Pastor’s Ponderings—September 2026

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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!

There is a line between setting a goal on faith and wishful thinking. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how thick or thin that line is. Let me share with you the circumstance and perhaps together we can discern what Christ wants us to go for.

National Back to Church Sunday is coming up on September 20th. It is a great opportunity for us to express our faith, live out our discipleship, and invite others to worship. If your invitation inspires someone to attend worship somewhere else, that’s still a victory. However, it is reasonable for us to hope that we will see an increase in visitors and new attenders through the month of September at Salem. The question is how many?

If you look at our current stats for the year, we’re averaging a little better on the whole than Year-to-Date 2025. Last year we were worshipping around 93, our average YTD ‘26 is 94. August ‘25 was 93 average, August ‘26 average is 99. Our goal by the end of the year is to consistently worship at 110.

So, with the upcoming event and the current average, what should our goal be? Should we say we can certainly reach 110 on Back to Church Sunday, perhaps even sustain it through the end of the year? Might be reasonable. Would it be a stretch? Maybe some would call it a small one. What would really put us outside of our comfort zone? Could we hit over 130 people on Back to Church Sunday and maybe level off back around 105.

In weight training there are two competing concepts: Max Reps, which is lifting a moderate weight for as many times as possible and Max Weight which is lifting the heaviest possible weight for perhaps 3 reps to show raw power. Both have their purpose and place, and a trainer knows how to safely advise which technique to use on an athlete’s muscles and when to go for max reps and max weight for the best benefits.

I lean towards consistency. I’d like to see max reps. However, I also believe that without occasional max weight our true potential may never be seen. I’m not ready to state a goal out loud in this short piece. What I hope to accomplish though is that we take this information and lay it before the Lord over the next 3 weeks. He’ll certainly answer us by guiding and empowering us in the work before us. He is the one that can certainly accomplish within us more than we could ask or imagine.

Blessings

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—August 2026

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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 may have noticed a large change between this and last month’s newsletters from previous months. The first page no longer contains my monthly article on the front page. Why? The main reason for this is that we want the congregation to focus on opportunities for discipleship and invitation. In fact, there are many things that are coming up because the school year will be starting in August. This month’s front page focuses on three events that are discipleship opportunities. First is a special presentation of the teaching moments from Jeff Greenway as he prepares for retirement. Jeff has been our conference superintendent for these formative first years of the Allegheny West conference. He shares 10 nuggets for local congregations to take to heart. This video will be August’s devotion for Sunday school on the 2nd. The next item is an opportunity to gather with others in our area to hear from the Associate Conference Superintendent Dan Gildner. This is a meeting at Reynoldsburg Community Church on August 10th. We’re hoping to arrange transportation, so please let us know if you are interested in attending. Finally, Amy is gearing up for the Growing Up study.

All these are opportunities for you to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ. That’s important, because we can only invite someone to go deeper if we have done so ourselves. We’re working our invitational muscles over the next several weeks for Back to Church Sunday on September 20th. More details are to come, however, we’ll have a fellowship meal following to encourage conversation and relationship building after worship. In the meantime, VBS Presentation Sunday will be August 2nd, so worship will be down in the gym. The weekend before River Valley students return we will be having a special worship service for the blessing of backpacks, students, and teachers on August 16 (that’s a great time to invite people!).

Summer is a great season for growth, not only physically but we can grow a lot spiritually too! Consider how you might encourage others to join in worship or a small group. And as you’re thinking about how, make a prayerful choice on who you will invite. You have opportunity with all that is going on at Salem Church. You have the means with the many learning opportunities in the month of August. All that is left is motive and I pray you are inspired with the urgent need to reach out to save the lost, and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Blessings

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—July 2026

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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!

