Fall Changes!

Greetings Rinn Nation!

We passed a milestone in my house this week. About this time of year, my wife gets a distinct glint in her eye. After studying her condition for years now, I know the symptoms start when tree leaves change color. Cooler temperatures contribute as well, along with the approach of Halloween. It all builds into a profound mania, and as I poured myself a bowl of cereal the other day, I saw the first signs that this year’s madness has arrived. It’s unmistakable. On the shelf next to my Honey Bunches of Oats, there was a big box of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios.  It might has well been the proverbial scout before a large army. It’s first of many, many, many Pumpkin Spice products to make their way to my house. In other words, the invasion is here, people! BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!

October is also a time when new ideas arrive in churches. It a natural progression. People are increasingly looking towards December, and planning better ways to approach the coming New Year. We are currently doing this here at Rinn. Normally, we’d be spending October looking to fill the holes in our five required administrative committees (Church Council, Finance, Trustees, Staff/Parish Relations and Nominations). But not this time. This year, we are potentially looking to replace our entire leadership structure with a “Single Board Governance” that streamlines our five committees into one central governing Church Council.

The system has numerous benefits for congregations that utilize it. Instead of waiting weeks for different committees to communicate at their separate meetings, the Single Board Model puts all leaders around the table at the same time. Decisions are made much faster as a result, or delegated to ministry teams already engaged in the work. Another benefit is it requiring less people to maintain. As of now, Rinn has 20-30 people serving on our required committees. That doesn’t sound like a lot, I know. But we’ve found it is extremely hard number to maintain. People can’t make the long commitment a committee requires. So a growing number end up not finishing their terms. Conversely, if they complete their service and rotate off, they prove hard to replace. As a result, many of our key leaders have stayed on for multiple terms, risking burn out to continue guiding our church. Single boards top out at 15 people. Meaning we don’t need as many people active in administration. Plus, our best leaders will be gathered in this one group, permitting us to have our top minds establish policies to train future leaders.   It should help our ministry too. With 15-20 people previously in administration now freed up, they can begin serving outside in our greater community.

Our Church Council has been looking at this model since April, and at our September meeting, we came to consensus that we would like to experiment with it in 2017. But we won’t do so without your blessing, which is why we are planning to have an All Church Meeting after our 5^th Sunday Potluck on October 30^th. At this meeting, our Church Coach,Rev. Beth Estock, will give a presentation on what a Single Board Governance could mean for us. I will be working closely with her in preparation for this conversation. And resourcing us both will be Rev. Steven Ross, who pioneered this style of administration in Methodist Churches throughout Oregon.

At this meeting, you will hear everything you’d ever want to know about Single Board Governance and be able to ask questions before we take a congregational vote to determine our path forward. As you may have guessed, my hope is that we will chose the Single Board. Why? Well, in addition to the benefits listed about, Beth Estock will tell you that this model is shown to be tremendously effective in churches with 120-150 active members (sound familiar?). Plus, it is very flexible, allowing us to determine a board composition that fits our needs and identity. It is also a great format to engage discussions concerning God’s mission and vision for us, which I want us to resume doing in 2017.

If you don’t feel we should go to this new model, know it is totally okay. The traditional way is perfectly fine if a church can count on its congregation to fill the leadership void. As you’ve heard, we have not had this lately at Rinn. So if we do choose to remain in the traditional Methodist system, I am going to need your help. We will need many people to step up and fill the gaps in our committees. But really, is this where our attention should be? I don’t think so. The community outside our doors is the goal, and as I’ve long been saying, WE NEED TO BE OUT THERE. I would much rather put a new Kids Hope Mentor into our program, or a new volunteer out to the Carbon Valley Help Center than have that person volunteer for a committee because no one else would do it. There are other alternatives, friends, can we explore them?

Nation, I could go on and on about this, but that’s not the point of this note. The idea here is to let you know what our leaders hope to do and why. And as passionate as I am about this potential switch, remember, no decision has yet been made. So we wait until October 30^th. But if you’d like more information in the meantime, I’d be happy to oblige. Come talk with me. Roust me out of my office! I’ll buy you a cup of coffee over share all the resources I’ve amassed. I am an open book. Please take me up on it! Until then, enjoy all the Pumpkin Spice products abounding everywhere. I will too, as long as they don’t chase me out of house and home!

Blessings, my friends. Enjoy this beautiful time that is fall and get excited for what God is doing among us. Much love to you all.

