Survey Says

Hi COTC Family,

Thanks to everyone who completed the survey we sent out last week. If you haven’t yet had a chance to do so please take a few minutes to fill out. The survey will be open for responses through this month.

In addition to some questions regarding our “keeping company with God” through Scripture, prayer, worship and spiritual practices, the survey has questions related to our transition to two services in late August. Your answers are really helpful for the church’s planning and prep. 

One thing that has emerged in some of the answers thus far is the degree of concern many of us feel regarding the challenges and costs associated with this transition. These concerns are real and they’re normal responses to change. The move to a second service is not simple or easy. It requires a significant leveling up regarding our volunteer needs. Please contact Kimberly if you're able and interested in serving with one of our volunteer teams. There are opportunities to serve in every area. 

Related to the challenges of two services, a number of you have communicated you want to make sure that staff and leaders do not burn out in this transition. That’s wonderful care and concern. Concerns expressed regarding a sense of togetherness reflects the goodness of the relationships we share together in Christ. We experience ourselves as one body, an expression of the larger Body of Christ, and want to see that preserved. Thanks be to God for that! 

Yet, I also want to reiterate the good necessity and possibility of this change. As a church we are invited by God to extend ourselves in mission, care, and concern to others. This involves creating space for others in the context of our life together, that they might also taste and see the goodness of God. Additionally, a significant part of our calling as a church involves the formation of our kids in the way of Jesus. As things currently stand, the large number of children sharing space in our classrooms and common areas during the service makes teaching and learning more difficult. The switch to two services creates the opportunity for more engagement and participation related to the discipleship of the children at COTC. 

As we make this change, my hope is that our welcome of others would increase enfold more people into our shared life in Christ. Also, my hope is that this change would bear fruit in the life of COTC kids; that they would come to know the love of God more deeply through better and increased interactions with their teachers, and through instruction that is more easily accessible to them. By God’s grace may this shift in our life result in more people encountering Jesus in Word and Sacrament, more transformation into the likeness of Christ, and ultimately greater glory for God. That is our aim and our hope in all things. 

Thanks again for completing the survey and sharing your thoughts! 

Grace and peace, 

Peter+

Ps. As I mentioned last Sunday, this piece I wrote went live on Christianity Today’s website this week. It touches on the church’s historic position regarding marriage and human sexuality and our pastoral engagement with it. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.