Summer is getting to be very busy at Salem. July brings the Ice Cream Social and Vacation Bible School. We’ll begin worship in the month with a service of anointing oil and healing prayer for anyone that would like to participate. This time of concentrated prayer is a special means of grace that anyone can participate in, either by praying for others who request prayer or by receiving prayer for any need you have. We’ll also have the opportunity to participate in Camp Sychar, a holiness camp meeting in Mt. Vernon, OH that Pastor Heather will share more about in this newsletter. At the end of July we’ll begin our next cohort of the Membership Class. I want you to know everyone is invited to join in this discipleship group.

There are a couple of other additional items in this month’s newsletter. I have copied an article from one of my seminary professors on the Old Testament’s importance to the Church today. It is a longer piece than usual for our newsletter, however he does a thorough job of explaining why the Old Testament is so foundational to not only understanding the New Testament, it is essential to Christian faith. I hope you find it helpful for your study of God’s Word and encourage you to lean into his teaching.

Finally, the other additional item in this month’s newsletter is a prayer guide for the upcoming General Conference that will be starting at the end of August. Those who will be travelling for and working at General Conference need our prayer support.. The first prayer guide begins on July 15th and will run until the week before the General Conference starts. I will make sure that updated links are included in next month’s newsletter for the second prayer guide.

Whoever said summer was a slow season is either not paying attention or doesn’t want to learn, grow, and serve. Thankfully at Salem Church we remain focused on being Kingdom People with several opportunities for each. I look forward to what God has in store and if you’re interested in making more opportunities, please see me so we can get it started!

Blessings

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—June 26, 2026

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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

Pastor’s Ponderings—May 2026

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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!

I like to remind folks that each season has it’s own kind of crazy. In the Church, many of my colleagues think that if they get past Easter there will be a lull in the action and some breathing space. Unfortunately, May is when the church starts gearing up for summer ministries like VBS and the Ice Cream Social. You’ve got Mother’s Day, Graduation, and Memorial Day during this month. There are meetings that prepare for Annual Conference and gearing up for that gathering. And if you aren’t at least thinking about next Fall’s plans, then when that comes around you’ll be behind. So then, with all this happening, why add to it when you don’t have to? It’s because it’s important.

Let me explain what I am talking about. When we started on building rhythms of how we will live into the new chapter of ministry at Salem Church, I knew that transparency and communication were going to be important values for leadership. We have been through a season of tumultuous change, and unfortunately in our world of continuous change, I have the sad duty to say there will be more change in the future. Change is not necessarily good or bad, it just is. We can either stick our heads in the sand and deny what’s happening, or be intentional about how we respond. That’s why it is absolutely imperative that leaders be intentional about what is happening.

Early on, I encouraged the various committees to do their best to create a “congregational readout.” A readout is an abbreviated synopsis of major actions at the meeting, kind of like the minutes. I’ve never had a congregant ask for the minutes of a meeting (and most churches I’ve pastored were a little surprised that I ask for 3 years worth of minutes). Yet, the first time we did a readout there was positive response—because it showed transparency in the midst of big changes.

Likewise, I asked our Administrative Council to step out in faith and do a congregational update in the spring. Every fall we have Church Conference (it’s tradition), which is where various matters of business are voted on for the coming year. Twelve months is a long time to bring the congregation together to share about what is going on in the administrative life of the church. A good balance is semi-annual and that is why we are having a Congregational Update on May 17th. It is an opportunity for the congregation to hear from the leadership and for questions to be asked.

Ministry is not accomplished by a single person (the pastor), those who are paid (the staff), or those in recognized roles (lay leaders). Everyone in the congregation is responsible for the ministry of the local church. We do not have to have a Congregational update, nothing constrains us to do this. We do it because we want to take intentional steps to be transparent and communicate what is happening and coming in the future. So make plans to join together at the potluck after worship on Sunday, May 17th. Bring some food, have some fellowship, and celebrate Christ’s work among us!

Blessings

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—April 2026

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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!

I pray that I do not confuse anyone with the following thoughts. So as to be clear, I am directing them to certain groups as a means of challenge, because I believe that there are ways that each of us can improve as followers of Jesus Christ.

