This entry is from Larry Sault our wonderful chairman. He shares his journey to the name the Sanctuary. Remember these were taken from an email that someone in our church asked each elder to share their story of how they got on board of the sanctuary. You will see in this one that he talks right away about does a "no" vote mean I am going against the elders.
"First of all, I do not necessarily interpret a “no” vote as a going against the leadership of the church. In cases where a person just has a reaction against it and won’t pray about it, or where a person doesn’t like “how” it was done and so decides to vote against it, I would say that person needs to seriously be confronted with what the Bible says about submitting to and supporting the leadership God has appointed. But I know that doesn’t apply to you in any way, shape or form. I believe God was present when the bylaws and constitution of the church were written, and there is a reason the congregation gets to vote on things like this. I know there’s a tension here – do you just vote with the elders because they are your leaders or do you vote what you really think (after praying and seeking God) even if it is not in line with the elders? But remember, you have the Holy Spirit in you just as much as I do – so pray and go where God leads. Frankly, I continue to pray that the church will become unanimously excited about this name change – God can still do that!
As for my personal journey, I can frankly say I wasn’t excited about the concept of changing the name when it was first presented to me over Christmastime (before anyone proposed the name “The Sanctuary”). I felt that if we were to change our name God would reveal when and to what during the course of our leading in the new vision. But then Ronn gave his first message on the new vision at the start of the year, and emphasized that our church, our homes and each of us as individuals are God’s sanctuary, and we are to go out from there to reach others. After that the proposal to change the name to The Sanctuary was brought to the elders. I still was not super excited about it because my initial thought about “sanctuary” was as a place of refuge to get away from the world. But if you examine the Bible, God’s sanctuary is in the midst of His people, and we are to go out from there to impact the world. The people of Israel, with God’s sanctuary in their midst, went out to take hold of the promised land. And according to I Corinthians God dwells in the midst of our church and our homes, and He dwells in us as the Holy Spirit – and what are we to do? Go out and give glory to Jesus and His gospel! We hashed all this out at a meeting in mid-January, and that’s when I got it; a home of faith is a home where God is present and a home that reaches out to others in love. This, combined with the fact the a name like “The Sanctuary” certainly will be a conversation starter with people I meet, convinced me that it is the right thing to do. I don’t mind the name Crosstown Church, but I can’t get excited about it like I can “The Sanctuary”. When we decided I actually wanted to move a bit quicker than the other elders – fortunately, they calmed me down a bit!
That’s my story in brief – I hope it helps. If you want to know more, just ask!"
Larry
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I think we need to be careful with what we put on our blog because regardless of our name we will not send the right message if we don't. This posting did not sit well with me. I think it's because the beginning was editorial in nature and the following comment just seems too specific to say this doesn't "apply" to anyone. Additionally, we have to be cautious about saying what others need to do as a matter of opinion:
ReplyDelete"In cases where a person just has a reaction against it and won’t pray about it, or where a person doesn’t like “how” it was done and so decides to vote against it, I would say that person needs to seriously be confronted with what the Bible says about submitting to and supporting the leadership God has appointed. But I know that doesn’t apply to you in any way, shape or form."
I'm not sure why we would post something like this if we didn't think someone needed to hear it? Maybe it didn't sit well with me because I had a "reaction" and haven't prayed about it? Could my "reaction" be the Holy Spirit and this "name change" be a ploy by the Evil One? Not calling anyone evil, but pointing out that he is always at work. I've been praying a lot lately and God just hasn't laid this on my heart. I've been praying that we can fulfill our mission as a Church, I've been praying for my Small Group, my Family, myself...just not this. Do I need to seriously be confronted with the Bible? Of course, each and everyday! But, is it for my "reaction" or not praying for a "name change?" I don't believe so.
I think we should submit to "one another" and hear what everyone has to say, respond in love, let the vote happen, and move on with WHO God wants us to be. To me, that's a better indicator of where we stand as a church and if we're "ready" than if we all just get "excited" about a new name.
Either way...Crosstown or Sanctuary...I'm here to stay. Please join me so we can spread the love of Christ together!!!
God Bless
Hey everyone,
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that people are jumping in and responding to the blog. Don't forget that if you comment anonymously to also sign your name. The "anonymous" option is there to allow people who don't regularly blog to post comments, but I know we are all family and don't need to be afraid to include our names.
(This isn't just aimed at this comment, but lots of previous comments.) =]
Blessings!
Emily
I know this, God doesn't care what the name of our church is as long as we are doing His work and in His will. With that being said this is a name, do we like it or don't we? Could you see yourself explaining it to your neighbor? Is it a name that best describes who we are???
ReplyDeleteI believe God can do great things with the vision we now have. I am pretty sure the name has nothing to do with what God can do, so let's spend our time figuring out what our next step is in this awesome vision.