At Grace we’re striving to focus on three vital relationships (idea borrowed from North Point Community Church); intimacy with God, community with those in the faith, and influence with those outside the faith.  We just spent two days together as a staff refining our approach to ministry and continuing our conversations around the purpose of leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

One interesting thought that came out of these discussions (not a new thought – but expressed in new ways for us) is the idea that each of the three vital relationships are part of a journey that takes TRUST & TIME.  They don’t happen apart from trust, and they don’t happen apart from time.

The tension this creates for me is based on my background of wanting to do things quickly and feeling the urgency of sharing the Gospel.   A sense of urgency is still within me, but I’m learning how critical TIME & TRUST are in our current culture if I want to really engage people with the Gospel.  I know my greatest influence is with people who trust me, and when it comes to the Gospel – I need to learn how to develop relationships of trust with people who are outside the faith.

Our Children’s Pastor mentioned that Reggie Joiner said there were some crucial elements in moving kids toward faith and loving God; time, love, words, stories, tribes and fun.  Maybe those are some of the things we need to focus on as we strive to engage adults.

Just some random thoughts as I’m thinking through the great discussions we’ve had as a staff recently.