Keep Talking

“Just keep talking”

Sounds like something you would hear in a verbal squabble, doesn’t it? You can almost picture it actually. There is a person on one side making all sorts of empty threats and gestures while the other goads them on, telling them to “Keep Talking” because nothing is likely to happen. I don’t think there are many other social situations you might here this phrase uttered it. Most times, we want the opposite to occur. Someone has been yammering on long enough, so we ask them to be quiet and leave us alone for a while. Yes, urging people to talk is not exactly a popular thing to do in our world, which is why it might sound odd for me to ask you all to “just keep talking” in the months ahead.

Why am I asking this? Well, first of all it's ironic to ask this here being that I only blog about once a month of so. But beyond that, talking is a vital part of our Conversation Initiative that our church is doing this summer in order to prepare ourselves for further visioning in the fall. I have been talking it up for a while now, so I hope that all of you are familiar with it. But for those of you who may be newer to our group (and there are a few!), we have been using a technique called “One-on-One Relational Conversations” to get to know the people around us. It is actually a format that used by Franciscan Monks and Community Organizers in the inner city to promote change. It functions by helping people get to know one another so they build relationships, uncover passions, develop clarity and gather info about what is going on in the community. Essentially, relational conversations are a deeper form of networking; of establishing connections to help utilize the gifts people bring to our community.

So why are we doing this? Our Church Coach, Beth Estock, has asked have these talked to figure out what talents and drives are present here in our church before branching out into the community. They will allow us to discern who we are and what we can do to reach out to Wellington! But they have another outcome that I did not realize until I actually tried one, and that is to ignite hope in our church. As many of you know, we face steep challenges to grow as a congregation. We live in an age of church decline and shrinking cultural relevance, so it has been difficult for us to move forward. This is no more apparent to me than when I look at the facts and figures around our church. They tell me we are stable and solid, but that is not good enough for a new church like us! It is so disheartening to see all that has to be done for us to move. . . until I have a relational conversation with someone in our church. I have had about 4-5 now and each time I come out brimming with hope. The stories I hear are amazing. I learn about what drives our people, how they have dreams for their lives, our church and what they see us doing. I love it because God reaches out in every word we speak and by the end of our chat we know one thing for sure, this church is going to work, and when it does it will be absolutely amazing. These conversations have kept me afloat, my friends. In this difficult world of ministry, your hope is my hope, so “just keep talking” please!

For those of you who haven’t joined in on this, there is always time. I have links to the conversation guidelines in our update emails and there are a few copies on the info table out in the narthex. They are fairly rigid in scope (which is good for socially awkward people like me!) so please adapt them as you see fit.

In closing, I leave you with the words of Proverbs 18:20: Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction. So if you are feeling anxious, if you are unsure about this church and where it is going, have a relational talk with me or someone else. Together, we can gorge on the content of deep relationship and gain a great satisfaction of what God is doing among us.

So again my friends, “Just Keep Talking” because God is in the words.

Always proud to be your Pastor,

Bryson