By reading its almost fifty years of history through the minutes of the Session, I am attempting to listen for the whispers of God’s voice through its life together. What are the themes of its ministry which when viewed through the prism of Scripture suggests how it has been addressed by Christ?
Two cautions need to be noted. First, this is one person’s attempt to listen for the Word of God in the life of this congregation. The best exegesis would be a communal affair. Second, I am relying primarily upon the minutes of the congregation which, as most are aware, only reveals a small sample of the rich life of any congregation.
The church in the life of its people acts like a parable that Jesus is speaking to the world. Our task is to listen to the parable and try to discern what God is saying. My assumption is that this is the Body of Christ, in all its fleshed out form, and that, therefore, both in obedience and disobedience, the Word of God has emerged over the years.
Different aspects of that Word would be revealed in other churches. In some it might be more clouded than in others but it would not be absent. In this effort, I am going to look at four different areas of church life: Worship, Education, Mission and Finance.
