Five Reflections From Our Member’s Meeting
A couple of Sundays ago we had our 6th meeting since we began church membership at THC.
I’ve had a couple of weeks to process and think through what I sense the Holy Spirit leading us into:
Here are 5 reflections that I’d like to share with you so that you can know some of things that are on my heart as your Pastor.
I’ve had a couple of weeks to process and think through what I sense the Holy Spirit leading us into:
Here are 5 reflections that I’d like to share with you so that you can know some of things that are on my heart as your Pastor.
1. We Haven’t Grown Numerically, But We’ve Grown So Much Spiritually
If you look at the beautifully made pamphlet (Thanks Kristin!) you will see that our average attendance on Sunday in 2018 was exactly the same in 2019 (63). The Family Church attendance increased a bit, which is encouraging.
Though our church hasn’t grown in a numerical sense – it is so obvious to any of us that our church has grown much in so many ways. You shouldn’t be concerned by the fact that we haven’t grown numerically. I definitely am not. If we focus on our spiritual growth, God will take care of numerical growth.
When I look at this list of highlights right here – it’s a tangible snapshot of what God did in and through us. This doesn’t account for all the “smaller” ways our church showed growth (increased attendance in Bible study classes, ASK Meetings, baptisms, members serving, and just the general sense of love, unity, and mission clarity. THC, we look more like Jesus today than we did 1 year ago. My heart is filled with joy at the spiritual growth in your lives!
When I look at this list of highlights right here – it’s a tangible snapshot of what God did in and through us. This doesn’t account for all the “smaller” ways our church showed growth (increased attendance in Bible study classes, ASK Meetings, baptisms, members serving, and just the general sense of love, unity, and mission clarity. THC, we look more like Jesus today than we did 1 year ago. My heart is filled with joy at the spiritual growth in your lives!
2. Church Health & Mission Effectiveness Go Hand-in-Hand
It’s interesting because our church became more focused on two aspects of church life that seem, at first thought, to contradict one another:
“Let’s become more concerned for one another’s spiritual growth & hold each other accountable!” (Church Membership)
“Let’s become more concerned about non-believers and evangelize!” (Family Church)
Some churches focus so much on the accountability aspect of church member health, but neglect evangelism.
Some churches focus so much evangelism, but neglect the accountability aspect of church member health.
I hope you see from our sermon series in Acts that these two things are not mutually exclusive, but are Jesus’s design for how He wants His church built.
This year we saw more VIPs receive Christ, get baptized, and begin their discipleship journey than last year (Yay! Growth in Evangelism!)
But we also saw a greater understanding of what it means to “belong” to The Home Church as a covenant member that is vowing to serve, give, and worship here. I’ve had tough conversations with some of you when I see things in your life that concern me as your Pastor. Many Shepherds have had similar conversations with many of you as well. From my perspective, as I pray for you on Mondays, I’m asking God, “Lord, are there areas of this person’s life that You want me to address?” (Your Shepherds are supposed to be praying weekly for you as well).
See, THC isn’t only focused on reaching VIPs. We also want to encourage/exhort our fellow brothers and sisters to stay faithful to the King. A healthy THC is crucial to the mission. And the mission must be crucial to THC.
One thing that came out of this meeting is that we will soon be discussing and presenting a united plan for what we do with members who aren’t fulfilling their membership vows. This will be a topic of prayer and conversation with the Shepherds at our next United Shepherd’s Meeting. Let’s continue to pray for God to make us grow in love for the lost AND in Christ-like-holiness through mutual accountability to one another.
“Let’s become more concerned for one another’s spiritual growth & hold each other accountable!” (Church Membership)
“Let’s become more concerned about non-believers and evangelize!” (Family Church)
Some churches focus so much on the accountability aspect of church member health, but neglect evangelism.
Some churches focus so much evangelism, but neglect the accountability aspect of church member health.
I hope you see from our sermon series in Acts that these two things are not mutually exclusive, but are Jesus’s design for how He wants His church built.
This year we saw more VIPs receive Christ, get baptized, and begin their discipleship journey than last year (Yay! Growth in Evangelism!)
