10 Reflections for 10 Years

Weekly Update – January 2nd, 2025 

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting this week.  Not only because it is a new year, although like many of you, I will try to set goals and plan for the year ahead, but I have also been reflecting for another reason as well. You see, January 5^th, 2015 was my official start date here at First Baptist Church.  My first Sunday preaching was just a week later on January 11^th.  That makes this weekend 10 years here at First Baptist Church for me. Quite honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when I started.  As many of you know, there were some challenges in the beginning and there have been some hard times along the way, but as I look back, there are many evidences of God’s grace that I see present today that display God’s hand being at work through it all.  This week, I would like to reflect upon these evidences of God’s grace shown to our church over the last 10 years.  This post is a bit longer than normal, but indulge me if you will, as you allow me to share with you, from my perspective, 10 evidences of God’s grace for 10 years. 

First, Unity.  Sometimes this concept of unity is hard to define.  What exactly does it look like and how do we achieve it in a church?  Ten years ago, our church held two services: one traditional and one contemporary. The main difference between these services was over which songs were sung.  In reality though, the issue came down to the fact that those in each service didn’t worship together.  There is something unique that occurs when you have the church together as one during its main time on Sunday morning. Therefore, on August 7^th, 2016, First Baptist Church made the shift from two services to one blended service.  There were many hiccups along the way with this transition, but the result of this change, several years later, has been increased relationships among various generations, and a renewed focus upon the central aspect of worship, which is Jesus Christ.  Now, it is an evidence of God’s grace for me to look out and see people of various ages, sitting side by side, joyfully worshipping the Lord together, as they anticipate hearing from His word as one people.  I hope this evidence of God’s grace has been clear to you as well. 

Second, Care. I am always thankful to have members come up to me and tell me how someone else is doing. Many of you check in with our home bound members, call those you have not seen in a while, visit others who may have been sick and simply check in with each other as a need might arise.  More than caring for physical needs though, there has been an increase in members seeking to care for each other spiritually.  This is evident in our home groups, our men’s and women’s Bible studies, and in personal conversations between members that I often hear about.  We recently offered Biblical Counseling training as well to help aid members to walk beside each other in caring for the needs that they may have.  Additionally, I can think of several times when members have quietly offered help to someone else within the church to pick them up, provide for a financial need, or offer prayer.  It is evidence of God’s grace to have members in a church who care for one another.

Third, Purpose. One of the first things we did back in 2015 was set out a clear vision and mission statement, along with seven priorities to help further define how we will function as a church.  There has been a bit of tweaking here and there since, but the overall thrust has remained the same.  Our mission statement says that we exist to proclaim and display the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We seek to do this to accomplish our vision which states that we long to ultimately see our families, our community and our world transformed by the power of God.  These two statements help provide the parameters for what we do and what we don’t do as a church.  They are meant to bring focus for us, so that we don’t forget or get sidetracked about what is important.  It has been evidence of God’s grace that every ministry of our church lines up with our mission and that we as God’s people here at First Baptist Church are focused on seeing the power of God work through our words and our actions to bring about transformation, to the glory of God.

Fourth, Leadership.  It was my conviction when I first started here that having a plural eldership was necessary for our church.  Not only do I believe the New Testament is clear on this point, but practically, I believe that having multiple men with equal authority allows for greater accountability and greater ability when it comes to leading the church. As a church, we voted to shift our leadership structure in December of 2022.  This was the result of 8 years of prayer, as well as much teaching and many conversations.  As I reflect, I do so with thankfulness that I lead with men who I would trust not only in ministry, but with my spiritual growth with as well.  This has been an evidence of God’s grace to me, but my hope is that as we now function as an elder led, deacon served and congregationally approved body, that this shift has been an evidence of God’s grace to you as well.

Fifth, Serving. I once heard it said that “the Lord provides the church with exactly the right people that it needs.”  I firmly believe that this is true. We have gone through a lot of transition with people who have come and gone from here over the last 10 years, but never has a necessary ministry suffered from a lack of volunteers to serve.  We have never had to close our nursery, we have always had children’s Sunday School workers, and we have always had exactly who we have needed.  This has become especially evident lately though, as I watch people come up to church to quietly take care of needs without others knowing, as I see our Awana/youth ministry filled with adults who care for our younger ones, as I watch our music ministry grow, and as I see the number of people who are willing, even with a last minute’s notice, to meet a need.  It is evidence of God’s grace to have a church so willing to serve in whatever capacity is needed.

