.  It means we share ministry with others.  It means we start new LifeGroups to provide fresh entry points for newcomers and fresh ministry opportunities for long-timers.  It means we evaluate our current patterns, repent of the ruts we are in, and grow in our skills to love and serve others in Jesus’ name.

Courage

Sometimes crossing that road is a little scary.  And the enemy uses fear, insecurity, and past defeats to discourage us from obeying God’s Word, walking by faith, and taking that next step.

We should learn from our mistakes or the mistakes of others, but we cannot afford to be paralyzed by them.  I talked with a lady recently who has allowed past pain to shape her character.  It’s on her face, in her countenance, and sabotages her future.

Churches can fall prey to that as well.  So our call is to take courage, to seek Jesus first, to pray for one another, and to not only believe in God, but to act as if God acts on behalf us His people.

God’s words to Joshua have been so important to me over the last two years,

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous!  Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go—Joshua 1:9.

God preserves us, prepares us, and then empowers us to take the next step and cross over.  Let’s do this!