My hope is…
My hope is that more people will experience the Living Hope that Jesus gives in safe spaces where they are loved and cared for.
Living Hope is a very special church doing a special work. It requires a great deal of diligence to make sure all that is being done is true, loving, and safe. The truth is the Gospel made known to us by the Word of God. The love we share with one another is based upon the truth and is a choice we choose to make. The safety is supplied through policies and procedures that protect people.
To ensure that Living Hope is built on truth, is filled with loving membership, and is safe, we are in the process of updating a number of our legal documents.
One of the documents we are updating is our Constitution and By-laws. The world we live in today is not the world that existed just 8 years ago when we last reviewed and updated these documents. We have a team of leaders who have been asked by the elders to work with them in reviewing and updating our articles of faith so that what we are doing as a church is true to God’s Word and clear to the current generation we are living in today. At the same time, we are looking at our by-laws to make sure our policies match how we actually operate as a church.
Another document is our church covenant. It comes from our understanding of the faith and how we function as a church. It is an agreement each member must decide to live by. At the heart of our membership covenant is love – a love for God and one another in Christ. Without a clear commitment from each member, Living Hope could become a confusing place with people not sure about what is expected of them and the congregation. This document spells out what it means to be a loving disciple of Jesus as a member of Living Hope.
A third document we are updating is our Next Generation safety policies. Again, the world is not as it should be and it appears to be getting worse. To protect our children and those who are served by the church, our ministerial staff has been working for about 18 months with our insurance company, other churches, and attorneys to see that everything we do is safe and children are protected. We are not yet finished with this document, but we are close. Some of the things that will be in it will speak to requirements to serve and what, if any role, a nonmember can now have in serving at Living Hope. Everyone will have to follow these policies. These are not suggestions. These are policies and procedures that will protect our children and the most vulnerable among us.
All three of these documents are crucial to our health as a congregation. Our elders, staff, and teams of leaders are working hard to make sure they are what God wants for us. Please be in prayer for these leaders and ask God to continue to bless Living Hope and make us a people who gather in truth, with love, and in safety.
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