June 15, 2023
Dear Central Church,
“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” (Acts 15:28)
Are you familiar with this phrase? It happens in a church council meeting in Jerusalem. The Jesus movement that began at Pentecost is now several years old, and it was necessary that the church come together and make a decision about what it looks like for Gentiles to be included in the church. No issue could have been more divisive than this.
Luke includes this story in his account of the church to demonstrate that working together as the body of Christ requires careful, loving, and patient discernment.
I saw this on full display at the General Assembly this past week. This event happens every four years in the Church of the Nazarene as more than 1,000 delegates from all over the world come together to discern the will of the Holy Spirit in the future of our church. One of the biggest decisions is the election of a General Superintendent (GS). Rev. T. Scott Daniels, pastor of Nampa College Church in Idaho, was elected as the 44th General Superintendent on the 34th ballot. Rev. Christian Sarmiento, Regional Director of South America, was elected as the 45th GS on ballot number 40.
It took 40 ballots to elect two leaders! I mention that only to make the point that discerning the will of the Spirit in a church as diverse as ours is hard work.
The lesson for us in the local church is to not think that we can microwave easy solutions to complex problems. The issues and challenges we face as a local church require careful and patient discernment. We would do well to listen to the Word of God and to each other. We would do well to recognize that Central Church is made up of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. What is the Spirit saying as we move forward to accomplish God’s mission in the world?
My prayer is that the future would be filled with holy moments when our leaders, after a season of careful and patient discernment, are able to say, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” I believe we have done that as we are moving into this remodel process, but capital projects are only tools to accomplish the mission. The mission of the church is to share Good News with the world that transforms individuals and communities. I pray that the days ahead are filled with ministries and initiatives that require a courageous trust in the will of the Spirit as he leads us where we’ve never been before.
I’m leaving Indianapolis today encouraged and hopeful for the future of the church. There were several sermons and presentations that encouraged me. I do, however, want to share a few links with you that I think might be a blessing to you:
Sunday Morning Service with Dr. David Graves (https://www.youtube.com/live/fLuKq73To_U?feature=share), who invites us to reflect on the great love that God has lavished on us.
Former Central Church pastor, Dr. David Busic (https://www.youtube.com/live/3b-cK4g_FLk?feature=share), reminds us that the church is on offense, not on defense.
Central Church’s own Dr. Fili Chambo (https://www.youtube.com/live/3xZ6dW7mLSs?feature=share) invites us to think about the faithfulness of God in the midst of life’s questions. People have these same questions and need to experience Jesus through the church in both word and deed.
Dr. Carla Sunberg (https://www.youtube.com/live/vtIvPji5DuA?feature=share) delivers the Quadrennial address of the church in which she reminds us it is always a new morning by God’s Holy Spirit at work in the church.
There are many things happening in the global church that excites me, but nothing animates my imagination more than the local church. God has good things in store for Central Church, and I’ve never been more excited about the future of our church. I look forward to worshiping with you at our new service times of 9 and 10:30am in the Student Center!
Until He’s Finished,
Pastor Mark
