Pastor's Blog: The Integrity of the Church
|
One of the first books I was introduced to on church life in seminary was one written by Glenn Hinson, a professor of church history at the seminary, titled, The Integrity of the Church. At the time I couldn’t appreciate the importance of the title or the topic. My sheltered experience growing up led me to believe that every church lives up to its purpose. I never dreamed that there would be congregations that might fail miserably in this regard. Of course, as the years have gone by, I’ve seen how that is most definitely not the case. The list of those faith communities that actually bear witness to their calling and avoid surrendering to cultural pressures is a short one. But once again, Mountain Brook Baptist Church has stood tall in claiming its place at the top of the list.
I remember when I first came to this church, I saw the church’s mission statement displayed in many places around our church and in virtually every church publication: “Love God. Live with Grace and Generosity.” I thought to myself, “Well, we’ll see.” After all, it’s easy to come up with a statement that you never intend to pursue, which is the height of hypocrisy. But over the years, I have been so impressed and inspired by the integrity of our church in this regard, time and again.
The latest example came as we closed the book on what admittedly was a most challenging year. COVID threw us for a loop in 2020, just as it did other churches, institutions, and businesses – any place where people gather to go about a common cause. Throughout the year we managed resources in the face of various interruptions, coming to its close with much still up in the air in terms of our love for God and our willingness to show that love by our graciousness and generosity.
What our church did was remarkable. In the last month of 2020, we gave over $580,000, which enabled us to meet all our financial commitments to our mission partners, and to exceed other ministry expenses to the tune of over $224,000. Consequently, we ended 2020 in the best cash flow position for our church in the past ten years! None of this would have been possible without the grace and generosity of our people, grounded in love for God and in gratitude for His favor to us.
Now, with our strong financial position, we can move into this New Year excited about the possibilities that are before us, even as we transition to a schedule of ministry activities that is more normal. As we have said all along, we will continue to monitor the giving of our membership in the first quarter after which time we hope to make a “ministry plan (budget) adjustment” as we move into the summer months. Given the recent show of faithfulness and integrity on the part of our people, I have no doubt but that we will be able to do so in ways that will allow us to expand our mission significantly.
So, thank you, church, for your stewardship commitment to the Kingdom. I trust your generosity has brought you great fulfillment to this point and that your gracious dedication will continue to unleash God’s favor in even greater ways this coming year. As Dr. Hinson reminded us: “At one and the same time (the church) should strive to conserve its identity while engaging in its mission in and to the world with adaptability and flexibility” (p.22). I look forward to how we will continue to pursue such a direction together so that we might become even more of the church we believe God is calling us, equipping us, and empowering us to be.
“The aim of our charge is love, which issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).