The winds of change are blowing, and God is doing something great! The significant shifts in our culture and the struggles of so many church leaders to adapt to these changes have caused the JLC team to prayerfully seek more clear direction for ways to support you. As a result, we are more confident than ever that God has called us to assist congregational leaders like yourself in the transitions you are making from inherited ministries to new models that more effectively reach our emerging culture.

Our transition at Community Church of Joy has involved several key areas, and we see many other congregations experiencing these same shifts. First, we are shifting from a “consumer-driven” church toward a “missional community.” Instead of expecting church to “dispense” our spiritual goods and services, God invites us to a journey of faith where together we can discover our gifts and call to serve others beyond the walls of our church. The ultimate goal is not to attract people to our church but equip people to transform our community and world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The second shift has been from “program-driven” ministry to “relational ministry.” Rather than offering more programs, our goal is to build authentic relationships and from these relationships grow in faith and service together. As part of this shift, our worship services are becoming much more community-oriented with a heavy emphasis upon building relationships and discipleship.

Third, we are transitioning from a “staff-driven” church to living out the “priesthood of all believers” wherein we are releasing the ministry back into the hands of our people. Instead of “going to church”, we can “be the church” in our homes, workplace, and community.

And our fourth change is from a primary emphasis upon preaching and teaching propositional truth (e.g., 10 ways to improve your marriage) toward simply sharing the storyline of God’s grace. Preaching and teaching that reaches postmodern culture has become even more rooted in the stories of the Bible and the story of God’s grace through Jesus.

You may be seeing some of these signs of transition in your ministry. While every congregation has been and will always be in the process of transition, we sense that God is leading us all onto a new path that has a greater potential to impact the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ for generations to come. That’s why we call it Church. Reborn!

At our last conference we heard many leaders expressing a sober realization. They said “If my church is to be reborn, I’m now seeing that I as a leader need to be reborn. I need to lead differently in today’s world.” Yes, change begins with each of us as leaders letting God reshape our attitudes, thinking, and ways of leading.

In the months ahead, we plan to offer more in depth teaching, resources and processes to help you and other leaders transition gracefully into God’s future for your ministry, under the themes Church. Reborn. and Leadership. Reborn. We will soon be launching a series of more personalized and in depth Leaders Roundtable meetings with those who are leading the way in these areas of transition. Watch for more information in upcoming JLC newsletters.

We are so grateful to partner with you in ministry. Your faithful leadership and risk-taking will impact lives for eternity.

The best is yet to come!