Pastor's Ponderings

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On Sunday, January 29th, we had our Annual Congregational Meeting along with a nice lunch. I walked away from that event inspired and even re-energized. We have so much to be thankful for. This past year has seen some great things happening in the various ministries of ALC. But now it is time to create a new vision for the future. I truly believe that it is time for us to take the next step in following the path that God has set before us. This next step will be one of the hardest steps we will ever have to take as a congregation. It will require an extraordinary amount of dedication, courage, and most of all, faith. It will involve a whole new way of looking at what it means to be church. It will challenge us. It will change us. It may be painful in some ways. But I can assure you that it will be faithful to the Gospel that we proclaim.

The Reverend Craig L. Nessan is a Lutheran pastor who is currently on the faculty of Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. He recently published a book entitled; "Beyond Maintenance to Mission; A Theology of the Congregation". In this book, Nessan asks the question; "What are congregations for?" He goes on to say that it may be that we have grown so accustomed to the routine of congregational life that we have stopped asking this question. This is the easy road of course. It's much harder to adopt a new vision of what God is doing in our midst. Even so, we must always be asking the question; "What are we here for?"

When we get right down to it, congregations exist for the sake of mission. However, this fundamental truth about the Church is easily set aside in favor of what appears to be more urgent agendas. Our main focus becomes survival. We circle the wagons to protect what we have. The "mission" of the Church can become a preoccupation with holding worship services and paying the bills. Therefore, reaching out means narrowing the vision to exaggerated emphasis on statistical attendance, entertainment-style worship, or overly therapeutic models of ministry. In other words; get them in the door by entertaining them or making them feel good about themselves. I do not believe that this was the idea Jesus had when he said "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Our vision at Atascocita Lutheran Church states: "As a growing, diverse community of believers on a journey of faith, we seek to make Christ known by reflecting Christ in our lives."

This month we will again begin our Lenten Journey as we prepare for the passion of our Lord. We will remember his betrayal and his death, concluding in his glorious resurrection.

It is my hope and prayer that we will all make worship a priority during this Lenten Season. And as we worship, we will encounter something bigger than ourselves. For I believe that God is calling us to something much greater.

Pastor Gary L. Anholt