But we also saw a greater understanding of what it means to “belong” to The Home Church as a covenant member that is vowing to serve, give, and worship here. I’ve had tough conversations with some of you when I see things in your life that concern me as your Pastor. Many Shepherds have had similar conversations with many of you as well. From my perspective, as I pray for you on Mondays, I’m asking God, “Lord, are there areas of this person’s life that You want me to address?” (Your Shepherds are supposed to be praying weekly for you as well).
See, THC isn’t only focused on reaching VIPs. We also want to encourage/exhort our fellow brothers and sisters to stay faithful to the King. A healthy THC is crucial to the mission. And the mission must be crucial to THC.
One thing that came out of this meeting is that we will soon be discussing and presenting a united plan for what we do with members who aren’t fulfilling their membership vows. This will be a topic of prayer and conversation with the Shepherds at our next United Shepherd’s Meeting. Let’s continue to pray for God to make us grow in love for the lost AND in Christ-like-holiness through mutual accountability to one another.
3. I/We Need to Take More Steps To Give Responsibility & Authority to Key Members
As I read the 36 survey responses, the most common concern that members gave me was related to the idea that they believed I am doing too much. I’m too involved in too many things still.
And I must say, this was one concern, that made me emotional (with joy). Because, for a long time, I don’t think this was a concern of many/most of the members of THC.
When my family first came to the THC, we had to plug ourselves in so many holes. I think two breakdowns was a byproduct of that unsustainable way of ministering. There were so many needs on so many parts of our church. It felt like I was told to takeover a flying plane that wasn’t fully constructed. There were holes everywhere and it was hard to know which issue to address first. There was an expectation that I lead a “Sunday service” and give a “sermon”, but I saw so many other vital aspects of the church being completely neglected (evangelism, welcoming love, understanding of the purpose of church to begin with, understanding of what Christian community even was, heart to serve the church, organizational structure that could allow the church to thrive, etc.).
So, to come to this point (a few years later), where many members are telling me, “We love you PM, but you’re doing too much!” brought me so much joy! Even now, as I type this with my iced blonde Americano, I’m getting choked up.
The eventual goal is for our church to move to a “shared-rule” type of governance. I am excited for the day where I will stand next to fellow members who are at the top level of leading this church. I don’t want to be the CEO of THC that rules from top down. It’s true that I’ve had to do that to get THC going in the right direction, but that’s never been my heart from the beginning because I think there is a wiser, more biblical, way to set up THC for the long-term.
Understand, I didn’t think it was wise to give people high authority in the church too soon. Especially without the congregation to approve it (that would be defeating the very purpose of not wanting to make executive decisions to begin with, lol). What had to happen was the beginning of membership. Come to see the clear mission of THC. Find a way to do that. Engage in that mission and my belief is that our church will see who those “elders” (to use the biblical term) will be because we will see them showing humble servant-leadership in action. The congregation won’t “make” someone an Elder. They will “recognize” clear “elder-leadership-qualities” and appoint them to that position in our church.
I’ve tried to slowly give greater and greater authority to Shepherds in our church, to the Finance Team, to Team Leaders on Sundays we we head in that direction.
So now, as I write these words we’ve begun meaningful membership. We’ve got a clear mission. We’ve got a model. We’ve got some organization/administration. We’ve got communication channels. We’ve got leaders. And now we’ve got people that are more ready to lead with increased authority.
I have some ideas in my head of how I can give more authority to more of you. I will continue to pray and I will also be addressing these with our Shepherds at our next United Shepherd’s meeting in January.
THC, I think the Holy Spirit wants us to recognize, to a greater degree, a dispersion of church authority. So keep that in mind when we have future Member Meetings where people may be voted on.
And I must say, this was one concern, that made me emotional (with joy). Because, for a long time, I don’t think this was a concern of many/most of the members of THC.
When my family first came to the THC, we had to plug ourselves in so many holes. I think two breakdowns was a byproduct of that unsustainable way of ministering. There were so many needs on so many parts of our church. It felt like I was told to takeover a flying plane that wasn’t fully constructed. There were holes everywhere and it was hard to know which issue to address first. There was an expectation that I lead a “Sunday service” and give a “sermon”, but I saw so many other vital aspects of the church being completely neglected (evangelism, welcoming love, understanding of the purpose of church to begin with, understanding of what Christian community even was, heart to serve the church, organizational structure that could allow the church to thrive, etc.).