Sixth, Training.  In 2019 we had our first intern here, Daniel Good.  He jumped right into serving and was willing to do anything he could.  He had the opportunity to get to know everyone, teach in a couple of different capacities and even preach on a Sunday morning.  Since then, we have had other men who have interned, or are still interning, as they prepare for ministry.  From here, training has expanded to include our preaching workshops and reviews for the men preaching on Sunday nights, as well as training events that men in our church will often go to together.  It is evidence of God’s grace to see men trained for ministry, here at First Baptist Church.

Seventh, Fellowship.  Most Sundays I am the last one to leave.  I will go around and check the lights, the doors and make sure there is nothing out that needs to be put away.  Some Sundays though, the time to leave doesn’t happen until 30-45 minutes after the service.  The reason for that is the number of people who stay behind to talk and catch up with one another.  We stopped our formal greeting time in the middle of the service back when Covid hit, but since then, we haven’t needed a scheduled time to meet the person around us because members here do that naturally.  In fact, one thing that guests often say is that they feel welcomed from the moment they walk through our doors. Additionally, when there is a person in need who shows up, there are multiple members willing to jump in and help.  It is evidence of God’s grace to see the fellowship that has grown over the last several years.  

Eighth, Membership.  In May of 2016, First Baptist Church put a membership process in place.  It has now turned into a four week class that details everything from why we believe membership in the local church is important, to what we believe, how we agree to live with one another, and many other detail in between.  Additionally, we put a membership interview in place to learn about those who are joining our church as well.  The result of this has been greater accountability within the church, as well as greater commitment on the part of new members and with the church as a whole, as we formally commit with one another to walk next to each other in the Christian life.  At the same time, we have been going through our membership role for the last several years to ensure that we know everyone who we have made this commitment to and we are reaching out to those who are not present with us in an effort to faithfully carry out our commitment with them.  It has been evidence of God’s grace to watch the commitment of our members grow as we continue to prioritize membership.   

Ninth, Outreach.  One aspect of our church that has always amazed me is the way our people love to reach out to those around us.  Every single year we have over 50 people who volunteer to help out with Vacation Bible School.  We have the same, if not more people who volunteer to help with Harry’s Hay Days and our Fall Festival.  Additionally, we always have ladies working in the clothes closet as we help people throughout the week and prepare for one of our giveaways.  Not only that, but we partner with Conn-West Elementary, Grandview High School, Grandview Assistance Program and more, as we seek to display the grace that God has shown to us through Jesus Christ.  In fact, our church was recognized by the City of Grandview last year for our efforts to reach out and care for our community.  It is evidence of God’s grace to have a church that cares for those inside our walls, but also outside in our community as well.

Tenth, Biblical Hunger. This final evidence of grace from God excites me the most.  Over the last 10 years I have seen a hunger grow among many of our members to know the word of God and to apply it in their lives.  Quite often I will find myself in conversations about a passage of scripture, or I will come upon a conversation with members who are talking about scripture.  I hear about home groups who have gone in-depth with the scriptures when they meet and I witness Equipping Classes every Sunday morning address hard questions and dive deep into difficult topics and passages of Scripture.  I see our youth walking expositionally through a book of the Bible when they meet, as well as men’s and women’s groups who excitedly talk about what they are learning in their meetings.  Most of all, it is a complete joy to preach every Sunday morning, as I hear the pages of scripture flipping and as I see eyes focused as the word of God is proclaimed.  It is evidence of God’s grace to serve a church that desires to know the word of God. 

There are many more evidences of God’s grace that I could tell you, but I hope that this list provides you enough reason to celebrate with me all that the Lord has done over the last 10 years as well as anticipate all that he will continue to do through us, as we seek to remain faithful to him.  My desire is that we would only grow in recognizing evidences of God’s grace upon us as we continue to serve Christ together, as his people, here at First Baptist Church.  Next week, I want to share with you what my hope is for us as we look at our next 10 years together. 

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson