The Rev. Blair Pogue, Canon for Vitality and Innovation

Your Next Faithful Step

From the Missioners
A group gathers at a table to hear ministry stories about faithful innovation. A group gathers at a table to hear ministry stories about faithful innovation.

(Pictured in above image: At the Innovation Summit at St. Mark's Cathedral on November 16, over 50 Episcopalians from all over Minnesota shared their next faithful step and ways they are joining up with neighbors Jesus loves who don't go to church.)

After spending a week in the Diocese of Minnesota, Archdeacon Sally Gaze posted the following parting advice on her Facebook page: 

  1. Keep inviting people to meet Jesus - he is the only one who makes a difference, even when his name may be missed by the wider culture. 
  2. As Christians, we are called to listen well - listen to culture but also to the individuals we are serving. 
  3. Look to build relationships and get to know people rather than design "successful programs". 
  4. Learn how to follow Jesus and accompany friends as they begin to follow Jesus, always looking for the "next faithful step".  
     

This is sage advice. How can our outreach ministries be more relational? What are our pathways for the people we meet during our outreach ministries or in our daily lives who are spiritually curious? What do we say, and what do we do with people who are curious about Jesus or the Episcopal path to the Christian life? Do we have entry points for them? 

For most people outside the institutional church, what we do on Sunday morning is a foreign country. What we do and why we do it needs to be interpreted and explained. What about all the people who want to have two-way conversations about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and what Jesus said and taught? Are we willing and able to have these conversations and/or have we thought about the next faithful step we might provide? Perhaps this is a small, informal discussion group in a home, coffee shop, or pub where these questions will be taken seriously and discussed? 

What sort of equipping do we need to feel confident talking about Jesus and our faith when asked? I don't know about you, but I have found the following four things to be extremely helpful: 

  1. Spending time with God in prayer each day, and taking at least ten minutes to sit in God's presence in silence and let God love me. 
  2.  What some call "scripture before screens", reading a chapter or two of the Bible each morning before touching my phone or computer. 
  3. Going through the John Mark Comer Practicing the Way course with a small group. It's an excellent way to learn more about the core practices of the Christian faith and how to practice them (whether you are a beginner or a long-time practicioner). This course is a wonderful tool to help those who want to follow Jesus move from the head to the heart. In addition to learning more about and practicing things like prayer, friendship with others across lines of difference, spending time with the poor, and sabbath, a spiritual life inventory helps you track areas of growth over time. 
  4. Observing a weekly sabbath, even if it's only a couple of hours. I can't tell you what a difference it makes to go off the grid one day each week and read scripture, listen to God, and journal. I also play tennis because it gives me joy, is playful, is great exercise, and is a way to be part of a community outside my ECMN ministry. 

If you would like to explore your church’s next faithful step, I’d love to talk to you!
Please contact me at blair.p@episcopalmn.org