Tracks of Growth

Day 37 Doxology: There are only three days of doxologies and four days 'til Easter left of this year's Lenten season.   It has been an extreme blessing for me, this year more than years past, I think?  This year, the blog expanded.  Friends away from the church learned of my Lenten discipline, my daughters learned what I had been doing, and it just grew and prompted many, many conversations...it just grew.

Sometimes it is like that with ministries.  We start programs, do our homework then strategically implement steps to the system giving our programs the best chance for success, but sometimes they don't succeed.  Then the real question is...now, what do I do?  Do we give up or be diligent offering an exercise in faith?

I have had such an experience.  A while back, I saw the need for an immediate class that guest could be a part of when they visited.  If God gave us the gift of guest for a Sunday, would I have place where they could immediately get plugged in?  We did not; we needed an entry point for guest!  I implemented a track for growth in discipleship called Growth Tracks-creative, I know!

It was successful at first.  It generated members, but then participation declined.  I questioned the times it was offered, the number of times it was offered in a month.  Heck, I even questioned the need, but I stuck with it. Within the last month and a half we have gained 3 new members through our Growth Tracks Discipleship Initiative-praise God!  The latest, not only became a member tonight, but will be baptized soon.  Is our time wandering in the desert over?  Sometimes we have to preach it until we believe it!

In the 1700's, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had visited the providence of Georgia (U.S.) on a disastrous mission trip to the Indians that left him questioning his faith.  As a result, he was thinking of leaving the ministry and stop preaching.  It was during this time that he met a man named Peter Boehler, a Moravian missionary.  In Wesley's journal he wrote, "Leave of preaching.  How can you preach to others, who have not faith yourself?" I asked Boehler, whether he thought I should leave it or not.  He answered, "By no means."  I asked, "But what can I preach?" He said, "Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith." The rest of Wesley's life is history.  The Methodist movement flourished and lives were saved...like tonight.  Preach Growth Tracks?  What would Boehler say?