one year later...

Today is officially the one year anniversary of when I came on staff at Southminster. I've been in St. Louis for a year and a week. It's been a pretty fascinating year of a lot of learning and a lot of change - change for me, change for the church.

Here is some of what is different now than a year ago:

- A year ago, the youth ministry met maybe every other week - if that. The only regular program offered was sunday school. In November, we began weekly youth group meetings. The first night, we had 6 students (high school and middle school) show up. We peaked at 23 by the end of the school year and can now count on a minimum of 20 each week. Not huge growth, but not too bad.

- A year ago, the contemporary worship service, then 4 or 5 years old, was in a bit of a rut. Not a lot of new music, the projection was average, and the praise team was really looking for some direction. Now, the praise team boldly pushes new boundaries and is constantly looking for new music. The projection has really advanced and is quite good. With the help of an incredible interim praise team leader, the praise team no longer needs direction, as they are following the vision that has been cast.

- Additionally, the contemporary service has changed format and name. It is now Worship Celebration and has a more developed liturgy. Liturgy is really the wrong word, in it's popular understanding. But in it's traditional definition, it is quite fitting. We do have a defined order of worship that we follow for that service, but within that order we are always willing to explore new ways to enable worshippers to "experience the life giving touch of the One who first gave them life."

- Another worship-related change was moving the start time of Worship Celebration from 10:30 to 10:55. 10:30 was only 30 minutes after the end of the first service (if it ended on time), barely enough time to set up for the service. Moving to 10:55 provided enough time not only for setup but also for a sound check and rehearsal.

- A year ago the children's ministry was struggling to provide meaningful ministry for the families and children of the church. Not that it was bad or in dire shape, but it didn't seem to be meeting a need. A couple of changes were made that seems to be bringing about a turnaround in that ministry. One of which was changing from a rotation sunday school model to a more traditional format with consistent teachers each week. Not that the rotation model is bad, it just didn't seem to be working at Southminster.

- Because of the time change for worship, time was created to allow for a dedicated Sunday School hour. Previously, sunday school was at the same time as the 9 AM worship service. Somewhat convenient for families (mom and dad go to worship, the kids go to Sunday school), but one of the core values of Christianity is the importance of the corporate body worshipping Christ together, people of all ages, gathered together in worship. How could we expect to raise children who desire to worship God if they are never in worship? How can we provide meaningful discipleship opportunities for parents when folks pretty much leave after worship? Moving Sunday school to it's own hour helped alleviate that tension. It is a change that is not without its flaws, however. Some classes have seen reduced attendance as a result.

- Also, a year ago we did not have any dedicated staff for children's ministry. In early 2007, we hired a children's ministry intern on a part-time basis. She is a college student who is being trained as a children's education and development specialist. Her love for the Lord combined with her love for children made her a natural addition to the church staff. Since then, the children's ministry has taken off. The CE Commission has recognized the benefit of this kind of specialized attention and ministry, and desires to make that a full time position in the future.

- Along those lines, and related to the worship and Sunday school changes, we added a new ministry called Kids Own Worship. Recognizing that it is developmentally inappropriate to expect younger children to sit through an hour long worship service, we have the children in worship for the first 15 minutes, then after a children's sermon, they head out to an age- and developmentally-appropriate worship program.

Much of these changes actually have very little to do with me. It is the result of a large number of people who are passionate about the Lord, passionate about their areas of ministry, and passionate about seeing others come to know Christ. It has been a really exciting year - not without its challenges, but still good - and it is fascinating to see this church grow and stretch.

I wonder what next year will hold.

This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea, 
a path through the mighty waters, 
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?"
- Isaiah 43:16-19