Encouraged

I have some radical ideas about family. I believe my ideas are inspired by God and scripture. I believe that God created a woman to be a helpmeet to her husband. I believe God created the family to function as a whole. The husband is the head and children are the primary responsibility of the parents to love, nurture, and educate.

That being said, I was a little nervous about who are new pastor was going to be and what his thoughts might be on what I feel is important. The last couple of years I believe God has impressed upon me the importance of the biblical structure for a family. God created the family and society, today, even in the church, has families so busy that there never really is any family time. There is AWANAs and Youth Group and choir and so on and so on. On Sunday nights kids are taken away from their families yet again for some type of activity. And it is accepted because it is at church. Sorry, I digress.

Anyway, I was worried that whoever the new pastor might be may not feel as strongly about the family unit as I do. I will be honest, I think there are some changes that need to be made in the church as a whole. Not because I say so, but because I believe that we have gotten away from what God intended the church to do and look like. Our first line of discipleship should be our own families. But, I can almost guarantee that the job, for the most part, has been left up to Christian schools and church programs. Don't misunderstand me, these things have a place, I guess, but they are to supplement what is being taught, learned, modeled in the home.

But last night at Wednesday night service, some of my "fears" had been addressed. The children's and youth pastor said there was going to be some changes. That the youth program at our church was going to partner with the parents to form the youth program. No more will it be solely dropping of your children and picking them up. The parents will now take an active role in the program. We will not, at least not in the near future, have children's church for kids 3rd grade and up. These children will continue to have the privilege of worshiping God on Sundays with their families.

The new senior pastor talked about how God has to be in control of where we, as a church body, go from here. That he wants our sanctuary to be so filled with the love of Christ that when the hurting and lost come in they feel that love. For the next couple of weeks we are going to be focusing on eight reasons why Jesus had to die. Our Wednesday night services are going to be focusing on the cross as well

I am so thankful for the godly man that has become our new pastor. I know he isn't sure what he is doing right now, having never been a senior pastor before, but I know with all my heart he will allow God to point the direction of our church. And I am so excited to be a part of what will be going on in the very near future . . .