I’d like to take this opportunity to give an update on the activity of the Ridder Church Renewal (RCR) Team over the past eight months. For those who aren’t familiar with the RCR team, we have been commissioned by the Consistory to engage in a process designed by Western Seminary to help our congregation move towards God’s preferred future of faithful and missional living demonstrated personally and corporately.
In the initial module of our Ridder process, our team was introduced to two core values and three skill sets that are significant in helping us discover and live into God’s preferred and emerging future. The two core values are authenticity and integrity and the three skill sets are developing a metal model of discipleship comprised of radical obedience, reflective living, and communities of grace and truth, learning how family systems impacts our ministry, and generating and sustaining creative tension.
Part of the homework of engaging the skill set of generating and creating creative tension was to identify our current reality specifically in regards to our understanding of engaging Christ’s kingdom mission. And if you remember, in August of 2017, we presented our narrative of what we believe is our current reality of missional engagement. Included in that document was information about the process, affirmations of how we are living on mission, as well as several “technical” and “adaptive” challenges.
Since last September the RCR team has been focusing on two areas. First, each team member has been intentional about living on mission, and in particular, seeking to engage those who have wandered far from God. At each of our meetings we reflect on how we are growing in faithful and fruitful missional living as well as the obstacles.
Secondly, we have been intentionally seeking the heart of God in regards to how he may be calling ARC to bring the kingdom of God to a specific issue in the community. Although not reported in the current reality document, after interviewing representatives from several subsystems, we discovered that some people are unable to find rides to doctor’s appointments. We discovered an increase of mental illness and a lack of respect among community members. We discovered a need for mentoring in the school system as well as lack of affordable housing. When meeting with a local banker we discover the growing level of personal debt and a visit with the Rock County Daycare Supervisor revealed a need for more daycare.
In our research we discovered many possible areas where ARC could invest intentional time and resources to bless our community, and yet we didn’t want to just rush into anything without seeking the heart of God, and so we worked through Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Pursuing God’s Will Together.
During this season of discernment, the daycare issue has come up a number of times and in a variety of unique ways indicating the Spirit might be speaking to us, and so on May 1 we met with Holly Sammons and Emily Crabtree to learn more about this issue. (See May 16 issue of the Star Herald about daycare).
We wonder…could God be calling ARC to partner with the city of Luverne and/or with other entities to address this need? Or could God’s preferred future for ARC include starting our own ministry of daycare and preschool? Maybe ARC’s niche’ in the daycare issue is providing affordable daycare and preschool for single parent families in our community. (Some single parents can’t work because of the daycare costs). And what do you think? When reading about this possible mission, is there anything that begins to stir in your heart? If so, I would invite you to join our next RCR meeting on Tuesday night, June 5 at 7:00 in the Commons.
I have heard of several things ARC has become known for, some good, some not so good. My prayer is that, whether personally or corporately, we truly are growing for God’s glory as we bless our community in the name of Jesus! Mike Altena