As Elders who live under the cross and have big hopes for our fellowship, we want to share with you the types of things we are discussing at our bi-monthly Elders Meetings. Obviously, we can’t go into extreme detail or violate confidentiality, but we can make you aware of the matters on our hearts. So without further adieu:
- Last night, we began our meeting at 7pm with a time of prayer. Dave Sweet led us through a Puritan prayer from The Valley of Vision (see below). One of the Elders commented: “As I read the prayer again…the line that stuck in my mind was, ‘Thou bringest order out of confusion, and my defeats are thy victories.’ We all know that we can learn from setbacks and defeats…and that the outcome of the vote (at the Annual Meeting), while difficult, will be used by God for His purposes. This line in the prayer, however, touched my heart and covered me with peace and hope throughout the remainder of last night’s meeting. The thought that somehow the defeat suffered by our church is somehow a victory for God is challenging, frankly a bit unsettling, but reassuring and encouraging at the same time.”
- We then turned to our main item on the agenda, which was reflecting on the Annual Meeting and what led to the “no vote” for Elder Chair. We’ve now spent over 100 hours together as a Board meeting with people, praying, and discussing the situation. We’re trying to discern, “What is God saying to us as a leadership and church?” The answers are manifold, humbling, and hard to summarize, but we sense the need for: increased transparency as a leadership, better communication, every-member-commitment to peacemaking/conflict resolution, diversifying our relationships, and a continued restatement of our Gospel vision to make disciples and win the lost on the North Shore and beyond. More on this in the 30 Minutes Offline, which will take place this Sunday.
- Lastly, we had a long discussion about our next Elder Chair nomination, discussed a plan for reading Center Church (watch the blog for future reflections!), and then closed the meeting in prayer just after 10pm.
We hope this helps you to have a glimpse into our time together! It’s a joy to serve with men wiser and more capable than me. They love the church deeply. Please uphold us in prayer – we’re conscious of our weakness, but emboldened by all that Christ offers by his grace.
—Pastor Bobby Warrenburg
Puritan prayer from The Valley of Vision
