Recently Melinda and I attended our first business meeting as members at BPBC. Actually it was our first business meeting ever in a Baptist Church! We’d heard rumors of how some business go and so we were a little apprehensive!
We left and encouraged and I asked if I could share our perspective. The meeting began with Gene Cornett’s summary of his time in Barcelona. It was good to see how BPBC is impacting the world. That was followed by 12 or 13 impromptu reports and almost NONE were staff led! I think this is very healthy based on Paul’s instruction to the church at Ephesus:
1 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Many ministries focused on people outside BPBC. We minister to women in crisis pregnancy, teens minister to kids in rough areas, others provide food for children who go hungry on the weekend, some serve at the Food Bank, all ages helped lead sports camp, the Christmas shoebox ministry reaches children all over the world, and Griefshare ministers to those wrestling with loss.
There were also reports about how the family at BPBC is served. Under the leadership of the elders, we have an excellent choir led by a highly gifted choir director, a youth group highly engaged in the church life, and Community Fellowship groups committed to the teaching of scripture. I’m sure there are ministries I’m leaving out but we are still new! (Having said this, Melinda and I were a surprised at the relatively small number of members that came to hear these reports. I hope our perspective will stimulate more to attend the next meeting.)
God provides many blessings for his people who serve through their local church. Paul lists them in the passage above. They include unity, growing maturity, and protection from being deceived the adversary. There is strength and safety in serving in the local church. There is much to be thankful for at BPBC and Melinda and I are grateful that God led us to this church.
Gary Stewart
P.S. One of the things I love best about Bethany Place is its Elder led format. Gene is taking a one week break from Colossians to address Elder ministry in a message titled “The Necessity of Humility “from Matthew 23:1-12.