What Is a Church?

As a pastor, I've become increasingly fascinated by a simple question:

What is a church?

At first, the answer seems obvious. A church is a community of people who follow Jesus and worship the God whom Jesus revealed. But the longer I serve in ministry, the more I realize that while we may agree on who the church is, we often describe the church by what it does.

We gather for worship. We study scripture. We pray. We serve our neighbors. We care for one another.

But even those things can look remarkably different from one congregation to another.

Some churches gather around a communion table every week. Some meet in parks, homes, or rented spaces. Some have transformed their buildings into community centers, counseling ministries, shelters, or gardens. Others have discovered entirely new ways of connecting people to God and one another.

The church has changed dramatically over the past century. What once seemed obvious is no longer quite so simple. And honestly, I think that's exciting.

The question What is church? is not a problem to solve. It is an invitation to discover how God is at work in a particular people, in a particular place, at a particular moment in history.

It is really another way of asking where God is leading a particular community of people. If the church exists to follow God, then understanding who we are begins with paying attention to where God is already moving.

That is why I want to begin a season of discernment together.

Like many congregations, we have important decisions ahead of us. Our buildings are aging. Some have served us far longer than anyone expected. Recent roof repairs and mold remediation have reminded us that our facilities require attention, much of it costly. There will be choices to make as we move forward together.

But this is what gives me hope: we are not approaching those choices from a place of crisis.

The coming years will require important decisions. Through faithful stewardship, generous giving, and careful planning, First Baptist has enjoyed several years of financial stability. That stability has allowed us to strengthen our ministries, build savings, address deferred maintenance, and serve our community well.

At the same time, we are reaching a point where some important questions can no longer be postponed. The costs of maintaining our facilities continue to rise, and our budget is entering a season where we must think carefully about what we want to fund in the years ahead.

That does not mean we are facing a crisis. It means we have reached a moment of opportunity. We have the chance to make thoughtful decisions before circumstances make them for us. We can ask not only what we can afford, but what God is calling us to become.

The next few years represent an important season in the life of our congregation. Decisions about buildings, ministry, and resources will shape what is possible for future generations. That is precisely why discernment matters now. We want to make those decisions thoughtfully, prayerfully, and with a clear sense of God's leading.

We have inherited remarkable gifts: people, ministries, resources, buildings, and a legacy of faithfulness. The question before us is not simply how to preserve those gifts, but how to steward them in ways that best serve God's future.

Before we decide what to preserve, renovate, expand, or change, we want to understand what God is calling us toward. Buildings matter. Budgets matter. Stewardship matters. But those conversations make the most sense when they are guided by a clear sense of mission and calling.

The question, then, is not simply What should we do? but How do we recognize where God is leading?

This is why discernment matters. Planning begins by asking what we want to accomplish. Discernment begins by asking where God is already at work and how we might faithfully follow. Before we make decisions, we want to learn to pay attention.

Discernment is more than strategic planning. Planning begins with our goals. Discernment begins with God's activity. Before we decide what to do next, we want to learn to pay attention to where God is already at work among us and around us. We believe God is still leading, and our task is not to invent the future but to faithfully follow.

Instead of asking only, How do we fund a building? we can ask, What ministries matter most? Instead of beginning with facilities, we can begin with mission. What is God calling us to do? What kind of church are we becoming? Once we understand that, we can ask whether our buildings, budget, and resources help us live into that vision.

Instead of asking only, What should we preserve? we can ask, What is God inviting us to become?

That is a very different conversation.

I believe God has already done remarkable things through First Baptist. I also believe there is still more ahead of us than behind us.

I can imagine a future where other congregations look at the story of this church and find inspiration in what happened here. Not because we found the perfect solution, but because we took the time to pray, listen, dream, and discern together.

So I am inviting us into a process.

There is no hidden agenda. No predetermined outcome. We are not beginning with a solution and asking God to bless it.

Together we will reflect on what church means to us, consider the gifts and resources God has entrusted to us, pay attention to where God is already at work among us, and seek the future God is unfolding before us. We may find ourselves investing more deeply in what we already do well. We may discover new possibilities. We may choose to share, adapt, reimagine, or let go of certain things.

Those decisions belong to all of us.

As your pastor, my role is not to provide every answer. My role is to help create an environment where spiritual discernment can flourish. I will work to keep us moving forward, but I will also work to help us slow down.

The most important decisions are rarely made in haste.

God often speaks in ways that require patience, attentiveness, and trust.

This process has already begun.

Throughout the week, we are creating new opportunities to pay attention to God's presence among us. Tuesday Pause for Prayer gives us a chance to step away from the noise and recenter ourselves on God. New opportunities for faith formation create spaces for discipleship, conversation, and spiritual growth. Through the First Stories blog, we share reminders of the good things God is already doing in and through this congregation. Discernment begins by learning to notice, and together we are learning to pay attention.

In the months ahead, this blog will feature reflections not only from me, but also from Brittany, Hayden, Jonathan, and Shelby. We will share stories from other congregations, ideas that inspire us, and insights into how we understand the work of the church.

Our worship and preaching will also help guide us into discernment. During Advent, we will explore how the coming of Christ reshapes our world toward justice, equality, and deeper access to God. After Christmas, we will reflect on our church covenant and the Baptist freedoms that have shaped our identity. During Lent, we will enter a season of prayer together with guides and resources to help us listen more intentionally for God's voice. After Easter, we will gather in both large and small groups for conversation, listening, and shared reflection.

Discernment is not a process we can rush, but neither is it something we can postpone indefinitely. Important decisions lie ahead, and over the coming months and years we will be preparing to make them together. Our goal is not delay. Our goal is faithfulness.

In truth, discernment is not something churches do once. It is something healthy churches never stop doing.

We will take one step at a time and trust God with what comes next.

In the meantime, I invite you to join us. Read these reflections. Share your questions. Tell us what inspires you. Pay attention to what you are hearing in prayer and conversation.

This work belongs to the whole community.

Together we are paying attention to God's presence among us and seeking the future toward which God is leading us, continuing the beautiful work of co-creating a restorative community of fully inclusive followers of Jesus.

Your Pastor,

Kristin