Many years ago when I attended a study trip to Israel and Turkey, our trip leader (Ray Vander Laan) told us a story about a famous Jewish rabbi.
This rabbi was walking along the Sea of Galilee memorizing scripture and he
absentmindedly walked right up to a Roman fort.
The soldier on guard shouted, "Hey you, stop right now.
Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The famous rabbi responded, "How much do they pay you to ask such questions?"
The guard replied, "What does that matter? Answer the questions:
Who are you? and What are you doing here?"
But the rabbi insisted, "How much do they pay you to ask these questions?"
The Roman guard finally relented, "10 drachma a week Jew. Why do you ask?"
With a twinkle in his eye, the wise rabbi responded,
"I'll pay you twice as much a week, if you stand outside the door of my home and
ask me those questions every time I enter or depart."
Who are you? What are you doing here?
Two of the most important questions a person or church could ask of themselves. Who are you? That's the question of identity. What are you doing here? That's the question of mission or direction.
The past year Rehoboth Church has been asking those two questions a lot.
In August of 2012 we received a Healthy Church Grant from
Sustaining Congregational Excellence, a congregational renewal ministry
of the Christian Reformed Church, to help us get greater clarity about our
identity and mission. Bob Ippel led the group that explored Will Mancini's
book "Church Unique."
This rabbi was walking along the Sea of Galilee memorizing scripture and he
absentmindedly walked right up to a Roman fort.
The soldier on guard shouted, "Hey you, stop right now.
Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The famous rabbi responded, "How much do they pay you to ask such questions?"
The guard replied, "What does that matter? Answer the questions:
Who are you? and What are you doing here?"
But the rabbi insisted, "How much do they pay you to ask these questions?"
The Roman guard finally relented, "10 drachma a week Jew. Why do you ask?"
With a twinkle in his eye, the wise rabbi responded,
"I'll pay you twice as much a week, if you stand outside the door of my home and
ask me those questions every time I enter or depart."
Who are you? What are you doing here?
Two of the most important questions a person or church could ask of themselves. Who are you? That's the question of identity. What are you doing here? That's the question of mission or direction.
The past year Rehoboth Church has been asking those two questions a lot.
In August of 2012 we received a Healthy Church Grant from
Sustaining Congregational Excellence, a congregational renewal ministry
of the Christian Reformed Church, to help us get greater clarity about our
identity and mission. Bob Ippel led the group that explored Will Mancini's
book "Church Unique."
We've also received excellent coaching from Pastor Andy Sytsma of New Life Church in Spring, Texas.
Pastor Andy has helped us answer a third question:
How do we know we are living in alignment with our
mission and identity?
Last year Pastor Andy helped us identify specific measures which can help us gauge how we are improving and what needs correcting.
I have developed this blog to share what we are learning.
It's a work in progress but we trust that there has been
progress in the work.
So, who are we?
In a nut shell, we are living expressions of Christ.
We have seen His goodness and beauty.
Christ has healed, blessed and impressed us.
Pastor Andy has helped us answer a third question:
How do we know we are living in alignment with our
mission and identity?
Last year Pastor Andy helped us identify specific measures which can help us gauge how we are improving and what needs correcting.
I have developed this blog to share what we are learning.
It's a work in progress but we trust that there has been
progress in the work.
So, who are we?
In a nut shell, we are living expressions of Christ.
We have seen His goodness and beauty.
Christ has healed, blessed and impressed us.
Christ continues to show his beautiful heart to us.
In response, we desire to express Christ in our entire life together.
What are we doing here?
We are seeking to express Christ through five key values:
Be His,
Belong,
Be Changed,
Be Servants,
Be a Bridge.
How will we measure it?
That sounds like a good topic for a future blog.
In response, we desire to express Christ in our entire life together.
What are we doing here?
We are seeking to express Christ through five key values:
Be His,
Belong,
Be Changed,
Be Servants,
Be a Bridge.
How will we measure it?
That sounds like a good topic for a future blog.