Nehemiah 7: Shifting Missions

From Garden to City reading: Nehemiah 7

Change is one of life's greatest challenges.
Once we get going on things, we don't like to shift gears.
But life moves forward at a rapid pace, and we must move with it, or become irrelevant and obsolete.

Once the people rebuild the gate and install the doors, there's no need for gate and door builders.
The mission shifts.

Nehemiah sets up new ministry teams and new safety measures.
Gatekeepers.
Singers.
Priests.
Temple servants.
Farmers.
And so on.

So we plant churches.  They grow.  New people.  New ministries.  New mission.  Yes, the essential mission stays the same--drawing people close to God, close to each other, reaching outside the walls of the church--but the way we do it shifts.

What works for a small church doesn't always work for a larger church.  And what works for the larger church may not be effective for a smaller church.  Our goal is not do the same thing the same way, but to find the best way to fulfill the mission God has sent us to do.

Whether that's building a wall or building a church.
We are always changing.  Always growing.  Always becoming.
We are always willing to shift the mission according to God's plan.



So we raise children.  And they grow up.  The mission shifts.  Our role shifts.