Saturday, June 8, 2019: “An Answered Prayer”: Celebrating a Future Story of Ministry. In January 2019 almost 400 members of the First Baptist Church of Statesboro, GA began 100 days of discernment by gathering in triplets for prayer about three scenarios for the future of the congregation. Each triple was asked to meet 10 times for at least an hour. Many met longer.
At the end of the 100 days each triplet was asked to share their discernment as to which one of the three scenarios most seemed like future into which God is leading this congregation. More than 80 percent of the triplets choose a scenario about the Great Commandment and Great Commission. This is the highest percentage affirmation for one of the three scenarios I have ever experienced in almost a quarter of century of using this model.
In the past 45 days a team from Statesboro First have crafted a Future Story of Ministry that describes what they will be like ten years from now as a Great Commandment and Great Commission congregation. A video presentation and a written story will be presented during worship on Sunday, June 9th.
The process and the future story are already an answer to prayer for a great congregation who needed to sharpen their focus on the future, increase their unity, and be embraced by God’s empowering vision. At the same time, it is just the beginning of a seven to ten-year focus on the new empowering vision from God. Interested in this type of process? Is this a call to action that speaks to you? Contact me at CMBA@CoumbiaMetro.org.