PRAYING IN THE MIDST OF TRANSITION

I'm a bit bewildered whenever I hear that most people don't like change or find it stressful.  I guess that's because I've always enjoyed change. I've enjoyed living in different communities and experiencing different responsibilities in different places of employment. Change has generally been a welcome distraction for me.

However, I recently realized something about myself. I really only like change when I'm the one doing the changing. When changes are being initiated by someone else, and I have no control over the decisions, I'm not quite as happy with that. I suppose what I'm saying is that I'm most comfortable when things stay the same around me, and that I only really enjoy change when I'm the one instigating it. 

What do you suppose has caused me to be thinking along these lines, and why in the world would I be writing about it in this blog? These are things that occurred to me when I began to think about the staff changes happening and soon to be happening at The Mission. We recently posted on the church website the job descriptions for three positions.  Megan's maternity leave means there is a need to fill the role of Children's Ministries Director. Greg's resignation creates an opening for a new Youth Director. And the board has decided to hire for a new position called "Church and Community Relations Director". 

No doubt lots of us at The Mission have become pretty comfortable with the status quo. Change means people we've grown to love and respect won't be in their leadership roles and more, and it means some uncertainty as to who will be taking on these important ministries. Where will they come from? Are they people we already know? How will those ministries change under new leadership? Change of this nature brings lots of questions, and some uncertainty.

It's going to happen whether we like it or not, so what's the appropriate response for a church congregation when changes that affect the church and the people are in the works? What should we do when we feel uncertainly about just how things are going to turn out?

The answer is pretty simple and not likely to surprise anyone. In fact I only mention it because a reminder can never hurt. We are to pray.

The Mission belongs to God. It does not belong to the Pastor. It does not belong to the Board or the members or the Brethren In Christ denomination. God established it and it belongs to Him. He has a plan to do good things in and through His work, and the best thing we can do is to let Him be in control. When God is truly in charge, and when we don't get in the way of what He wants to do, we can always be sure that His best is in store.

So then, what is our role in times of transition? Our role is to seek God, and to earnestly pray that His perfect will be accomplished. Uncertainty and concerns give way to trust as we come to God and place the future in His hands. 

So I want to encourage you, in light of some big decisions to be made at The Mission regarding staff, to pray. Here are some suggestions.

• pray that God would make sure these ministry opportunities at The Mission come to the attention of the right people
• pray that the Holy Spirit would unmistakably place His call on the people of His choice
• pray that the Pastor and Board would be clearly led by God in the selection of the people to fill these positions
• pray for the congregation, that we would be welcoming and supportive of God's choices
• pray for those who will be most impacted by this transition, particularly the Mission Kids and the church youth
• pray that God will empower the people He has chosen to fill these roles, enabling them in a special way to fulfill their responsibilities

I believe God is sovereign. I believe when He allows or instigates change it's because there are things He wants to accomplish. Let's be faithful to pray and trust God through the transitions ahead, giving Him complete control and expecting amazing things to happen as He works out His perfect will at The Mission.