So, to come to this point (a few years later), where many members are telling me, “We love you PM, but you’re doing too much!” brought me so much joy! Even now, as I type this with my iced blonde Americano, I’m getting choked up.
The eventual goal is for our church to move to a “shared-rule” type of governance. I am excited for the day where I will stand next to fellow members who are at the top level of leading this church. I don’t want to be the CEO of THC that rules from top down. It’s true that I’ve had to do that to get THC going in the right direction, but that’s never been my heart from the beginning because I think there is a wiser, more biblical, way to set up THC for the long-term.
Understand, I didn’t think it was wise to give people high authority in the church too soon. Especially without the congregation to approve it (that would be defeating the very purpose of not wanting to make executive decisions to begin with, lol). What had to happen was the beginning of membership. Come to see the clear mission of THC. Find a way to do that. Engage in that mission and my belief is that our church will see who those “elders” (to use the biblical term) will be because we will see them showing humble servant-leadership in action. The congregation won’t “make” someone an Elder. They will “recognize” clear “elder-leadership-qualities” and appoint them to that position in our church.
I’ve tried to slowly give greater and greater authority to Shepherds in our church, to the Finance Team, to Team Leaders on Sundays we we head in that direction.
So now, as I write these words we’ve begun meaningful membership. We’ve got a clear mission. We’ve got a model. We’ve got some organization/administration. We’ve got communication channels. We’ve got leaders. And now we’ve got people that are more ready to lead with increased authority.
I have some ideas in my head of how I can give more authority to more of you. I will continue to pray and I will also be addressing these with our Shepherds at our next United Shepherd’s meeting in January.
THC, I think the Holy Spirit wants us to recognize, to a greater degree, a dispersion of church authority. So keep that in mind when we have future Member Meetings where people may be voted on.
4. God is Calling us to Grow in Financial Giving
I love our Finance Team (FT). They are very much not like me. And that’s a good thing. When the members voted in Chris Lee, Andrew Shim, and Lucas Kao to work with David Pak in overseeing the financial direction and decisions of our budget and present that budget to the members – I was excited because it meant that I no longer had to be part of these meetings. I’ve never wanted to be.
It’s so sad when you hear so many stories from Pastors who sinfully take, excessively, from church finances. Oftentimes, you read how the Pastor had too much control over the finances of the church. From the beginning I’ve wanted to stay completely away from touching money, writing checks, and even knowing who is giving (so that I can lead people more objectively). But in the beginning, I did have to be involved, to a degree, as we established other parts of the church. I couldn’t just delegate it out at that point - though I’ve never had exclusive authority over this area of the church.
When these men were nominated by the Shepherds. And then approved by the covenant members in August – I told them, “I’m completely out of this! It’s all you now! From now on, I will be coming to you with financial matters and requests! And don’t just agree with me. It’s okay to disagree with me. Make decisions for the best interest of THC. At the end of the day I will submit to your leadership on the matter”
And so… when they first showed me the budget they wanted to present to the members I listened, but I actually thought (and still do) that the budget for 2020 was set too low. But this is why it’s so good that they are in this position! Perhaps I’m too optimistic that people will grow in giving or that God will provide.
So, when David Pak gave the presentation to the members of our current situation and expressed that he lost sleep over the budget he would be presenting, my heart felt joy again! Not because the poor guy is losing sleep, but because it showed me that he, and the other men on this Team, care! When I heard some of the questions members had - it showed me again - Members care!
David, and the Finance Team, went on to explain the importance of tithing/financial giving. I was touched to hear this come from David who spoke with a combination of love and boldness.
The gist of what David told us,
“Everyone here is a member and a portion of the covenant, that we all signed, says that tithing is our joyful responsibility. God allows us to work and He gives us our money, and with that, we give back to the church because we believe that he’s the one who provided that money. When we feel like we realistically can’t tithe, it shows our faith when we do (and God will bless that). Tithing is an Important spiritual discipline and helps us evaluate our priorities and ask, “What are you using your money on?” Our church is thriving in so many other areas, but looking over the finances, FT found it necessary to address tithing. Hopefully this provides an opportunity for introspection. This is a shock to most people, but part of the reason why is because we don’t think about it - our energies are focused elsewhere.”
I take all of this as a the leading of the Holy Spirit who wants us, as members, to be more faithful and focused on financially giving to THC. If you are not currently giving to THC, I’d encourage you to begin.
