Pastor’s Ponderings—June 26, 2026

To the church of God as found at Marion Salem Church, called to be saints together with those in every place who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: You are miracles of God’s grace and mercy!

You heard it at the Congregational Update, I am looking for a few good disciples that are ready to commit a significant amount of time to prayer and learning so that we might create plans for the future of Marion Salem Church. On this page is the template of that work: Vision (where we are going), Mission (how we get there, the steps between where we care in Context to where we want to be in Vision), and Values (non-negotiables) are the major points.

The group that works on this goes through what is known as an “Incubation Process.” You know what an incubator is for – it’s a warming unit for eggs or a baby that helps them develop. The Incubation Process is intensive by design because we’re going to be deeply diving into disciple-making (the Mission is tied to this). Those who create the Vision need to live it themselves first so they can articulate it for our congregation and guide us into implementing it. It’s methodical, it’s slow, and extremely important work. This is the reason it requires 6-8 hours together on a monthly basis for 12-18 months. The Ministry Action Plan (MAP) is the framework for the discernment that comes from the Incubation Process.

It’s my hope that by the end of this year I will be facilitating a group of people that will be giving themselves to this work. Sure, I could fill in the MAP on my own yet that would not be fruitful. Solo-heroic leadership is a surefire way to burnout. A team of people who learn how to build covenant together and walk as disciples create more than a document. They create momentum that empowers the entire congregation to live into the MAP and bear the fruit of such work.

I realize that the bar is set very high for this group, meeting 6-8 hours on a monthly basis for 12-18 months and doing prep work outside is a lot. However, we should expect nothing less than a high level of commitment for such an important task. I have known people who have walked through this process while working a full-time job, raising a family, and experiencing unexpected life changes like a parent passing, moving, a job loss, and major health problems. I’ve known times when people had to step away from the team because of these things. When people give themselves to holy work, God seems to supply the strength necessary.

So now that you know more, what’s the next step? If you’re interested, you can certainly talk with me. I would start with prayer though. Ask God if this is really something He is calling you to give yourself to for a time. Then ask Him to send the Holy Spirit that you might be empowered for it and enabled to answer the call. When you’ve done this, come see me and let’s set up a time to chat.

If you do not sense that God is calling you to this, then I ask you to pray that those whom God is calling will be made clear to us as a congregation. I know that if we want to reach a preferred future, we must be intentional about it. I know of no better way than this.

Blessings

Jason