Note: As you may know, I have had the privilege of serving as the preaching pastor at New Life since the church began in March 2009. This summer, I’ll be taking a sabbatical – a time of extended rest that is designed to replenish me spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Because I am filled with gratitude for New Life, I thought I’d share a series of reflections on why I love our church. This post is the first in a series of five. I hope you enjoy them!

Teaching membership classes is one of my favorite things to do as a pastor at New Life. I have taught them three times a year, every year, since our church began. And every time I teach them, I get to look back through Thabiti Anyabwile’s excellent book, What is a Healthy Church Member?, which we ask every prospective member to read. Consider this quote:

How the congregation receives or rejects its leaders has a direct effect on the possibilities of faithful ministry and church health. Does a congregation appreciate and accept sound preaching? Will its members trust and follow a leader in difficult or unclear situations? Do they rally behind or tear apart the leadership when plans and ideas fail? (Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member?, 95)

I could not be more encouraged by the members of New Life in all of these ways. When our pastors preach or teach, our members are obviously eager to hear from God’s Word and apply it to their lives. We often receive direct encouragement from our members in person, by email, or through a text message.

When the path forward wasn’t clear, our members have trusted us as we consider options and decide on a plan. They have been fully supportive when we have said, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (cf. Acts 15:28a). I’ll never forget how they responded when we asked them to pray and to give so we could move into our own facility, or when we’ve outlined the need for a new program or staff member.

And when our plans and ideas have failed, they rallied behind us. During our first year, I thought it would be a good idea to promote our new church by staffing a water station at a local marathon. Dozens of our church members (many with kids in tow) showed up before the sun rose on a Sunday morning dressed from head to toe in 80s outfits. We were out there for hours while our worship team played live 80s music – and I don’t know if a single person visited our church after all that effort. But not one person criticized my terrible idea. They just showed up, served, and loved each other and members of our community well.

When I think about our members, I say along with the Apostle Paul:

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5)

I love so much about our church. But I am most grateful for our faithful members, who make New Life a joy to serve as a pastor.

Written by New Life Preaching Pastor, Allen Duty