Commonly Asked Questions About ReFocus Planning
- What is Refocusing? In short, it is an emphasis on recapturing within our own hearts, the heart that Jesus has for his church.
- Why are we doing this? To make every attempt to keep in step with God's will for his church. The General Church of the Nazarene has declared that the United States of America is now a mission field. We need to take the same approach a missionary would take in trying to reach a new culture for Christ. This will involve developing an understanding of the uniqueness of the community we are positioned to reach and making every effort to extend to them the timeless message of Christ.
- What is going to change? Initially, the work of the Refocusing Team will be seeking to prayerfully understand how to reach the community that surrounds us. Our message of Christ will not change and yet, the means we use to communicate that message may change as we walk through this process.
- Who will decide what changes? These kinds of decisions will not be left to any one individual. The Refocusing Team will work hand in hand with the Church Board. In fact, several of the Refocusing Team members are also members of the Church Board. Please feel free to contact any of these team members with any questions you may have regarding the Refocusing process.
- Is Refocusing Biblical? That is a good and appropriate question. You won't necessarily find the word "refocusing" in the Bible, however much of the New Testament was written to churches with the purpose of helping them to refocus. Think about it. Much of what the Apostle Paul was inspired to write was meant to help Christians understand what it meant to keep in step with God's Spirit and to live as fully devoted followers of Christ.
- Why can't we just do what we have been doing and trust God to change the people around us? Perhaps one answer to this question can be seen in the heart of the gospel message; God came to lost people in his son Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God gives us all a clear example of the need to reach out to people in ways they can readily understand. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:22, "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." Paul wasn't content to sit and hope that people around him would change. He knew that wouldn't work and it wasn't the pattern set forth in the story of Jesus. He was willing to change, "I have become all things", and used different methods, "so that by all possible means", in order to reach as many people as possible with the gospel message. His ministry is a great example for us as we refocus our ministries here at Bethel.
- Shouldn't we just pray more and trust God to bring revival? We should pray and we are doing just that. There are many people who are committed to praying for the church as we go through Refocusing. In addition, we had nearly 40 people in attendance at our first corporate prayer gathering for the process. In the Bible it is clear that faithful activity, or hard work, must accompany our prayers. If we take the missionaries as models for ministry today in America, then it is clear that along with prayer there is much work to be done. There are languages to be learned, customs and cultures to be understood, adaptation of ministries, establishing meaningful connections in those ministries and discovering the needs of the community they are attempting to reach with the gospel.
- Do I have a say in the decision making or what can I do to be a part of this? Yes! Step one is to pray that God's vision will be shown to the members of the Refocusing Team. Along with your prayers, please feel free to share your observations and concerns with your church board and Refocusing Team members. As we all pray and work together God will help us to be the church he wants us to be.
