This is what Yahweh says:
Stand at the crossroads and look.
Ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies
and walk in it and find rest for your souls.
~ Jeremiah 6:16
In January of this year, Moderator Rod Coates sent me an article published by Religion News Service about trends in church participation as the pandemic neared year three. In the article, Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University, said, “What happened in the pandemic is that all of us were huddling in the basement while a tornado was going over our heads. Now everyone has come out of the basement and everything is completely different.”
Thumma observed that during the early days of the pandemic, churches innovated because they had to for survival. Now that the crisis of the pandemic has mostly passed, churches must make long-term adaptations. He said, “The focus should be — How can we become a better church? rather than How do we re-create what we used to have?”
That article, and a subsequent conversation with Rod and Eric Mathis, prompted a question that circulated among all the FBC leaders and teams: “What are you most hoping for in 2023 for First Baptist Church?”
Pastor Eric recorded three pages of responses. Some were aspirational:
“I hope to see a qualitative shift/transformation in the lives of FBC folk. I hope to see the Spirit moving in our congregation. Life changes.”
“People who show up are looking for something they can't find in the Rotary or another similar club. My hope is that FBC might be trustworthy with their aspirations and their deeply felt needs.”
“I hope for an increased longing for personal growth in terms of knowledge of God, scripture, and other areas of our Christian walk and life.”
“I hope to see missional initiatives that lead to relationship, as well as endeavors that touch on all four of our missional pillars: justice, compassion, hospitality, and generosity.
Other responses communicated frustration:
“It feels like we are surviving day to day. It’s apparent that we are not fulfilling our capacity for what God wants to do and is doing in our neighborhood and in our city.”
“Our church feels rudderless right now. We are here, but don’t know where we are going or where we are expending our energy.”
“Unless we make or create strategy and make steps to get there, we aren’t going to be the church we want to be.”
“Our church has smart people, but we are not responding intelligently to the needs in our community and our world.”
All these responses point to a readiness, or at least a desire, at First Baptist Church for change; for institutional and congregational transformation.
And so, after nearly three months of discussion and discernment among Church Council members and a small advisory team, this year’s Annual Meeting brings with it a recommendation from the council that First Baptist engage a church consulting organization, Ministry Architects, to help us meet four objectives for the health and future of this church:
Create a unique and clear mission, vision, values and footprint for First Baptist Church of Washington, DC, to provide the reason WHY behind all we do.
Define the community beyond the walls of the church so that we can know, serve and engage it in FBC's mission, vision, values and footprint.
Maintain and grow FBC's congregation size and involvement, to deepen community with one another and with God.
Streamline FBC's governance structure, staffing plan and administrative systems to ensure efficiency, understanding, empowerment and effectiveness for decision-making and discernment now and in the future.
I am eager to discover with you where the Spirit will lead us. Friends, may First Baptist Church be known as a community rooted in Christ, empowered by the Spirit, and committed to spiritual growth, deep connection, and courageous action.
Blessings,
Pastor Julie