• On the Brink . . .
• Where is Jesus' mission field?
• Index of Emergence Issue

On the Brink . . .

What would you do if last Sunday was the last time that you had your church building to worship in? How would it change your approach to ministry? How would it change the way you worship? What feelings would go racing through your heart and head? Would you think the church was lost? Would you want to continue in ministry or would you think this may be a sign to end the ministry?

On April 2, a gas explosion made these very real questions for the congregation of the First Baptist Church in Oconomowoc. In a matter of hours, all their church property was destroyed. No church building, no parsonage, no rental property. All of it was destroyed. Many of you saw this on the news and poured out your thoughts and prayers to the congregation for which they are very thankful. It has helped them cope with the last couple of weeks.

But since this newsletter is entitled: Emergence: Ministering in challenging and changing times I would like to invite you to put on your "church consulting hat." (Come on, we all know we have one that we like to wear when we can.)

Given the above scenario how would you advise your congregation? Jot down a response to the following questions and send them my way at Sam.Brink@abcofwi.org.

1. What would be the very first thing you would do if your church property was destroyed suddenly?

2. What message would you try to communicate with the wider community through the media coverage?

3. Would you want the congregation to meet the following Sunday in another church building or out in the community somewhere? Why?

4. How would you restructure your church spending now that you do not have building upkeep costs?

5. Would you try to find office space so you could still have a church office? Why or why not?

[You may want to share this with your congregational leaders to see how they would answer these questions.]

Finally, take the time to check your insurance policy. Is it up to date? Have you done a video inventory of your church property? Trust me when I say this will save you a lot of work later!

Sam Brink

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Where is Jesus' mission field?

Where is Jesus' mission field? Wherever you are - your living room, driveway, backyard, place of business, recreation time, online activity, and sometimes even the person sitting in the pew next to you or in that dull committee meeting. The mission field is anywhere you find people on a spiritual journey.

- Bill Easum http://easumbandy.com/

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Index of Emergence Issues

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