Thank you to everyone who participated in any form in the congregational conversation on Sunday. It is not easy to share or to listen to concerns and feelings that are very raw. Both take courage, love, and investment in the church and one another, and you showed all of these qualities in our time together. That gives me great hope for FBCs bright future.
On Sunday evening the transition team gathered to mull what we learned from the congregational conversation:
- There are people who feel lonely in the church.
- Honest, candid conversations are healthy, and the church needs more of them.
- It is essential to take care of FBC’s pastors.
- Increased communication and transparency about goings-on and decisions could build engagement and trust.
- There is deep pain around parts of FBC’s recent history.
- A tension exists between those who see the gospel as political and those who want politics left out of church.
- The building question continues to loom large.
- There is a desire for more interaction and relationship-building across groups.
Look for a list in next week’s Table Talk based on all the bullet points I noted on the easel pad during the congregational conversation.
The next step in the transition facilitation process will be to talk together about building on what keeps people coming back to FBC, even as there is hurt and need for change in certain areas. Please mark your calendars for that conversation on February 23.
I want to express gratitude to everyone who came and/or brought food on Sunday, to Ken Miller for receiving the food, to Scott Malone for making it possible for us to hear each other, and to the amazing FBC staff for their essential help. (Kelly Street, in particular, worked for a long time on making the circle of chairs as big as possible while retaining sight lines.)
Laura