To those who for any reason, typically watch service on Facebook: Easter Sunday is coming. We revere it as a particularly special and Holy day among the various Sundays of the year. For various reasons, many of them legitimate health issues, there are folks who cannot make it to worship each week. I want to challenge you to please go above and beyond to make the effort this year. If you must, call your doctor’s office as soon as you read this, leave them a message about how you can adjust medications or whatever routine you need so that you can be in-person for Easter Sunday worship.

To those trying to pick which service, I love Sonrise Service, especially as we can support our youth by attending, and I greatly enjoy the tradition of Easter Breakfast with my church family. That said, if you are deciding between Sonrise and Breakfast or the 10am Service—-please come to the 10am service. I want you to come to all our activities, yet if there must be a choice, come to the 10am Service.

To those who have family that stay home, this is the week. This is the important one. This is the week to pick the battle with your teenager. This is the week to put your foot down and say, “Come be with me in worship on Easter Sunday!” You do not have to be rude about it, but do be passionate about it! It’s important, it matters.

To those who have family, friends, coworkers, & neighbors that are not in worship, this is the day! Easter and Christmas are the “expected to be in Church” times. Those who watch you drive to church every week and see how important it is to you, they are kind of expecting you to make an invitation. They might say no. It’s really possible for them to say yes – yet you have to ask first. The de facto answer is no if you never ask so make the ask this year.

To those who believe Easter is the goal, or that the Resurrection is the end of the story, hang on to your bonnets—you might get blown away. The Resurrection was only the beginning of the story and the work that is ahead of the Church grows larger each and every year that has followed. When Easter comes this April 5th, it is not a moment of arrival for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ. Easter is only the starting point for the plans God has in store for those who love Him.

Blessings

Jason

Lenten Series: The Cure

Based off a book by the same name, we will explore the paths of Pleasing God and Trusting God, learning that one is built on self-effort and the other on humility. This series is for those seeking a deeper relationship with Christ no matter where they are starting on the journey.

3/1: “Two Solutions” 2 Corinthians 5 — 3/8: “Two Healings” 1 John 4:7-21

3/15: “Two Friends” John 3:16-21 — 3/22: “Two Destinies” John 12:12-16

Pastor’s Ponderings—March 2026

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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!

For centuries Christians have yearned to walk closer with the Lord. The question of how has often led to dangerous thinking that we are saved by our works—that it is the things we do that enable us to be Christians. The results are disappointing. Either we will feel like failures because works religion only makes us realize how fallen we are, or it will lead to a prideful heart that falls further and further from the Lord. This thinking boils down to: We do so we can become.

So how can we walk closer to the Lord? Well, the first step is to realize that we are already close to the Lord. That’s what salvation has done for us. We can be Christians because the Lord has made us into Christians. Jesus empowers us for actions we take; whether works of piety those acts of devotion to the Lord, or works of mercy that are acts done in the name of the Lord for others. We do neither of these with the mindset that doing them makes Christians. It is because of who we are (our being), we do certain things, we act. This flips the previous way of thinking around, our actions do not make us, they flow from what Christ has remade us to be.

Thus the season of Lent and all the spiritual disciplines we might undertake or explore are not so that we become, we do them because they flow from who we are. The spiritual practices of the early Methodists were known as the means of grace, in other words, the acts by which God imparts His grace to us. The instituted means of grace are better known; Communion, prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, giving, and joining together with other believers in worship and accountability (called “Christian conferencing” back then). These are instituted because they are clearly instructed in Scripture and they have reference to God’s promised work in our lives. There are also prudential means of grace; that is those things in which God decides of His own goodness to bless us at that time and in those circumstances. God is not required to communicate His grace to us at every opportunity of a prudential means of grace, like a walk in nature.

