Summer Ministry Moments

Now that September is here it really feels like I’ve closed the book on Summer ’24.  It was a really great summer with lots of neat memories both personally and ministerially.  Last month I shared some reflections about the Worship Team’s trip to the triennial, so this month I just want to share a few other highlights from the summer of ministry at Steamboat Rock. 

Hardin County Fair

The week of the Hardin County fair, we were able to host a community worship service on-site at the fairgrounds in Eldora.  This moved us a step closer to achieving our congregational goal of 3-community services this year.  This service was a really unique opportunity and was a really neat service.  Students from our church played a significant role as they led worship, read scripture, and shared a testimony. 

One of the best moments was seeing some people and families who were simply preparing for events for the fair stop and lean against the railing of the show-ring to listen to a song or hear part of Pastor Bryce’s sermon.  I am so glad to be part of a church that embraces GO!ing into our communities and being where the people are. 

Baptisms

We are a Baptist church and so baptisms of believers by immersion is one of the most significant and celebratory ministries that we get to see as a church.  And this summer we got to continue seeing people take steps of faith as they went into the waters of baptism. 

Since May we have had the honor of baptizing Christina Carpenter, Brooke Blanchard, Vincent Cook, & Drew Stansbury in our worship services.  These baptisms were special as they were a unique testimony to family members who had come to witness, or were a culmination of years of growth and participation in Radiate youth ministry. 

There was also a baptism on August 13 at the State Training School that was particularly memorable for me.  I was able to baptize a student from STS who had taken guitar lessons with me, accompanied me in worship songs for the Monday chapel services, and participated in the Alpha program hosted by Sara Zellmer and our Local Missions team.  By taking advantage of these opportunities, Freddie returned to a genuine faith in Jesus, got baptized, graduated with his high-school diploma, and was discharged from the Training School where he will now enter a trade-program near his home-town. 

Professional Development

The week after the Triennial, at the guidance of Pastor Harrison, I took a week out-of-the-office for some professional development.  This functioned as an opportunity to rest and recover from the push toward the triennial and the non-stop ministry of Triennial week, and also as an opportunity to spend some time reading and reflecting on music, ministry, and worship. 

For that week I selected two books to work through and scheduled two interviews with prominent professors and thinkers of the modern worship era.  The books and interviews were very insightful and have continued to be a source of reflection and inspiration long since returning to the office. 

Here are a few key insights from my readings that week:

1.    Author Matt Merker offered an evaluative lens for our weekly church services is if we have adequately Read the Word, Prayed the Word, Preached the Word, Sung the Word, and Seen the Word (in communion or baptism).  You may have heard some of this conviction come through in my sermon at the end of August. 

2.    Author Matt Merker encouraged churches, regardless of genre or style, to spend some time singing without any musical accompaniment.  To hear the voices of one another as we sing. 

3.    Author John Witvliet offered a historical survey of church music and illustrated that singing the Word has been emphasized since the reformation, but that stylistic disputes were present long before the “worship wars” of the 1990s.  He did caution and encourage churches in the modern evangelical “megachurch” world of the US to emphasize music’s singability rather than performance in church settings.

For the meetings I interviewed one of my former seminary professors, Dr. Brannon Hancock, and then a local Iowan named Kelsey McGinnis who is a professor at Grand View University in Des Moines and the chief worship & arts correspondent for the Christianity Today publication.  Their insights were particularly interesting regarding the younger and upcoming generations (young professionals, college and high-school students)

1.    The younger generations are responding to an interesting mixed-bag of ministry strategy.  Both high-tech and low-tech

2.    Modern ministry in US should have a decent live-stream option.  Particularly as a “Front Door” to potential new congregants.

3.    Modern Ministry practice should include a consistent social media presence.  To give a snapshot of church values, culture, and activities. 

4.    While at the same time we cannot get bogged down in the online world, nor should we fall into the trap of thinking that the best way to reach younger generations is through being tech savvy. Because when this next generation comes into a church they are looking for something that holds a bit more gravitas than a social media feed.  And they are not expecting a church service to rival a marvel movie or Starbucks experience.

The summer of 2024 was full of meaningful ministry and I trust the Lord will continue to work in and through our church this fall!

John Day