Over the past year, a small team from our church participated in a pilot program of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship called the Thriving Congregations Initiative. TCI is funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment and is aimed at strengthening a Christian congregation’s capacity to help people deepen their relationships with God and each other, and to contribute to the flourishing of the neighborhood and the world.
Some of your favorite moments of extra special fellowship came as a direct result of the project. Treasured 2023 memories like the post-Easter donut taste test and the Continentals concert and picnic on the grounds were all direct outgrowths of the insights from that experience.
At the heart of the process is the conviction that when a congregation cultivates five key traits, it is better positioned to thrive in an ever-changing ministry context. Those traits are Rooted Relationships, Compelling Clarity, Faithful Agility, Holy Tenacity, and Dynamic Collaboration.
A thriving congregation must be intentional about cultivating deep, authentic, and durable relationships, all reflecting our common rootedness in a relationship with Jesus Christ. A thriving congregation must be abundantly clear on its gifts and purpose, remaining focused on using those God-given gifts for the mission God has given. A thriving congregation must remain nimble and humble enough to change course to remain faithful to the mission. A thriving congregation must retain enough tenacity to see through the inevitable hardships and setbacks that come to any good work. And a thriving congregation knows what it doesn’t know and acknowledges what it cannot accomplish alone.
Can you begin to see how these traits will help our church make its way through all our transitions with abiding faith, relentless hope, and enduring love? I pray you will.
We will continue to do and be all God is calling us toward together as Yates Baptist Church.
Grace & Peace,