You might think that the development process is the heart of our story – where the rubber hits the road. If you’ve read from the start, this section mirrors those chapters.
If you’re looking for a short-cut, a development process timeline, you can find that here. Fair warning, those facts don’t tell the full story. They provide a skeleton, but not the flesh. Without the fullness of the body, you’ll miss the heart.
Paying attention to the Spirit, listening for the ways you can be a blessing to your community, experiencing your heart break as you connect – these matter most. Storytelling is at the heart of ministry. The parables of Jesus are a prime example of that. The rest of the Bible is another. We thrive on stories, yet often yearn for facts and clarity.
The stories in this section focus on three things: systems, symbols, and Spirit. There were a multitude of partners who journeyed with us through this process. We’ve tried to tell things from as many perspectives as possible without losing the heart of our story and storytelling. These stories highlight places where the Spirit moved and moved us into what comes next.
chapter 4:
development
Life Together: Ecosystems, Symbols, and Spirit
You may have a vision for what is coming next. A clear “why” opens you to the possibility of new ministry and mission. Opportunities for ministry feel as though they are unfolding around you. Maybe you’ve done the relational work in your congregation and community to...
Ecosystems: Presbytery
Churches don’t live in a vacuum; we live in communities. Our buildings merely locate us in spaces and places. Wherever we go, though, and whatever we do, we are always part of a larger system. These systems have a life of their own. They have identities and goals....
Ecosystems: Community
The road was quite bumpy at the beginning of the development process. New things are hard; they compete with ideas about stability. Navigating the presbytery was difficult enough. However, there were other systems we had to navigate as well. Several months after we...
Ecosystems: Developers
The churches that get these projects right are the ones who see this as their mission. At least, that’s what our developers told us. Development of any kind is an endurance race. There may be little sprints from goal to goal, but it’s more of a marathon. Without good...
Symbols: An Old Rugged Cross
When we were making plans to leave the old building and grounds we didn’t take much with us. A few things here and there, but most of what we had was donated before we left. The one thing we did think to rescue was the copper cross that sat at the apex of our steeple....
Symbols: New Place, Liminal Space
Worship in our old sanctuary ended in June of 2016. We walked out of the space and into a rented chapel a few blocks away. The new space was like the old one. Only we weren’t. We were a transforming people, a new community inhabiting a traditional setting. The rented...
Spirit: A Small Plot of Land
For many congregations, we can imagine leaving their building, losing their pastor, and wandering in a familiar, yet strange space would be daunting. In some ways it was for us. At the same time, we’d built a strong core of lay leadership. By this time, we knew how to...
Spirit: A New Front Porch
After the groundbreaking, we continued our discernment. We worshiped in the rented chapel. Some of us would visit the garden. The affordable housing complex began to grow beside it. A new ecosystem arose, the neighborhood, Gilliam Place, the garden, and APC moving and...
