Dear Naches Church Family,

Elliana just caught her first fish! It was a joyous moment for both daughter and father. As soon as that little trout was on the bank, she squealed with glee and said, “I caught a fish!” It was a moment of joy and life.

But, of course, it was also a moment of death. As we began packing up the car with our poles and tackle, Elliana asked me: “Are you going to kill my fish?” When we got home, she watched as I pierced my filet knife into her fish’s belly and quickly exclaimed, “You killed my fish!” Of course, it was dead before we even left the lake. But in that moment as I cleaned the fish, she realized that this moment of life also came with death.

I think it is healthy for Elliana to be exposed to death in age-appropriate ways. When she watches me clean a fish she realizes that our food does not really come from a grocery store. It comes from sweat, work, patience, blood, and death. Death is ultimately a part of life. It will not do Elliana any good for me to hide that from her.

At our last Mission and Vision meeting in the fall, I shared a quote from one of my professors: “Death is part of the life cycle of every church.” Just like death is part of the life cycle of fish and humans, death is part of the life cycle of a church.

There are a couple of ways we can understand this. On the one hand, a church is not just an organization or institution. A church is made up of individual people with names and faces, each of whom will someday die. Even if a local church continues on, the people who make up that church will die. What is left is, in many ways, an entirely different church. When I talk with pastors who have served in a local congregation for many years, they will often say they have pastored multiple churches in the same place. As the people who make up a church die, there is a real sense in which that particular church dies.

On the other hand, most local churches eventually die in the sense that they close their doors. The local institution itself dies. Take Ephesus for example. Ephesus was one of the hotspots for the early church. Not only do we read about Paul’s work and writing to Ephesus in the New Testament, but most scholars believe that the Apostle John did the bulk of his ministry and writing in that same place. Yet, if you were to visit Ephesus today, you would find a city without much of a church to speak of. The church in Ephesus that was so vibrant in the early centuries of Christianity is no more. It has died.

Death is part of the life cycle of every church. I do not tell us this to cause despair. I remind us of what we already know is true for the same reason that I am honest with Elliana when it comes to the fate of her first catch. It does us no good to ignore what is simply a part of life. 

Once we accept this reality, we can move forward without fear and with the ability to dream bigger than survival. The mission of a church can never be as trivial as survival. Ultimately, our mission is nothing more or less than faithful obedience to God. 

When we understand this to be our mission, then I can testify that it is a mission in which we are living as Naches Church of the Nazarene.

Here are just a few examples as to where I have seen faithful obedience in this church family this year:

I see it with Nancy. Nancy has not been able to attend church since the pandemic began. She continually prays if now is the time to return – and she has not sensed the Spirit to lead her back to the building. Yet she continues in prayer for this church and continues to call and encourage each of us.

I see it with Dutch and Paula in the ways that they have ministered to Erika. I think every teenager needs a Dutch and Paula in their lives!

I see it with Steve and Donna. Like Nancy, they have not been able to return to the building. Yet despite the ups and downs of their health they continue to remain faithful in prayer and to serve however they can.

I see it with Gary and the ways he cares for Louise. The love that Gary shows Louise is an example of the love that Christ shows to His church.

I see it with Amanda. She prayed and sought the leadership of the Spirit for months in regards to an unhealthy work environment. When the LORD told her to look for other options, she obeyed.

Of course, I could list many other examples! I see fruit and evidence of faithful obedience to God in each and every one of you. As we worship together each week, I know that the Spirit is present and there is life in this church – a life that does not come from ourselves but from God. 

Yes, somehow and some way, death will be part of the life cycle of this church. But as I think back on this last year, I have come to believe that this is not a season of death. This is a season of life!

This brings me to the question I left us with at our last Mission and Vision meeting: What would you like to see God do in and through this church before we die? We are not dead yet! While we still have life in our bodies and in this body that we call “church”, what do we want to see God do?

This is the question I want us to continue thinking and praying about as we move into another year. God is moving and working right here and right now. What are we hoping and praying for Him to do?

Respectfully Submitted,

Pastor Andrew