As we get closer to our All Church Retreat we are starting to hear: “What is this retreat about?” And “Haven’t we already done this kind of work?”
Rev. Anna Galloday writes of the current state of the church, recognizing that in one way or another the church is experiencing decline:
“The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is a well-known story told by Jesus in the Bible. In the story, a rich man leaves on a trip and gives bags of money, called talents, to three workers based on their skills. The man gives five talents to the first worker, two talents to the second worker, and one talent to the third worker. (A talent was a very large amount of money in ancient times).
The first two workers use their money to trade and double their amounts. The third worker digs a hole and hides the single talent in the dirt. When the man returns, he praises the first two workers as good and faithful and gives them more charge. He scolds the third worker, takes his talent away, and gives it to the worker who has ten.
Scripture doesn’t hand us a faith of passive endurance — it hands us a faith of active stewardship. The parable of the talents isn’t subtle: the servant who buried what he’d been given out of fear was the one rebuked, not praised. God did not entrust us with congregations, buildings, budgets, and callings so that we could simply manage their decline with dignity. We were entrusted with them so we could do something with them.
That’s the shift I want to name plainly: your church’s future is not simply happening to you. It is, in real part, still yours to shape. Low membership is not a final verdict. A shrinking stewardship base is not “a given.” These are circumstances — real, difficult, sometimes painful circumstances — but circumstances respond to discernment, strategy, and courageous action in a way that fate never does. The congregations I’ve watched turn a corner didn’t do it by waiting for revival to fall from the sky. They did it by getting honest about where they stood, imagining a future worth building, and then doing the patient, unglamorous work of building it.”
For us at FCCB, we are fortunate. We have been blessed with resources, a beautiful property, and an abundance of skills and talents (pardon the pun!). We have much to offer and we believe we are called to do something with what we’ve been given. We are called to imagine a future worth building, and then do the patient, unglamorous (meaningful, life-filled, love-driven) work of building it.
Our All Church Retreat is an opportunity to pause and listen for God’s call. It is an intentional and focused time for community, collaboration, and discernment. We come with open hearts, curious minds, and a willingness to imagine what might be possible.
Your presence and participation matter. We hope you’ll join us.
Please RSVP here.
Scott Ward
Director of Community Life
