Moving Forward
There’s definitely a buzz in the church office these days, with the staff sharing the excitement of the rest of the congregation about the arrival of a new senior pastor. Adding to this excitement is the fact that by God’s grace Southwood has weathered a lengthy transition period and even moved forward in many areas for the sake of the kingdom.
There have certainly been waves and storms, but there’s no doubt Jean is jumping aboard a moving ship! So how can we together capitalize on God’s blessing to us thus far and the excitement of a new season? Here are a few thoughts:
Pray for Jean and his family
In the span of a few short weeks, the Larrouxs will meet a new city, a new church, a new home, new schools, and new friends. Pray that God would make the transition smooth and joyful for the whole family.
Welcome new visitors
When a new pastor comes to a church, you can count on a number of people from the community coming right behind him to check things out. What a great opportunity for the kingdom! We all need to be especially aware of new faces in our midst and especially prepared to welcome and engage newcomers. Wear your nametag to help them out and introduce yourself to anyone without a nametag on!
Let Jesus be Jesus and Jean be Jean
One of the great blessings of Ken Leggett’s leadership in the past 18 months has been his faithfulness to remind us that Jesus is King and Head of the Church. We all assent to this intellectually, but it can be hard to remember when a new senior pastor arrives. Jean has both a gift for communicating God’s Word and a dynamic personality, which combined will make it very easy to put him on a pedestal. We must continue to exalt Jesus and allow Jean to point us to Him.
Join a small group
In light of the previous paragraph, remember that Jean is not the solution to all your spiritual problems. We all need the community of the body of Christ, and one of the best things we can do to help a new senior pastor is to continue following hard after Jesus with each other. Resist the temptation to quit fighting and wait for Jean to do it for you! If you are not in a small group already, I can’t think of a better time to join one. Sign up August 15 and look forward to getting to know your group this fall!