"We have gathered together to worship God and study His Word so that He might be glorified, we might be equipped, and the Church might be strengthened. We now leave to boldly take the Gospel of Jesus into our city remembering that He has told us, "I am with you always, even until the end of the age." The above has been quoted at the end of every CLC service during the past 5 years as our closing benediction. It has become an anchor of sorts for us as it is a constant reminder of what we have been called to as a local church body. We are to worship God, equip the Saints, and share the Gospel. All the while knowing that Jesus is with us. This benediction communicates the heart and vision of Community Life Church to teach and equip believers to live each day on mission - to actually Be The Church. This heartbeat has led us to celebrate when people have been called out and sent from CLC across the country and around the world to fulfill God's unique call on their lives as Jesus's Ambassadors. We have tried to be a church that doesn't hoard it's people, but "celebrates the send" as God moves His people and grows His Kingdom as He desires. A couple of months ago it became apparent that God was moving in our church and leading us into a season of transition. With some leadership changes on the horizon, we knew that our future would require some changes in how we operated. We shared at the beginning of October that we sensed there were 3 possible options for CLC's future: 1) Hire a new pastor or raise up leadership from within, 2) Merge with another church, or 3) dissolve corporately and disperse. Since our meeting in October, the Elders have been speaking with church members and meeting together regularly for prayer to discern what God wanted for us as a church. During this time, it has become clear to us that what God is leading us to is a dispersing of the church and a corporate sending of its members to pursue the next steps of ministry that God has for them. We understand that this decision might not make sense or sit well within our human understanding of what defines a successful church. That being said, we believe that a corporate dissolution of CLC and a dispersing of it's members into our city is not a failure, but is a necessary step for obedience. And it is obedience to the command of God that defines success. Looking back on the short history of CLC, this is a decision that fits in line with what we believe God has uniquely called us to as a church. A place where God is honored as His people are equipped and sent out to fulfill their own roles in His Kingdom work in their daily lives. We have "celebrated the send" in the past for those being sent out and now we celebrate it as a corporate body. The dispersing of a local church body, while not common, is not without biblical precedent. We see that this occurred with the church in Jerusalem and was a vital step in the spread of the Gospel around the world. We don't presume to say that the circumstances that are leading to our dispersion are the same as what the church in Jerusalem faced, but we believe that God will use it in a similar way to spread the Gospel and grow His Kingdom in our city. Over the next several weeks we will continue to talk and pray together about what this practically looks like for us. Currently, our final Sunday for a corporate worship gathering will be on December 18. Between now and then, please continue to be in prayer. If you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to reach out to an Elder. It is our desire to help each individual and family discern the next steps for them that is necessary for obedience. For God's Glory Alone, Josh Phillips, Danny Brollier, Mike Williams |