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 have never quite understood the immense stress that comes from stewardship programs in the Church. I suppose it might be a generational thing. I have had colleagues share the “horror” stories of stewardship programs of old. The old “Pony Express” program, where volun-tolds were given a list of church members to “call on” and record their “pledge” of financial support for the year. I can honestly say I never experienced that and I can understand the anxiety around it. It’s inappropriately confrontational.

I’ve also heard that finances are a personal matter. I can honestly tell you, that’s a recent invention in the Church. Yes, yes, I know you’re looking for the verse where Jesus talks about giving in secret. I’ll help you. It’s Matthew 6:2-4 and it has nothing to do with tithes and offerings. It’s about almsgiving which is solely directed toward the needy. Tithes are not alms. They are a response of thanksgiving of first fruits, 10% of your income. Offerings are gifts in addition to tithes. Both of these were very public acts in Scripture—when you brought a lamb, a bushel of grain, or if you were poor and it was just two pigeons; everyone knew it.

Early Methodists prior to the establishment of a church, paid class member dues; everyone’s was the same. The class leader received it and passed it on to the larger society (if a class member couldn’t pay; the leader was expected to pay for them). Later in the settler days after the establishment of the Methodist Church, there was a ledger where attendance and offerings were recorded by each individual (you signed yourself in and what you gave). Everybody saw that. Pews used to be “rented” by families (such practices were the cause of the formation of the Free Methodist denomination in 1860). I believe the most expensive were in the back (the front pew, “the sinner’s bench,” was always free).

Jesus spent a great deal of time talking about money, about a quarter of the parables (some are directly about money, others use money to talk about the Kingdom). So why all the controversy? I think in our society money plays a big role and we filter everything through how much it costs. So when anyone starts to talk about money, it pushes buttons because putting categories on dollars takes away our control. Yet as disciples, we ought to surrender control to Jesus. So that’s why it’s important to learn about stewardship in the Church. So as we look at that subject of money, please know I’m not trying to push your buttons. I’m hoping to grow with you as a disciple around the subject of our personal finances. A little or a lot, if Jesus talked about it, we should too.

Blessings

Jason

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

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

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

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