Periodic Maintenance

This past Sunday, Pastor Sam reminded us of the mission and vision of Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene. He noted that when our mission statement was written, it was not an indication of a new thing nor a new direction in ministry. It was, and is, a statement of what God had already set into motion-- a documentation of what our local church has been doing, in obedience to the direction of our Lord, through the years of Bronx Bethany's existence.

Our pastor also warned us of the risk of mission creep—a slow drift away from the mission that our church has embraced. He noted that the best way to avoid mission creep is to periodically reflect on the mission statement, and this is what we will do in this week's blog posts.

For today, let’s ask ourselves a few questions in light of Bronx Bethany’s mission. Below is our mission statement in bold print, followed by questions in italics.

Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene is a Spirit-filled community of love…

Are we participants in this Spirit-filled community, or are we merely spectators? Love is a characteristic of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22): are we living in love? Are we extending the love of God to others?

…with a place for everyone…

Have we indeed made a place for everyone? Are we willing to share the love of Jesus with everyone? Do our actions indicate that we are happy when visitors join us? Are we open to God's promptings regarding movement and change, or is our energy expended in preserving our own comfort zone?

…where people may experience the forgiveness of sins…

What is the experience of those who attend Bronx Bethany? Are they made aware of the availability of God's forgiveness? What part have we played in maintaining an atmosphere of love and forgiveness, even as we make room for the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and move our hearts to repentance?

…and the cleansing of their hearts through faith in Jesus Christ.

Do the inner thoughts of our hearts help to maintain the atmosphere of healing and deliverance that God has established in our local church? Are we supporters of God’s desire for His people to be saved and sanctified?

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.