Forward in Faith

Terry Shanahan, NE Regional Minister

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

The beginning of a new year is a time to be looking forward to what God has for us. With history as our guide, we can expect that there will be many changes in our future; some expected and welcome, some unexpected and unwelcome. Change is a constant that we have to deal with. Many of our churches are dealing with change in their pastoral leadership. One recent week had me fielding calls from three pastors who were stepping down from their pulpits.

In the Northeast we currently have 12 churches in transition. When a pastor leaves the pulpit, I am often among the first people who gets a call. I will go and meet with that church to help them think through the transition process. Having been doing this since I was an Area Representative, I am always excited to tell them about the resources we have developed for them as they go through this process of change.

I am just as excited to tell them that the Conference has been through a process of change itself, and how we have been led by God to reorganize ourselves and focus on the all-important priorities of our ministry, Church Development, Church Multiplication and Conference Care. We as a Conference have been on a journey which has been referred to as “a long obedience in the same direction.” That direction is to be faithful to the call God has given us to love Him, love others and make disciples as we go

We have much to offer the churches and pastors of the Conference. We have handbooks on evaluating and writing Bylaws and Constitutions. We have manuals on Transition. I have resources to give Transitions Teams and Search Committees regarding best practices to implement in times such as these. We have Interim Ministers who are trained to work with churches, and help them to assess where they are and where they need to go. We have peacemaking resources for those churches dealing with conflict.

It is such a joy to minister with this fellowship of like-minded churches and pastors who seek the same goal, obedience to the call of God. We have come so far. But even more exciting is we are not stopping here. At our Annual Gathering in Rochester, NY this past summer we voted in our new bylaws that align with our ministry priories. We have a green light to continue to seek the next steps and best practices that God is leading us to. We are not the same as we were yesterday, and not as great as we will be tomorrow, but we are faithfully following a God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, who leads us forward in faith.