In Christ,
Pastor Bryson

Coming Back Strong

I am a proud pastor right now. I have to admit, I’ve been nervous about how our congregation would return from Summer Break. It’s a problem unique to Colorado churches. We have countless awesome things to do in this state. So people tend to disappear for weeks at a time during the summer months.  With so many of us coming back and adapting to reality, it can be an arduous process getting back up to speed. Personally, I feel it’s a lot like jumpstarting a dead car. I need to literally get an infusion of energy and enthusiasm to do what I have to do! Thankfully, Rinn is showing signs of coming back strong. Without the benefit of jumper cables, no less. Two of our fall programs are proving to be very popular. Our Prelude Prayer Service, which starts September 11 at 8:30a (during which we will commemorate the anniversary of the Twin Towers attack in NYC), has garnered a lot of interest. People are excited to explore the spiritual practice and have more time to support the people who are on our prayer list every week. We had 5 people for our initial offering, with several being out of town. Next, our fall book study on The Year of Living Bibilcally filled up fast. We have 9 people involved and our first session was full of hooting laughter as we recapped the first chapters of the book.  Both these efforts run until 10/16, so there is still plenty of time to get involved!

              Beyond strong participation numbers, however, I am more proud of the physical statements we’ve been making. Back in August, I led a sermon series looking at ways to bridge the many cultural divides we face. One of the biggest divisions involves politics. So at the end of one of my messages I challenged our congregation to write our congressmen, not to agitate or advocate for a political issue, but to simply let them know we were praying for them. I took the liberty of providing a pre-written note, complete with stamps and an envelope. And to my surprise, the initial 30 copies I made for both Sen. Cory Gardner and Sen. Michael Bennet disappeared immediately! It was so well received that people were asking for more. So the next week I made an additional 15 copies, which also got snatched up and send. All told, approximately 45 letters went out. Each one stating that we were tired of seeing things divide us, and praying for our leaders to come together. It’s a pretty strong message to send in our fractious times, is it not?

              My prayer is that these two elements, our participations and spiritual growth, become strong building blocks for us as we go into the fall. There is a lot for Rinn Church to do before 2017. We are looking at large changes in our administrative structure so we can pursue the exciting mission and vision we witnessed through the WCI process. It takes a lot to shift to being an intergenerational church that welcomes young family, so your prayers and support are most welcome! As to what these changes are, our leadership will be introducing them around the beginning of October. I will try to get info out before our next newsletter to keep you in the loop. But rest assured, they will be out in some shape and form. For those of you who follow Rinn online, you will definitely find out before we get anything out via snail mail. So please feel free to follow our facebook page, twitter feed or signup for our weekly email info blasts by going to our website and clicking on the “Contact Us” link.

              So yes, there is much going on that I am proud of. But I am not the one we need to be impressing Now, let’s keep doing the things that make God proud. Because Divine approval is far more important! Blessings to you and yours as the fall season descends. As the weather gets cold, may the presence of family, friends and our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and keep you warm!

             

Take care, folks!

Pastor Bryson

Back to School!

              Sarah and I went shopping at Target a couple weeks ago. Just inside the door was one of those giant racks that come out this time of year. It was full of sheets of paper, school supply lists for the various grades and schools in our area. The sight dampened Sarah’s mood somewhat. She’s an elementary school music teacher in Greeley. So I am sure she was seeing past the paper to how her vacation running is quickly running out! I, however, had a different series of thoughts pop into my brain. Being your pastor, I thought about how so many people in Rinn Nation have been out on vacation this summer. Fall is coming for us as well. Therefore, I thought it would be helpful to post a School Supply of sorts for our church to help people prepare as they return from break. It’s going to be another busy year around Rinn, so we are going to need to be ready! Here’s what you can bring to help us:

·       Energy- You’ve had a few months to rest. So I hope you come back energized and excited for our mission and ministry. We are again going to be working with our developing vision to be an intergenerational church that supports the families in our community. It’s something that is full of possibilities. So get excited about what God is doing! Tell others that Rinn is a church on the move!

·       Commitment- We are going to be unveiling some new discipleship options in the fall (stay tuned to our emails for details!). Some are going to be unlike anything Rinn has offered before. There is talk about having new studies for adults, small groups for parents and other exciting things. Then there are our returning classic ministries like Kids Hope, Brews and Views, Habitat for Humanity and our partnerships with the Carbon Valley Help Center. We need these ministries to be live and vital! Our Sunday morning worship also needs to be the basis for all we do. So what can you commit to helping us with? Can you be in church one more Sunday a month? Can you contribute to or lead one of these efforts? If so, we will rocket out of the gate in the fall.

