Something to Think About

In case you missed it, the Evangelism Team has solicited and received a list of possible slogans for First Christian Church. I have listed them for you below.

First Christian Church ...


... Becoming, Living, and Sharing the Good News

... Building a Better Tomorrow

... All People Are Welcomed

... Finding Balance in an UnBalanced World

... Where the Difference is . . . Relationships

... Share the Faith

... One Body with a Greater Heart

... Dedicated to the Glory of God

... Sincerity, Belief, and Faith

It was interesting to read these as they were submitted, as it proved to me that individuals were actually putting some thought into what First Christian Church is all about. But more interesting were the responses that came back after the team put them out for a vote. Via email, several individuals have shared their choices, by replying to all and some only replied to the evangelism chairs directly. I tried to get an idea from the one of the co-chairs if there were one or two that were in contention, but she would not give me a definite answer. I also wondered if anyone thought about these slogans theologically or did the words just sound nice?

I cannot answer that question, but I can share with you a teaching moment. I want to share with you why I selected the slogan I did. I am not saying you have to agree with me, just indulge me if you choose to read further.

In the Bible, Jesus tells us that the greatest command of all is, to Love God and to love our neighbors as our self. I am not sure about you, but implicitly and explicitly the greatest command from Jesus Christ is all about relationships. As a matter of fact, throughout the New Testament, we find most of the work that Jesus did was in building relationships. I could go on with more examples but I think you see where I am going. (I will be glad have a small group discussion on this topic if any are interested though) It is plain and simple if we are truly wanting to be Disciples and Followers Jesus Christ then there is only one choice. First Christian Church. Where the Difference is … Relationships.

Still not convinced. I found a study of new members who joined the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) form a few years ago, and it stated that 77.6% of them attended because of “relational influences.” Let’s bring it a little closer to home and look at what is on our website. I discovered the mission of our church and I could not believe that throughout the mission there was one word intertwined. Do you want to know what it was? You guessed it Relationship! Let me show you. Below you will find the mission of the church which I copied and pasted directly from our website. I made no changes to it, except you will notice in Red, I made some interesting discoveries.

In contrast to the purpose, whose scope is unending, the mission statement is a clear statement of this congregation's direction in this time and place. The mission describes what we are to do and what we are to be for the next part of our story -- for the coming five year period. The mission presented in the Ministry Vision Task Group's recommendation was developed during 2005, as we individually, as a committee, and as a congregation listened to God's call upon us. When this mission is accomplished, a new mission shall be revealed, as we continue to listen to God's call.The mission of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for designing our new facility and for the years following our move into it shall be:
Strengthening the congregation’s faith by sharing our individual faith stories. RELATIONSHIPS
Closer bonding between members by more rapid communication. RELATIONSHIPS
Nurture the spiritual nature of the congregation through recognition and development of spiritual gifts that are vocalized and shared. RELATIONSHIPS
Encourage the individual ministries of the congregation’s members. RELATIONSHIPS
Adult education based on biblical studies.
Re-establish Sunday School for children based on a biblical curriculum.
Ensure that our elderly members feel valued by the care and love we show them. RELATIONSHIPS
Reach out to the community by offering classes that tutor children in their educational work and adults in obtaining their GED/life skills education. RELATIONSHIPS
Provide a welcoming atmosphere for families with children and/or individuals with disabilities. RELATIONSHIPS
Accept diversity in various forms of music. RELATIONSHIPS
Develop a program of intentional evangelism throughout the community. RELATIONSHIPS

I don’t know about you, but I did not need to read this mission statement to get that at First Christian Church, the difference is … Relationships. That was evident from the first time I came to visit Oak Ridge and meet with the pulpit committee and it has been re-affirmed over and over again.

I am not sure what slogan we will end with here at the church, and I am sure which ever one is selected, it will be true to who we are, but one thing for sure is from this side of pulpit I see that the difference is … the relationships.