Here is a brief overview of where we are at and where we are going!
We are moving forward with the idea of a parish model of church, a church that is committed to proclaiming and embodying the Gospel in Norwood, especially in the area immediately surrounding St. Elizabeth. Among other things, it means having regular worship services open to the entire community and seeking to reclaim St. E’s as a sacred, missional space during the week.
We are moving forward with the idea of covenant membership and are crafting a provisional, one year covenant for people to commit to. It will be a year of learning how we can be more intentional with God, each other and our community.
We are also moving forward with the idea of an eldership model of leadership where elders would be primarily responsible for the spiritual care of the covenant members and for leading the ministries of the church.
In the coming weeks we will discuss in detail how we will be more engaged with our neighborhood, how we will use St. E’s, how we will minister to our children, and how we will relate to our larger Vineyard family. In November, we will finalize these plans and begin the next stage of our journey on the first Sunday of Advent.
In order to get a feel for where people are at, we are asking that you fill out a brief survey about the discernment process. Your feedback will be very helpful! Follow this link to complete the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D3GZWPQ. Thanks for your help. Please continue to pray that God would guide our steps!