Proceed On
by Joe Tipton
If you were to go back and explore the history of the congregation I serve, it would be hard to find a year that went better than 2019. For us, it was a year defined by the completion of a new building, generous giving, and a record number of baptisms. As the calendar turned from 2019 to 2020, our team was convinced that we were entering into a season in which we would impact our community at a higher level than ever before. But then, everything changed. Seemingly overnight, ministries were put on pause, the sanctuary was emptied out, and momentum stalled.
In Acts 27, Luke describes Paul’s journey from Jerusalem to stand trial in Rome and he mentions of one detail that’s easy to miss. In verse 4 he wrote, “From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us” (NIV). If you trace their journey in the following verses, you’ll discover that it was anything but a straight line. Instead of the shortest possible route, they were forced to take several detours. For most ministry leaders that I know, 2020 was a year that felt like one big detour. A dangerous virus, the shift from in-person to online worship, leadership disagreements, a contentious election season, extended periods of isolation, unexpected economic challenges, combined with the normal day to day challenges of ministry ,made 2020 a year unlike any other. There were a lot of days when it really did feel as if the “winds were against us.”
Now that we find ourselves emerging out of this challenging period, we’ve been confronted with a whole new set of questions. Are our people going to come back? How do we offer both in-person and online worship experiences in a way that honors God? How do we regain momentum? How do we refocus on our mission of reaching lost people after spending months playing it safe? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers, and yet the one thing we know for certain is that the setbacks have always been a part of the story.
For the Apostle Paul, his journey to Rome was one setback after another – a series of detours that led to a long delay, a vicious storm, a violent shipwreck, a snake bite, and then two years under house arrest awaiting trial. Despite the challenges, Luke ends Acts with these words – “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hindrance” (emphasis added). Paul never allowed the setbacks to distract him from his mission and we can’t either.
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriweather Lewis and William Clark to find a northwest passage that would connect the Pacific Ocean to the Mississippi River. If you know their story, then you know it was an incredibly dangerous and grueling journey. During their nearly 28 months hiking through uncharted territory and navigating their way through the Rocky Mountains, Captain Clark kept a daily journal in which he summarized their activities, sketched out maps, and made drawings of new species they encountered. At the end of virtually every daily entry, you find a three-word refrain that summarized their approach to what had to have been an exhausting journey. It read, “we proceeded on.”
What do you do when the future is uncertain and you’re not sure what to do?You refocus on your mission and you proceed on!
