Dear FBC Family, we are just a month away from the official launch of our 18-month congregational coaching journey with Ministry Architects. This experience is inviting our congregation on a spiritual pilgrimage. In the months ahead, more than revised logistics and metrics, more than new procedures and processes, I pray our church will experience the God of new beginnings in surprising, transformational ways.
As you prepare for your own participation, I ask you to set aside any preconceived assumptions about what the process will involve and what the outcomes will be. It's harder than it sounds.
This very week, in three separate conversations, I heard a version of this observation: “First Baptist is well-acquainted with the church consultant process. We’ve done this many times before.”
They were right—FBC has partnered with congregational consultants in the past. I know of at least two: Alban Institute consultant Susan Nienaber in 2014-15 and Geoff Abbott & Mark Nishan in 2016-17. The work FBC did with these consultant-coaches was helpful in those seasons and circumstances.
Today we stand at the threshold of a new season coming at us with fresh opportunities and unique challenges.
The God of Daily Surprises
One of my favorite scenes in the Hebrew Bible involves the Prophet Jeremiah. In the third chapter of Lamentations, Jeremiah, known in Scripture as “the weeping prophet,” is crying out his lament to God (for good reasons I won’t elaborate on here). It’s just lament, lament, lament.
But without warning, Jeremiah pauses. Raising his eyes, as if to remind himself of something precious and essential, he declares: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the faithful love of Yahweh never ends. God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.”
Friends, if God gives fresh grace daily, this serves as an invitation to you and me to receive fresh grace daily. To open ourselves to the merciful, holy surprises God delivers—every. single. morning.
“Beginner’s Mind”
Something to help us stay open to God’s fresh grace is a practice many refer to as “beginner’s mind”—choosing to approach the world with a beginner’s eyes. Beginner’s mind involves an attitude of openness, eagerness and a conscious suspension of assumptions and preconceptions.
Whenever you and I are beginners at something—whether gardening, parenting, Pickleball, playing an instrument, preaching our first sermon, arguing our first case—we come at the experience with a sense of curiosity, humility, and even wonder. We have no idea what the outcome will be. There’s an innocence to our approach, a little like the way children engage the world.
“Expert Mind”
By the time we are deep into adulthood, we sometimes find ourselves trapped in what one might call “expert mind.” Expert mind brings with it a paradox: the more we know about a topic, the more likely we are to close our mind to further learning. If we’ve done something before, especially if we happen to do it for a living and are good at what we do, our expertise can block us from imagining new possibilities and outcomes.
Navigating the day in expert mind is a little like running around a track in a stadium. We know where we’re going. We’ve rehearsed every step. We see the finish line. Few surprises.
On the other hand, navigating the day with a beginner’s mind is like exploring the deep woods with a flashlight and compass. We’re not sure what lies ahead. We leave room for curiosity, wonder, and surprise.
Bring Your Flashlight and Compass
Very soon, FBC will partner with Ministry Architects to imagine new possibilities (and strengthen current practices). As your pastor, I ask you to engage this journey with a sense of anticipation, hope, and a beginner’s mind—flashlight and compass in hand. Who knows what the Spirit has in store for this beloved community?
With great anticipation…
