Northside Interim Ministry

HURRY!!  WHAT’S TAKING SO LONG?!?  

I’M LOSING MY PATIENCE!!! 

 IT CAN’T BE THIS HARD!!

Have you said (or thought) those words recently? Have you been wondering why we’re without a pulpit minister for several months, yet there’s not been a single interview accomplished? Are you thinking that the elders are not doing enough about getting a new preacher hired? Does it feel to you like Northside is just slipping away?

Know this: these fears and anxieties are quite normal for a church experiencing the things Northside has gone through. We are all under stress, and all of us are experiencing the relational and emotional fall-out of a crisis. We are a family that is wounded, and we need to be careful about how we respond to each other during this difficult time.

Inserted into last week’s bulletin was a comprehensive list of things that have been happening for the past months. It was well written by Tim Woodroof and Dustin Darnall and documented the entire process we’re going through. Did you read it? I hope you didn’t just toss it. It was an essential document that was given to ensure that every member would know what is being done to hire our next preaching minister. It’s not possible to read that and still think nothing is being done!! And your role is important...you are being asked to be patient, to trust that things are being done in a God-honoring and effective manner, and to pray for everyone who is involved in this process.

You may not see anything being done in the hiring process, but you can believe that a LOT is being done all through the week…every week. EVERY WEEK groups are meeting to prepare Northside for our future. EVERY WEEK twelve people, who are not elders or staff, meet for hours planning the process that will eventually lead us to our next preaching minister. EVERY WEEK staff members attend planning meetings to help us ensure that we are all doing what needs to be done for Northside’s future. EVERY WEEK a small group of people is meeting to discuss our mission/vision for the future. And EVERY WEEK the elders are meeting to stay abreast of all the things mentioned above. You can’t possibly see all that from the viewpoint of a Sunday morning worship service. But you can believe it.

It’s like a journey toward a beautiful place. We had to begin in a deep and dark ravine, and we see in front of us a giant mountain with treacherous path that will test our mettle. We are on that pathway to a glorious future! We can, of course, step off that path at any time. It’s easier that way! But to do so means we will not get to see the place that God is preparing for us. We, the Northside family, are heading over that mountain top to enter into a place like we’ve never been before. That, my friends, is not hyperbole! It’s a reality!! Patience, my friends. God bless us all with the patience we will need to complete the task ahead of us.

Stan