So this morning I attended a panel discussion featuring three incredible pastors from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): Rev. Jen Garbin of Sugarbush Christian Church in Guellph, Ontario; Rev. Courtney Richards of Harvard Avenue Christian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Rev. Jose Morales from the Center for Pastoral Formation at the Disciples Seminary Foundation.
Here are some of my favorite quotes and reflections from each of them!
Rev. Jen Garbin
"What is innovative in this day and age is one-on-one connection with people, where we are not afraid to talk about God."
"Too often we work to sustain the by-laws and structures of the church instead of those things sustaining the true work of the church."
"The key question in all that we do: How do we want to be together? So many conflicts come from not keeping that question in front of us."
Rev. Courtney Richards
"Innovation is not just about reaching hipsters and millennials. It is about offering and extending the opportunity to be authentic."
"Innovation is not a one-and-done proposition...it is about constantly being willing to try something new and keep learning from the experiences. We are a resurrection people, we just forget it."
"We need to talk to our neighbors and say, 'We want to be good neighbors' and then ask them, 'What can we do to be better neighbors?'"
Rev. Jose Morales
"Continuity matters. Even when we are talking about innovation we must root our identity in what it means to be the church."
"Jesus is not here to meet our needs. Let's face it, sometimes what we think we need is the wrong stuff. No, Jesus is here to change our needs."
"Transcendence is the one advantage we have over nonprofits. We can point to something bigger than us, greater than us. Worship helps us to see with wonder, depth, and awe."
"Churches that grow (in depth and sometimes in number) operate out of a sense of expectation. They see their work as the beginning of an encounter with God; not as the end of one."
No comments:
Post a Comment