Focusing on the instituted means of grace, I would like to challenge you during Lent to make a special effort at giving yourself to these acts. Do not do them so that you can become more like Christ. Do them because you are a follower of Christ. Let them flow out of who you are, not to make or change who you are. We have just received Communion on Ash Wednesday. We will once again on March 1st and 15th during Sunday worship, as well as on Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. I would encourage your daily prayers be not solely about food, health, and temporal concerns—the Lord’s heart aches for the lost. May we pour out petitions for those who have lost their way that through our prayers and through us the Lord might reach them. Be in Scripture. If you have never done the 30 Days with Jesus reading plan, now would be a good time. If you’ve done that one, I would highly recommend you go deeper in a theological study traveling 60 Days with Paul and the rest of the New Testament. Of course, many think of fasting in connection with Lent; yet it is truer still that we replace a bad habit with a good one. So if you fast, replace that with giving, study, or service and make your fast complete. Giving should come from a place of sacrifice, not spare change. Finally, joining with others to encourage and be encouraged makes growth fuller. Be this Lent, don’t do it.

Blessings

Jason

Lenten Series: The Cure

Based off a book by the same name, we will explore the paths of Pleasing God and Trusting God, learning that one is built on self-effort and the other on humility. This series is for those seeking a deeper relationship with Christ no matter where they are starting on the journey.

3/1: “Two Solutions” 2 Corinthians 5 — 3/8: “Two Healings” 1 John 4:7-21

3/15: “Two Friends” John 3:16-21 — 3/22: “Two Destinies” John 12:12-16

Pastor’s Ponderings—February 2026

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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!

I think these newsletter thoughts are going to address the elephant in the room and that’s the recent progressive provocation during a worship service in a congregation in Minnesota. It was wrong, disgusting, and thankfully it’s being dealt with. Contrary to popular belief, this was not the first instance of such an incident. I recall seeing video of a progressive “pastor” interrupting a sermon of a friend of mine several years ago. It didn’t get nearly as much attention within the church or nationwide. What seems to be different this time is that there was a flood of media attention (thanks to the self-serving and self-incriminating individuals there) and those in government positions are finally holding wrongdoers accountable.

Should we be worried? No. Violent disturbances in churches are rare. They get outsized media attention. When they occur, the vast majority are caused by people who know someone in the church or they are targeted incidents like Minnesota’s City Church.

Should we be prepared? That depends on what you mean. Do we need to hire security guards? Absolutely not, that would be over doing it. As a security measure, after worship starts all doors but the sanctuary entrance are locked and that door is monitored every Sunday by several members during worship for trouble.

But it could still happen… A great many things could happen, and yet we are called to live not with a spirit of fear, but with power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). If there are ever disturbances in worship the following would happen: “You are invited to calm down and take a seat and worship. If you continue, you’ll be asked to leave. If you do not, we will press charges for disturbance and trespassing at a minimum.” If the situation escalates law enforcement will already be on their way—and in Ohio, Marion County… I am reasonably assured of that outcome, and you can be too. Rest easy.

We do not live in town. While not impossible, the kind of trouble January 18th makes us afraid of is highly unlikely out here. The most common kind of trouble we aren’t likely to have either. We won’t have drunks stumbling in to the front row to join us for worship and ask for money afterwards (had that happen elsewhere to me, fun times). Even the out-of-town travelers looking for gas money aren’t likely. Of course, when folks like that regularly come in we definitely know who we’re trying to reach for Christ and what kind of ministry we can offer to change lives. Our work as a congregation to reach the lost is different and perhaps a little harder. We’ve got to go find those who are suffering in and from sin. When we find them, we’ve got to reach them for Christ where they are as we minister to their need. Only after we’ve built a relationship with them can we invite them to Salem to grow in Christ.

So no, I’m not worried about the incident in Minnesota happening at Salem. My bigger concern is finding more lost souls to reach for Christ so that we can grow.

Blessings

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—January 2026

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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!

One of my favorite holiday tunes is “Christmas in Killarney,” the Bing Crosby version of course. One of the verses goes, “The door is always open / The neighbors pay a call / And Father John, before he’s gone / Will bless the house and all.” It was not unusual in a bygone day for pastors to drop by unannounced (especially in Father John’s case, when parties were an opportunity for the parish pastor to make rounds and see the maximum number of people, whether or not he was actually invited!). Of course, the world has changed much in the intervening decades. I’ve actually been chased off of someone’s property while trying to visit them unannounced (not Salem). More times than not though, there have been those awkward conversations where I’ll call ahead and it’s obvious that now or soon is not really a good time for a visit, yet the person I am speaking with has wanted a visit. They feel caught. You can simply tell when that tension is there—it’s not good. Of course, just as bad is not visiting either.

