Legacy Surveys Continue……..

This afternoon I had a chance to sit and have a chat with Ohio Disciples of Christ Regional Pastor, Dr. Bill Edwards. I was sharing with him about some of the awesome things God has been doing in and through the lives of the people of Legacy. Bill is always so encouraging to be around. One of the things he mentioned was the value of Legacy’s leadership taking the time to go through the process of revisioning as a church and the wisdom of taking the time to gather information and insights through the surveys we’re currently conducting.

I’ve been looking at the results of week 3. The questions centered in 3 areas: personal faith, perceptions of the congregation, and church leadership.

Personal Faith

2 questions centered on a person’s on faith journey. Both bring about some great understanding.

# 1 – “My faith often impacts the way I look at life.”

7.1% said they would strongly disagree with that statement, which means overall their spiritual life has very little bearing on their  choices. I find this both encouraging and challenging. I think you can understand the challenging, even disheartening, aspect of those that answered in this way. You may be wondering about the encouraging. I’m encouraged to know we have people who attend Legacy who haven’t yet figured out how to get their faith to bring greater impact in their lives. Those folks may still be seekers.
It’s good to have them hanging around. It’s common in the church for people to belong to Legacy before crossing the faith line and believing. The other encouraging part to me is that 7.1% of the respondents felt comfortable enough to give an honest answer, though it may not be the one they thought we were hoping for.

Here’s a breakdown of each of the categories:

#2 – “Although my faith is important, I feel there are more pressing needs in my life right now.”

Here are those results:

Over 20% tended to agree, agreed, or strongly agreed. Ever felt like that? If you haven’t you haven’t yet lived! Life sometimes can be so overwhelming. The Church must continue to speak to this continued challenge. Our faith is what is to be the anchor in our lives. How can I, as a Pastor, continue to help people see the value that a faith in Jesus is the answer to so many of the pressing issues in their lives? How can we as a church assist those overwhelmed by life right now? Great questions to be asking ourselves.

Perceptions of the Congregation

#1 – “Legacy welcomes and is enriched by persons from many different walks of life.”

I was glad to see the overwhelming majority (93%), recognize one of the greatest aspects of Legacy. Do we have our flaws? You better believe it baby. But one of our strengths is the variety of people that call Legacy home. Some Sundays when I look across the congregation and know some of the stories of those in the room and I see them worshipping together, a sense of awe comes over me. People from varied religious backgrounds, various life statuses, all lifting their hands and worshipping the Creator. My prayer is that we never lose this attitude and that the Holy Spirit ignites within us an even greater passion to reach out to ever “flavor” of humanity and see beyond the exteriors and see our common humanity and our deep need for a Savior.

# 2 – “Our church welcomes change when we recognize the need to do so in order to fulfill our mission.”

3 key things……….welcomes……………..recognitions………………….mission…………..

Mission – We’re on a mission to see as many lives changed by the power of God’s grace. How many people can we bring to heaven with us? How many lives can we impact while here on the earth? How many families can we help? How many kids can we influence for God’s kingdom? How many discouraged people can we build up? What ways can we bring a smile to God’s face? That’s our mission…….to love God…..to love others……….to serve the world.

Recognition – Change is inevitable, but it sure is hard to recognize sometimes. Ever had the “two-by-four” recognition approach done on you? God seems to be taking a board and hitting you upside the head? That’s not the Holy Spirit’s preferred method. It’s important for both the leadership and the congregation to constantly be asking God how we can change and be more conformed into the image of Christ.

Welcome – LOL! Welcome change? Really? When do I welcome change? I welcome change when I see the potential for something greater. I remember Dr. Richard Dobbins say, “Until the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change, we often don’t change.” I want to have the attitude that says, “God change me! Make me more like Jesus!”

Here’s how things broke down on this question:

Church Leadership

Here’s the single statement we asked people to respond to: “Currently, I recognize Legacy’s leadership is increasing their efforts to better understand the congregation and lead us into God’s desired direction.”

Why ask a question like that? This is the sort of question that could be a real bummer if people said they don’t recognize an increased effort. It could also be used as a sense of self indulgence if people responded overly positive. I was pleased to get a strong response that people do indeed see the church’s leadership as working on understanding the congregation and leading Legacy
forward. Thanks for the trust you are giving both me and the leadership team at Legacy. Our goal is to indeed lead our church into God’s desired future.

I see great things in Legacy’s future. I’m excited to see what God has in store for us.

Thanks for taking a few minutes to read my thoughts. If you have some questions/comments feel free to post them here or email me.

P.S. A part of Legacy? Not done this week’s survey? Go to this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5DKLXGR

Advertisement