What's going on with Missions - we are in the dark!

Last week, I was talking with a few folks who have been involved with Mariners' Missions - far longer than I have - and they had many good questions for me. They were basically wondering what direction we were heading with Missions, and why I/we had been so seemingly quiet since the beginning of the year (since I relieved Brother Bill in late January).

I took in their comments, and I realized that I was somewhat deficient in sharing info, since communications is one of my three early priorities and a long-term commitment.

Over the past two months and counting, I have been really digging into the Missions program, as a whole. I am trying to ignore my desire to focus on one element at a time, separately, reacting from issue to issue based solely off or urgency or timing. In doing this, I have learned much (and am still learning) about the breadth and depth of our current and past support for a variety of missional groups. I have seen many challenges and am working with a group of people to address them. I am also having weekly discussions with church leadership on the current and future direction of Mariners' Missions. In addition, we have built the beginning a small core team to provide wise counsel to help me make good and solid decisions as we move forward. This "independent" research (all around) is important in formulating a comprehensive strategy, whether it changes or remains the same as it has been.

My goal is to be transparent and to share info with all of Mariners. I definitely do not want to concentrate Missions with only me (for sure!) and especially not only with me and a few members of a Board or similar small group. The congregation and visitors should be aware of who we support and our plans for the future, and should have some involvement in this. I desire a higher level of involvement...across the board...from everyone at Mariners'...in some way.

Please be patient as I bring this information forward and as the plans come to fruition. We are shifting a bit in our overall focus as a church, and I do want Missions to reflect that. My goal is to make Missions a central and integrated part of Mariners', especially with a strong linkage the Small (or "Growth") Groups. I believe that this will be the best way that we can increase involvement and really make Missions a key part of Mariners'.

I sincerely wish to build upon the passion and experience of the many individuals who have served in a variety of capacities in Missions over the years. I desire to build on this and extend it throughout the congregation. I believe that building and coordinating a very strong team should be our focus. I do desire assistance, especially in specific areas (task-oriented), such as communications with various missions (missionaries and others) and in organizing and leading local missional groups such as the new Disaster Operations Team (a great idea!), Jubilee Singers, and our support of the Boys and Girls Club. Many of these things are happening now, but we can use more volunteers to get involved - hands-on.

As I was discussing much of this with the folks asking me the questions, I really thought about their point of view alot and, after talking with Shel, decided that it would be best to do a "Frequently Asked Questions" page on the Missions page on our website.

Expect something within the next few days on it.

More to come...