A little over 5 years ago, Amy and I found ourselves drawn to Sanctuary and the Greenwood neighborhood. An opportunity arose to do Americorps through the Green Bean, and I saw it as a great way to serve in the place I was beginning to love. After a year of connecting with the neighborhood and helping the Bean transition to a new location, I was elected to the outreach elder position at Sanctuary. Initially I thought it would simply be a continuation of the work I was already doing. The reality was that it would challenge me in many different ways. Here are a few thoughts as I reflect on my experience on Council…
Council work is hard. There are meetings that last into the wee hours of the night (ok, wee hours when your bedtime is 8pm like mine is). There are responsibilities to the church and congregation to discern the Spirit’s leading and the direction in which the church should go. And there are decisions to be made that sometimes have no easy solution.
Council work is relational. Some of my favorite activities have been collaborating with people at Sanctuary. I think about shooting videos of church planters with Alex Houseknecht, designing a community walk with Matt Whitney, and planning service events with Lydia Bergen. While I enjoyed the activities, getting to know and work alongside people at Sanctuary was a huge part of what I appreciated about my time on Council.
Council work is rewarding. I’ve been really encouraged by the people I’ve gotten to serve alongside on Council. They are sharp, creative, God-seeking people who I trust to lead the church. They have challenged and inspired me to look for ways to bring God’s kingdom to our world. To get to serve the congregation in this way has been an honor.
If there’s any message here, I’d say support those on Council by getting involved in what they’re doing! Council may guide the direction the church is going, but it’s what people within the church take ownership of that causes it to flourish.
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