Oct
5
Written by:
Leon Throness
10/5/2007
Next Sunday the membership at Westside Alliance will make a decision regarding the potential of a long term relationship with Mission Creek Alliance. The proposal is to form a multisite church - that is - one church in two locations. As we move toward the vote, it comes down to a philosophical decision.
- Autonomous or Interdependent. There are risks to both directions. With renewed autonomy comes the risk of not being able to address the future adequately. With interdependence comes the risk of how to relate well as two sites.
- Solo pastor or Team concept. With a solo pastor comes a dedicated person who gives full time concentration on the Westside, but with the challenge of no other staff. With the team concept comes a wide range of expertise in leading ministries and support work, but not with full time concentration.
- Sell land or Retain land. Provided the District executive committee approves, some of the Westside land could be sold to support ministries. This carries the risk of mortgaging the future with no guarantee of short term success. If the land is retained, the financial struggles will have to be addressed in other ways.
- Familiar or Unfamiliar. The Westside church has been autonomous for 25 years - it is a familiar ‘modus operandi’. On the other hand, multisite is a relatively new phenomenon popping up all over North America - the tracks to run on are still in process.
You can see that Westside membership needs wisdom in voting next Sunday, and Mission Creek membership as the question will be posed on November 11. Let’s all pray for unity and guidance as we try to reach our city in the most effective way!
Pastor Throness
Tags:
1 comments so far...
Re: Multisite Thoughts
This is an opportunity to not just survive as a fellowship, but to make a real difference to our community, to be hot and filled with purpose. I am grateful to the MCA staff for their help, glad of the MCA elders for accepting the WAC elders into their meetings as brothers, and appreciative of the fellowship of the larger congregation at MCA. WAC folks are involved and care about the work of the church. Through a tough year, they have stuck with things and continued to contribute. I appreciate them so much. I'm looking forward to what our two campuses can do as a single entity, which is in actual fact what we are, as part of the worldwide Body of Christ. My prayer is for unity in the Spirit as we go into the vote. I believe it is God's will for us. "In Him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Ephesians 4:16
By Ken Cooper, the elder elder at WAC on
4/7/2008
|