Not all things that grow will grow big. Yet everything that grows will change. A seed. A baby. A family. A friendship. A marriage. Two things are true: first, all things created and given life by God change and, second, in God there is no change that is not purposed, designed, or directed and that He will not bring to completion.
A church is no different. The church has been called “the creature of the Word”. This creature (creation) will grow and change by the sustaining power of God’s living and active Word. The church is “the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12). This body with individual members joined together by God will grow and mature into the “fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4). And the church is “the bride of Christ” (Ephesians 5). This bride is cared for and nurtured by her Lord and Savior, growing in beauty through a mutually loving, committed, exclusive, faithful, holy, and intimate relationship. In the creature-body-bride we see not something inanimate but something living, breathing and moving with purpose. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
So we as a church should expect to grow as a living thing grows and we can expect to change as a growing thing changes. We are seeing signs of growth in our attendance. We have been hovering right around 300 for the better part of 2023. This has meant that space in our sanctuary and in our Elim Kids classrooms has grown “smaller”. This is especially true in our Elim Kids ministry, when most Sundays the number of children far exceeds the space. This is a good problem to have! While we are so blessed to have all generations represented in Elim Grace, our young families are a vibrant and vital sign of growth and change among us. Elim Kids has grown into the largest ministry within Elim Grace, serving around 100 children with a team of 40+ volunteers.
This growth in attendance has been stable over the Summer even with our typical Summer dip. Come Fall I expect the number to rise. But this growth means change. So we are considering adding a third service Sunday mornings to help spread out the growth. For this to have a practical benefit and help us maximize the space we have, we would need our young families to attend across all three services. We’ve sent out a survey over email and social media to see if this is doable or not for our young families.
In the meantime (and since 2020) we have been working towards finalizing expansion plans which we expect to be complete this Fall. This will include additional classroom spaces, new offices, and a new sanctuary/auditorium. At the earliest, though, we would break ground in the Spring of 2024. This means we are still at least one year away from having new and more space. So I am asking us all for patience as we experience “growing pains”. The Holy Spirit is not surprised by this growth and I am confident He is able to sustain it all the way through!
Our growth in numbers also means change in the current systems we have for our volunteers and ministries. For example, I recently put out the call to our Partners for a Volunteer Coordinator. The number of people looking to serve is rapidly rising. In addition, we need now more than ever help on our Tech/Media team, on our website/Social media team, on our Hospitality team (greeters, coffee/donuts, etc.), on our Elim Kids Check-in team, etc.. The list is growing.
Yes, growth means change, Elim Grace. Not only change for me as your pastor, but also for the leadership (Elders and Deacons, key ministry and volunteer leaders), for our Partners, for our volunteers and for all who faithfully attend and call Elim Grace “home”. Growth means change for all of us. We are one family, one body, one church. TOGETHER we show our community the love of Christ and the power of His gospel. The sermons we preach are important, but so are the feet we wash through serving one another. The worship we bring in song and music is important, but so are the offerings we give away three times a year. The prayers and intercessions we lift up to God are important, but so are the neighbors, strangers and friends we welcome into our homes, Celebrate Recovery and The Desens House and Tribe.
This is an exciting time for us! It’s also a challenging and sobering time. If the Spirit is moving in our midst, then we must remember that to be branches united to the true vine is to be connected to a source of life outside of ourselves. By that I mean, apart from Jesus we can do nothing. We must abide in Him! He must abide in us! But just as Jesus must enter our life as the true vine, so we must enter the life of others.
We are not called by Jesus to serve ourselves. We are not empowered by the Holy Spirit to meet our own needs. We are not saved by God to withdraw into our own homes. Rather we are called, saved, equipped and empowered to be sent out. To go out. To a live a new life in which there is no greater love than this: that we lay down our lives for one another. (John 15:13) As branches alive with the life of the Vine, we give ourselves away in both service and proclamation of the gospel. We commit ourselves to go beyond ourselves, not to live for ourselves. We freely choose to walk alongside others, not by ourselves. Why? Because the most fruitful church, the most fruitful disciple, the most fruitful family, is the one rooted in Christ who came not to be served but to serve. Consider that “Servant” and “Holy Spirit” came (and come) together perfectly and completely in Jesus Christ. He freely came and entered our humanity, carried our brokenness and sin to the cross, died and was buried in the ground. And from out of the ground He rose, the True Vine, stronger than life, sin and death. And with Him He brings salvation, abundant life and a new creation. Therefore, if we are found in Him, and He in us, then with Paul we can exclaim: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
Growing things change, Elim Grace. The change God desires and produces, the fruit He delights to bear in our lives, is one that proves we are a BIG people, not a big church. A people BIG in Christ is a people in whom Christ is BIG—BIG in His love and power, grace and truth, mercy and compassion, sacrifice and generosity, humility and self-forgetfulness, joy and peace, gentleness and kindness, faith and faithfulness, hope and courage. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5) Yes and amen.