Page 3 - Glory & Grace Issue 11: Why?

FROM THE REVS
Why Christian? Why Jesus?
Why Church? Why KOG?
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"At our best, Christianity doesn't claim a position of arrogance but one of open hearted searching...We have this astonishing permission to keep exploring all of the questions. And we have a promise that Jesus is with us, hand in hand, in that exploration." ~Martha Tatarnic, author
I'VE GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS
Toddlers are known for persistently asking the question, “why?” As one Good Housekeeping article puts it, “it’s not always what they’re asking that’s the challenge, but how many times they are asking it.” As we age, however, people tend to ask fewer questions. Worrying about being perceived as insubordinate or offensive or doubting that one’s efforts will make any measurable difference, many questions remain unasked.
Interestingly, the pandemic and the subsequent changes to daily life as we knew it, prompted many to ask questions of the content of their lives. When returning to activities, people reported not only considering what they would do and with whom, but also asking themselves why they were doing it in the first place. When evaluating the church by these metrics, faith and spirituality soared for some, with increasing priority given to activities such as worship, prayer, and Christian education. For others, when they wondered “why?” about church, they found themselves with only vague responses like “it’s my Sunday morning habit,” or “it's the tradition of my family,” or “it makes my spouse happy.” In some cases, unable to find a compelling “why” meant that the church moved off of the priority list altogether.
Earlier this year the Board of Directors and leaders in the congregation began a strategic planning conversation. At the heart of this process was the question: “who is King of Glory called to be for the next season of ministry?”
Two “Dream Teams” of planning-minded folks formed and met for several months considering dreams, the needs of the community, and KOG’s current mission and vision. What emerged as the most pressing issue for the next phase of ministry was this: King of Glory needs to clearly and compellingly articulate why it exists.
We don’t think the convergence of these "why" questions are a coincidence. Instead, we’re curious to see where God will lead us as we explore some “why” questions together this fall.
In this issue of
to wonder with us on Sunday mornings, study Scripture with others on Thursdays, and be in community in various ways. We encourage you to join in the questions, trusting that God’s hand is leading us and God’s love is supporting us.
Pastor Ben
you’ll find ways
Pastor Jen