·       Flexibility- We are again going to be experimenting with our church’s dynamics and trying new things come September! As you know from last year some efforts will succeed, but others will come up short. So we ask for your patience as we work. Bringing God’s vision into reality takes time and determination, so thank you in advance for your help!

·       Feedback- With so much going on, it is critical to hear your thoughts one what is occurring. Good or bad, your leadership would love to know what you are feeling about the life of the church. I especially value your opinions, but unfortunately, I don’t hear many of them firsthand. There still seems to be some misconceptions out there that I am too busy and don’t have time to hear you out! This is totally not the case. I love your in input and I buy a mean cup of coffee for discussions. Our leaders need your thoughts too, as they point out things we may not see. So please, share away!

·       Your Prayers- this is by far the most important element you can give. Our Whole Church Initiative coach, Rev. Beth Estock put it this way, “Bryson, your church needs to tap into a deep well of spiritual strength. So up your prayer life!” I am summarily issuing that challenge to you. Reach out to the Divine and ask God to guide Rinn. Pray that we could see the way and find strength for the journey.

If we can bring these things to the fall, it will be a great year! I look forward to being with you through it. Blessings to you and yours as summer comes to a close.

Blessings,

Pastor Bryson

Unexpected Voices

It's been a while since I dusted off the old blog . Unfortunately, my voice is one of millions out there. So not a lot of people drop by here, or at least I don't thing they do. But, I learned recently I need to maintain some sort of a presence online in case a situation like what I detail in my newsletter article below occurs again.   So look for me to update every month or two, and let me know if you are listening! I'm always one to talk, and would be happy to use this medium. Until then, be well friends.        ---Bryson 

June 2016

        I occasionally get random emails from people I don’t know in the slightest. Most are disconcerting. They want to alert me to the great Islamic threat, share prophecy about God’s impending judgment for our moral woes, or invite me to come hear some visiting pastor talk on the end of the world. 99% have this sort of focus and quickly find their way to my online trash can as a result. But then I get an out-of-left-field note that makes me stop and be thankful. Last week brought one such message, and I thought I would share it with you all since it made my day. Keep in mind, this person has absolutely no connection to Rinn. He encountered our website one day and wanted to tell me about it. This is what he wrote (I summarized some of it for brevity’s sake):

“So I stumbled across your site through a very strange way, but that is a story for another day. I’m not religious, I believe there is something, but not necessarily what religion has had to offer me. However, this is not about me, but I wanted to pass on a few items after spending some time on your website…

The FAQ is probably one of the best I’ve read. It is like a person answering your questions and not trying to be something you are not. Nice job being so open and honest. The Cowboy fellowship page is also very welcoming. What a great message!  Your willingness to be open and post honest information about [what’s going on in your church] is amazing. Being open and upfront with your members will only make your church stronger, closer, and full of trust. Good on you for being open and honest. Finally, your support and care for the surrounding community is also much appreciated.”

            Cool stuff, huh? It goes to show, you never know who is going to encounter your church and where! This gentleman and I have since had a great online conversation. It sounds to me like he’s not from around here and doesn’t go to church due to a previous bad experience. But he’s open to God, so the Spirit could be at work in our continuing association.

            So why am I telling you this? It’s not to praise the website, which I help oversee for transparency’s sake. Nor is it to pat myself on the back for the manner in which I communicate with you all, or for how I am handling this new online friend. No, what I want to say is it wasn’t the language or the presentation that elicited this man’s reaction and interest. It was you. When I generated the content for the website, I was describing the people and ministries of Rinn and the qualities they have from an outsider’s perspective. My tone reflected what I got from you, how you want to be welcoming, encouraging and open to new people. You all have an approach that other congregations do not, and in detailing it to the outside world, it showed. It became a hook that brought someone in!

So I have to wonder, if one person got this from our website, what will it be like when we start getting ministries associated with our vision off the ground? Who would you reach if you lived a lifestyle of evangelism, like we talked about in a sermon not-so-long ago? You never know who is watching and what little thing might reach them for Jesus Christ. So as we go into the summer months, see if you can find way to show Rinn to the world. Whether it is an organized event, like the Pig Roast, the Food-and-Flick-Friday or VBS, or just the way you go about your daily life; let Rinn, and the way we experience the Holy Spirit shine. I think you’ll be amazed at the people who respond.

Blessings to you all and stay cool!

In Christ,

Pastor Bryson