Storms

            Famous last words spoken before our Chicago Classis Fall Session yesterday afternoon: “We don’t have any major issues to deal with…it should be a pretty quiet meeting” (Pastor Joe Paglia). I didn’t disagree with Joe at all. There are some storms brewing in the long-range forecast for our classis and denomination, but nothing showed up on our local radar yesterday.

            Ka-Boom! We were wrong. Thunder popped yesterday, and it was entirely unexpected. It was not a destructive storm, and certainly not violent, but it was a storm. Lightning flashed and thunder sounded. The issues: vision and accountability. Vision has not been communicated broadly in our classis, and systems in our current structure inhibit accountability. The failures in communication and accountability were not intentional, and certainly not malevolent, but they are certainly problems that we, as a classis, must take seriously and deal with. It will be hard work. It will require ownership and investment from all leaders and churches in the classis.

            The storm that blew through yesterday was not fun. It was really rather uncomfortable. But, it was necessary. It was good. In the storm yesterday problems were identified and named. In confronting them, we are being led to deal with them. With the thunder and lightning came the refreshing, life-giving rain of the Holy Spirit—convicting, challenging, and equipping.

            The storm yesterday caused me to reflect deeply on our local church context: what storm is brewing at Faith Community Church? I ask that question praying for rain. I don’t like the thunder and lightning, but that oftentimes comes with the rain. The awkward and uncomfortable elements of a storm are those very things that challenge us, convict us, and make us very uncomfortable.

            In many ways, our challenge here at FCC is similar to the classis’ challenge: vision and accountability. What is God leading us, as a church, to be and do? Where are we going and what will it look like when we get there? How do we ensure broad-based accountability, so that it is not small group of people in a room making decisions, but the church praying, discerning, listening to the Holy Spirit, and moving together.

            How do we do that?

            Currently, we are going through exercises as a consistory that will equip us, we hope, in being able to answer that question well. We are going through a process to better learn how to trust, deal with conflict, commit, and be accountable, all with an eye on achieving kingdom results for how we lead.

            This process, we hope, we make us better leaders, engaging the entire church in the work of discerning vision and establishing systems of accountability to achieve even bigger purposes—the up-building of Christ’s church for the sake of the kingdom.

            To be very honest with you, we don’t know what that is going to look like just yet. What we do know is that it includes the whole church. We must, as a church, discern together and own together the larger Holy Spirit vision for FCC. For now, will you simply pray? Will you begin to stretch your imagination to consider what God might be calling us to be?

            Have you noticed that after a big storm there is typically a great calm? There is newness, freshness, and peace? There was yesterday.

            So, too, here at FCC…as God speaks there will certainly be thunder and lightning. And a refreshing rain. There will be newness, freshness, and peace. I look forward to walking through this storm together with all of you.