Pastor's Blog: "Making Ministry Possible"
| | Dr. Wayne Splawn
During our Vision 2020 visioning process we identified structures as an important aspect of God’s mission for our church. The goal of focusing on structures is to ensure that our organizational structures and facilities are aligned with the mission of our church. The tagline for this area of our vision is, “We make ministry possible.”
As I think about aligning people and facilities with the mission of our church, a few things are clear to me. First, the people of our church are our most valuable resource. At the Deacons’ meeting this past Monday evening, I told our Deacons that I would choose faithful, dedicated people over the best facilities money can buy if given the choice. I wholeheartedly believe we could have first-class buildings and still be ineffective in fulfilling our calling to love God and live with grace and generosity if our church membership did not feel a deep calling to be involved in ministry. Without the right people, ministry is not possible, no matter the condition of our facilities.
Second, I am very encouraged as I consider the quality of people God has called to join our church over the years. In transitioning into the role of Senior Minister, you have been invaluable to me. You have prayed for me, have offered your wisdom and counsel, and have been willing to lend support any way you could. Our church has a rich history of faithful people doing what is necessary to meet the challenges of each new era. As I looked around the room in Deacons’ meeting on Monday night, I was reminded of this truth. The Deacons are a microcosm of our church. They represent young and old, men and women, people who have grown up in our church, and people who God has led to our church in more recent days. Though they are a diverse group, they share a common calling to help our church reach more people for Jesus Christ. We are far from perfect, but I believe we have the people necessary to fulfill our mission.
Third, as I consider our facilities, I am grateful for the people who have made them possible, and I am excited about the ways we might improve our facilities to enable more faithful ministry in the days ahead. I thank the Lord for the MBBC members who had the vision to secure the parcel of land at the corner of Montevallo and Overbrook Roads and erect a chapel that has served as a foundation for our ministry to the community over the years. The same is true about other parts of our building. As I walk around our church, I am reminded that I enjoy the shade of trees I did not plant. Without the faithful investments and sacrifices of many people over the years, we would not be able to worship in the Sanctuary, gather to study the Bible in our educational spaces, or play basketball in the gym. The challenge we face in our day is how the Lord is calling us to ensure that our building is a place of ministry for many years to come.
Most of you will remember that we were preparing to enhance our facilities just as the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt. Like so many other things in life, our building project was paused. The Lord has been faithful to us throughout the pandemic and we are entering a season in which we must again take stock of our current buildings and consider ways we might be able to make even more ministry possible in the days ahead. To that end, the Deacons have approved the following people to serve on the 2022 Building Committee:
Billy Bates, Chair
Jack Brown
Mandi Cooper
Caleb Haynes
Claire Hills
Allison Holt
Taylor Knight
Mark Tucker
Meredith Welch
Vince Blackerby, Staff Liaison
Wayne Splawn, Staff Liaison
The 2022 Building Committee met for the first time this past Sunday. I encourage you to be in prayer for this group in the days ahead. Much is at stake as this committee evaluates our most recent building plan in light of all that has transpired since we were forced to pause the building project due to COVID-19. Pray that this group would have wisdom to keep ministry and people at the forefront as we seek to enhance our facilities to make more ministry possible in the days and years ahead. My hope is that future generations will look back on the work, investments, and sacrifices we will make in coming days and be grateful for the foundation we have laid for them.