Called to action

Crystal Rowe
Resurrection, Marietta, GA

People, get ready. You've been called to action by 2011 Churchwide Assembly.

Yesterday, the Assembly requested all ELCA congregations begin, develop, review, or redefine their mission plans by the end of 2012.

Let's face it – the world around us is changing. Our communities are changing. For many of the congregations throughout our synod, the surrounding community looks very different today than it did when we were founded. Our new members often look and think very differently than our charter members did. We are now being called to reach out to those communities and proclaim God's grace in a way that is real and relevant to their lives.

This is an exciting time in the life of our church! This is what the Great Commission is all about! We have been invited to really look at the neighborhoods closest to us and figure out how we can best serve them. How can we share the wonderful news of God's grace and love to the people who need to hear it most?

These will be difficult conversations. We may discover there are things we have to change in order to reach those around us. We may be scared of the unknown. What works for one congregation might not work for another. We may end up with more questions than answers.

No matter how difficult it might be, our faith calls us to look outside of our walls. The good news of Jesus is so good we can't contain it! God never promises that doing his work will be easy, but he does promise to be faithful to us to the end. Because of God's faithful promise, we are free to act boldly in reaching those around us.

So I repeat … people – get ready. It's time to act on our faith. It's time to be missional. It's time to get busy in the name of Jesus.