I’ve been thinking a lot about visitations and how to increase them, both in the number of people I go to see and how often I go to see them. I was considering this when I was reminded of a teacher’s advice, “Clear boundaries and expectations are not rude, they are kind.” So with that in mind, I offer the following to help communicate with the congregation so we can improve the visitation ministry at Marion Salem Church:

1. I am busy— I am NOT too busy to visit. Like anyone, I have things that have a certain priority or steal my attention. However, if you want me to visit, I will make that a priority. I have plenty of time to work 1 or 2 visits with separate households in a week if needed.

2. Please call the church office or my cellphone. I may not be able to drop everything and come right away, however I also cannot read minds. If your need is a desire for the pastor to come see you, let me know. We’ll get it worked out within a week and likely sooner.

3. I find it rude to invite myself over to visit someone, even when that visit is the right thing to do. As I said above, there are times that I call and I know the visit is wanted, but even the timing of my call is bad to schedule it. It is far easier for you to invite me than for me to invite myself. Put me on the spot, instead of me putting you on the spot. Our culture’s expectations have changed radically in the past several decades. One of those changes has been when it is beneficial for the pastor to make a visit and when it is not.

4. Emily enjoys coming along for visits, yet her schedule is more limited than mine. When you communicate with me that you’d like Emily (or even the kids) to come along, we will make it happen – it just might require more calendar work.

During 2026, my hope is to make it around to many members’ homes, if only to join with your family in a short time of prayer consecrating your home and household to the Lord. I will leave with each family a small keepsake of the service as a reminder of your covenant with the Lord and His with you.

Blessings,

Jason

Pastor’s Ponderings—December 2025

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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!

I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas. It’s not too far away now and it came to me that I need to manage my expectations for Christmas. I don’t think this is going to be the Greatest Christmas Ever. Don’t get me wrong. I think our family and our congregation are going to have a very good Advent and Christmas season—but the greatest? I mean, we live in a fallen world. Just so we’re on the same page:

The Top Ten Reasons This WON’T Be the Greatest Christmas Ever

#10: The Weather is not going to cooperate: For some it will be snowy and that will be bad, for others it will be green and that will be equally as bad.

#9: You will find stress or perhaps stress will find you. Let’s face it, there’s a reason why hustle and bustle makes us cranky.

#8: People will be people. Someone is going to say or do something (or not say or do something) and it’s going to be the source of stress, moodiness, and all sorts of unpleasantness. “Yeah, holidays!”

#7: Someone won’t be able to afford Christmas. Many families in our community and some in our congregation will experience a financial pinch that will put a damper on celebrations.

#6: Someone won’t be able to come home for Christmas. Certainly an experience that many families have experienced because of circumstances, yet there are also those who choose to be apart.

#5: Someone will be hungry for Christmas. For some families presents are the least of their concerns when it comes to Christmas. There will be a struggle to put food on the table.

#4: Someone will be sick for Christmas. We’ve had at least one Christmas where the flu’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Still, the flu is the least of concerns when it comes to health for some.

#3: We will miss someone at Christmas time. This one hits for me, those who made Christmas special and are no longer with us.

#2: It also won’t be the Second Best Christmas, because that’s the one where Jesus came to Earth as a little baby boy born in Bethlehem.

And finally, the number 1 reason why this won’t be the Greatest Christmas Ever: When Christ returns that will be a real Christmas and it will be the Greatest Christmas Ever… Well, so I guess there is a chance He could decide to come back this Christmas— so I’ll caveat with that.

For now, I’m placing my hope in a good Christmas, even very good—and looking forward to when Christ returns and makes it great!

Blessings,

Jason