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Over the past couple several years, the congregation and staff of Broad Street UMC have faced significant changes and challenges. These transitions have led to a smaller congregation where ministry is primarily initiated and shaped by the laity—the members themselves—while the pastor guides, supports, and works alongside them. Our staff assists in initiating and handling various aspects of the work, but not all of it. Still, there are some among us who feel we are staff-led, while others observe that the laity are shouldering a greater level of responsibility and decision-making than ever before. Every pastor, I believe, hopes for a congregation that feels empowered to embrace a both/and model, where clergy, staff, and laity minister together in shared ministry.

I want you to know, if you don’t already, that I embrace—indeed, I celebrate—the sharing of decision-making. It brings me great joy to see laypersons initiating and implementing creative and faithful ministries. I am most excited when these efforts align with the broader ministry of the church. It thrills me when lay leaders discover new gifts in the midst of ministry. I love it when others offer their gifts of leadership in areas like administration, service, mission, and worship.

We are changing, adapting, transitioning, and I pray, growing.  We are learning more about one another.  No doubt about it—what a blessing it is! I am doing my best to keep up with the expanding administrative, pastoral, ministry, mission and community responsibilities and loving nearly every moment of it! What drives me to work harder and more faithfully is seeing some of your growing awareness and commitment to support the mission of Broad Street UMC. My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who have felt the call to serve and have done so joyfully—whether visiting the homebound, helping with Humpday Hangout, supporting the Backpack Ministry, contributing to Connections in Christ, opening and closing the church doors, turning off lights and tidying up as if this is your home, attending meetings and offering compassionate leadership, designing flyers and our bulletin, repairing the children’s playground or the church building, teaching Sunday School or a Bible Study, leading youth and children’s ministries, or participating in our music program. This is just a glimpse of what’s happening at Broad Street UMC, not to mention the community impact so many of you are making.

I pray that over the rest of this year and the next, you’ll feel increasingly more confident in initiating and implementing ministry at Broad Street UMC. As we continue to change and prayerfully grow, please know that every invitation to serve is an invitation to help us become a fruitful church. Sharing in the powerful work of ministry is biblically healthy! Let’s remember the words of that beloved hymn:

I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together!

All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we are the church together!

The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple,

The church is not a resting place; the church is a people.

Yes, we are the church together!