Vision/Strategy

Praying for Our Care and Oversight Task Force

November 3, 2011 by Curtis Hill in Curtis Hill's Blog, Vision/Strategy

A member of our Care and Oversight Task Force sent this email in response to “How can we pray for this group?”  I thought it was well worth sharing.

As we begin I would start with the following:
1. That our work together would bring growth in each Task Force member’s love of God and people.
2. That God would give us sensitivity to our own indwelling sin and the temptations inherent in this work.
3. That God would give insight into his revealed Word and the practical realities of providing care and oversight.
4. That we would genuinely care for believers at OBC without being driven merely to please them.
5. For stamina and endurance under the added investment of time and energy our work will require.

Thanks in advance for your prayers.

Results of the Congregational Meeting – 10/16

October 17, 2011 by Curtis Hill in Curtis Hill's Blog, Vision/Strategy

Last night, our church voted on 2 recommendations that I have described elsewhere.

  • OBC voted in favor of establishing the Care/Oversight Task Force (with a 94% vote).
  • OBC voted in favor of establishing a search committee for an Associate Pastor (with a 98% vote).

 

Thanks you for your prayers and please ask God to continue to shape our church into Jesus Christ’s image.

Recommendations for October 16 Meeting

September 24, 2011 by Curtis Hill in Curtis Hill's Blog, Vision/Strategy, Where Do We Go From Here

On Sunday, September 18, I spoke about the care and oversight for Ogletown Baptist Church. You can access that sermon here.  Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing more about these things.

I mentioned that on October 16, at our next quarterly members/business meeting, I would be asking the church to affirm the formation of two groups to complete two separate tasks.  Please spend much time in prayer and reflection, seeking God’s will for this important stage in the life of our church.

You can find out more information about both of these groups by visiting this page.

Moving from “No-Names” to “Knowing Names,” part 3

September 21, 2011 by Curtis Hill in Curtis Hill's Blog, Knowing Names, Vision/Strategy

A few weeks ago, I mentioned our church’s need to move from not knowing who other church family members are to actually “knowing names” and being invested in each others’ lives.

Another step our church is going to take in October to make progress in that area is Snapshot.  Snapshot will be a directory of the members of Ogletown that is simple, updated regularly, and easy to produce in-house (i.e. not Olan Mills-ish, if that means anything to you).

Why bother doing this?  What good will come out of this?

  1. We need to know who is a part of our church family, especially their names.  This will serve that purpose.
  2. We will be able to pray for each other regularly through looking at the directory.  Seeing the faces of our church family will assist in reminding us to care for them as well.
  3. We need something that can be easily reproduced and updated often. We are a highly transitional congregation.  This will allow us to keep up with the transitions.
  4. We will be able to keep track of children of members; members out-of-the area (military, college, etc.); seminary students; supported missionaries and overseas workers; former interns

 

To do this, we are going to set up a camera for the five Sundays in October, and ask each member (and even regular attender) to get their picture taken.

Moving from “No-Names” to “Knowing Names,” part 2

September 14, 2011 by Ogletown Baptist Church in Curtis Hill's Blog, Knowing Names, Vision/Strategy

In trying to move from No-Names to Knowing Names, I recognize that there are several factors that contributed to where we now are as a church.  No ‘one thing’ pushed us away from each other, and no ‘one thing’ will effect a silver-bullet change.  However, we can take steps.This coming Sunday evening at 6pm (9/18), I am anticipating a step in getting to know each other a little better.  We are launching INFOCUS.   This will be a gathering of Ogletown three times this fall, so that we can connect through the Word, testimonies, music, prayer, and fellowship.

I anticipate several ways that God could use this in the life of our church.

  • While our church has many subunits, often our church as a whole often feels disconnected. This would gather us together in one place at one time.
  • Our size (and subsequent formality) often doesn’t allow us to know each other in a more personal way through our Sunday morning worship service. In a less structured, less formal way, this would allow us to meet each other and hear from each other about how God is at work in our church.
  • We need avenues to pray for each other. This will provide an opportunity for us to truly pray for one another on the spot.
  • We need to get together more. Many Ogletown attenders spend 1.25 to 3 hours (of their 168 hour week) with other Ogletown people. This would open more quantity time as well as quality time.

I hope to see you here.

Moving from “No-Names” to “Knowing Names”

September 13, 2011 by Ogletown Baptist Church in Curtis Hill's Blog, Knowing Names, Vision/Strategy

This past Sunday (9/11), I spoke to our church about our need to get to know each other.

It is not simply that we don’t know everyone’s name who is a part of the Ogletown family.  That would most likely be impossible for most of us.  I am more concerned that we are often not working hard to get to know those who God has brought to our church.  We see people here.  We pass by them, but to often they are “no-names” to us.  I believe as a church we have grown too comfortable going to church with hundreds of family members who we do not know.  We need to work hard on “knowing names.”

So, where do we go from here?  I made a couple of suggestions on Sunday.

  1. Be here more often.  I am not sure how you can get to know more people, if you don’t put yourself in a place to meet them.  I think that is the intent of Hebrews 10:24-25.
  2. Go out of your way.  You may have to suffer a little discomfort and awkwardness.  You may have to introduce yourself to someone.  You may have to write yourself a note to remember someone’s name.  God will use the risk you take in this arena.  FYI, this article is a great catalyst to re-think how you prepare to meet with God’s people.
  3. Don’t just sit in rows, sit in circles.  In other words, attend a Sunday School class, attend a small group Bible study.  Learn some names of new friends.  Make yourself conspicuous rather than anonymous.

The potential results from a shift from No-Names to Knowing Names are mind-blowing.  And, as I have come to realize, I don’t believe Scripture has given us an “opt-out” clause for caring about one another.