THC, God is zooming in on our wallets. If we want to continue to fuel the mission He’s given us – we will need to give.
I’m excited to see what God does through our giving to Him in 2020.
It’s so sad when you hear so many stories from Pastors who sinfully take, excessively, from church finances. Oftentimes, you read how the Pastor had too much control over the finances of the church. From the beginning I’ve wanted to stay completely away from touching money, writing checks, and even knowing who is giving (so that I can lead people more objectively). But in the beginning, I did have to be involved, to a degree, as we established other parts of the church. I couldn’t just delegate it out at that point - though I’ve never had exclusive authority over this area of the church.
When these men were nominated by the Shepherds. And then approved by the covenant members in August – I told them, “I’m completely out of this! It’s all you now! From now on, I will be coming to you with financial matters and requests! And don’t just agree with me. It’s okay to disagree with me. Make decisions for the best interest of THC. At the end of the day I will submit to your leadership on the matter”
And so… when they first showed me the budget they wanted to present to the members I listened, but I actually thought (and still do) that the budget for 2020 was set too low. But this is why it’s so good that they are in this position! Perhaps I’m too optimistic that people will grow in giving or that God will provide.
So, when David Pak gave the presentation to the members of our current situation and expressed that he lost sleep over the budget he would be presenting, my heart felt joy again! Not because the poor guy is losing sleep, but because it showed me that he, and the other men on this Team, care! When I heard some of the questions members had - it showed me again - Members care!
David, and the Finance Team, went on to explain the importance of tithing/financial giving. I was touched to hear this come from David who spoke with a combination of love and boldness.
The gist of what David told us,
“Everyone here is a member and a portion of the covenant, that we all signed, says that tithing is our joyful responsibility. God allows us to work and He gives us our money, and with that, we give back to the church because we believe that he’s the one who provided that money. When we feel like we realistically can’t tithe, it shows our faith when we do (and God will bless that). Tithing is an Important spiritual discipline and helps us evaluate our priorities and ask, “What are you using your money on?” Our church is thriving in so many other areas, but looking over the finances, FT found it necessary to address tithing. Hopefully this provides an opportunity for introspection. This is a shock to most people, but part of the reason why is because we don’t think about it - our energies are focused elsewhere.”
I take all of this as a the leading of the Holy Spirit who wants us, as members, to be more faithful and focused on financially giving to THC. If you are not currently giving to THC, I’d encourage you to begin.
THC, God is zooming in on our wallets. If we want to continue to fuel the mission He’s given us – we will need to give.
I’m excited to see what God does through our giving to Him in 2020.
5. There is So Much Kingdom-Potential at THC
The last thing I want to say is simply: I am so darn lucky to be pastoring you.
The love, unity, and commitment here is unlike any other group I’ve led. The potential for King Jesus that fills our church every Sunday is there. I am beginning to believe that there are many of you that, in due time, will see the Holy Spirit do amazing things in and through your life. Some of you will be amazing soul-winners of VIPs. Some of you will use their Spirit-given gift of teaching to build up this Body. Some of you will see callings on your life to the mission field or to pastoral ministry.
If I was to rate my current ministry-related stress over the lat 6-months on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = Perfect peace, 10 = On verse of burnout/breaking down), I would give myself a 3.
By the way, that is, easily, the best score I would give myself at any point of pastoral ministry (11 years).
Let’s continue to joyfully bring our shovels to FC and Sundays. The King has given us so much. Let’s give Him much!
The love, unity, and commitment here is unlike any other group I’ve led. The potential for King Jesus that fills our church every Sunday is there. I am beginning to believe that there are many of you that, in due time, will see the Holy Spirit do amazing things in and through your life. Some of you will be amazing soul-winners of VIPs. Some of you will use their Spirit-given gift of teaching to build up this Body. Some of you will see callings on your life to the mission field or to pastoral ministry.
If I was to rate my current ministry-related stress over the lat 6-months on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = Perfect peace, 10 = On verse of burnout/breaking down), I would give myself a 3.
By the way, that is, easily, the best score I would give myself at any point of pastoral ministry (11 years).
Let’s continue to joyfully bring our shovels to FC and Sundays. The King has given us so much. Let’s give Him much!
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