2021 Regional Director Report
As I write this report in late March 2021, we are a mere two weeks from Easter Sunday, at which time we will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Like every one of you, I am hoping and praying that there will be permission granted by our Public Health Officer allowing our churches to lawfully open their doors to in-person gatherings. It is unclear whether that will or will not happen, given the increased Covid case-count through spring break. Either way, it seems likely that most of you share feelings of frustration as you look around at what is considered essential to our culture, and what is not.
It is troubling that in-person church services seem to have fallen close to the bottom of the “essential” list. Playing or watching sports is more important than gathering together as a church. Purchasing groceries in overly full big-box stores has higher value than obtaining spiritual food. Physical training is given higher status than pursuing godliness. At least from a political point of view, superficial placating of the voters in faith communities is sufficient for our position in the “essentials” hierarchy.
Perhaps you read these words and your mind goes to the recent court ruling that stated that our British Columbia Public Health Officer is, in fact, infringing on our constitutional freedoms of religion and assembly in her Health Orders. It simply increases our vexation to then have the Judge state that in spite of this, the Orders were a reasonable exercise of power given the dangers of Covid. It is my natural contrarian way to ask why those who are not protected by Statute are able to be open through the pandemic, but those who are theoretically guaranteed freedom are not extended the same rights.
However distressing it may be for the church to have politically plummeted in the essentials list, it is not really the direction of my thoughts. Rather, I have been wondering for a few months how the broadly defined church of Jesus Christ became so ineffectual within society that we don’t seem to really matter? How is it that those who identify with a resurrected Saviour seem to be lacking in the saltiness or luminance referred to by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount? Throughout the history of the church, it has never been the job of the government, politicians, society, or culture to elevate the essential nature of the church. It has been the purview of disciples of Christ to live such transformative lives "among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (I Peter 2:12).
So yes, it is troubling that the government appears to view in-person church services as not essential. But it is far more deeply troubling that the church has lost its awareness and focus on what is truly important and essential to its nature: loving people into the Kingdom through the actions and words of the gospel. It has always been within our own circle of control, empowered by the Spirit, to experience, to live out, and to speak the gospel. As the Apostle Paul so powerfully stated in Romans 8, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Once we embrace that positive reality that Christ will build his church irrespective of politics and pandemics, avoiding the trap of feeling our gospel witness is dependent on others, it becomes incumbent upon us to spend time asking what God was up to through the past year of viruses & vaccines. If our Father is still sovereign, then it seems unlikely that a common threat to every country in the world is outside his control. It strikes me as far more likely that God is saying something we need to hear. At a minimum, we do need to align ourselves with his purpose.
In a similar way to his working through the persecution of the early church, could it be that we are experiencing a digital diaspora for a wireless generation? Or, could it be that we are being called to reconsider western church practices in light of fundamental biblical models of church? Are we being asked to profoundly think about the nature of denominations in light of the values of the Kingdom? Perhaps, far more personally, we are being challenged by how the gospel is being lived out and experienced within our own bubbles? Is it real within our smallest and most important community?
I trust most of us would agree that there has been valuable learning that has taken place through the pandemic. Certainly, the forced closure of traditional Sunday gathering has not been pleasant. But, almost without exception, it has required us to reconsider the nature of the church, what it means to be missional without Sunday services, how discipleship should really be accomplished, and what worship actually looks like for each of us.
Not long ago I got a rather skeptical look from another denominational leader when I suggested that Covid has acted on the western church like a corporate spiritual enema. I went on to say that, in my opinion, too many churches had gotten used to a diet of spiritual junk food and needed to have a period of cleansing. Some spiritual fiber was just the thing we needed.
As we look back on this year I am deeply appreciative of our Fellowship staff, board, leaders, and churches. The vast majority of you have allowed the pandemic tutorial to change you, change your actions, and change your churches. You have asked the important questions about the essential nature of the church rather than simply focusing on the question of where we rank in the “Essential Scorebook” of our culture. You have shared with us wonderful stories of missional awareness and innovative messaging of the gospel. You have expressed the good news of Jesus in many, many ways to large communities of people. I am regularly humbled in my own life when I see how you love both God and your neighbors.
So, this introduction to our Annual General Meeting (or, more formally - Report to the Fellowship) is less about what we did, how we did it, and what money we spent. It is about the church and the things we need to be thinking about together. Whatever else happens, I don’t think we are all going to come out of this the same. Thank God.
And yes, you can read the financial summary and the reports of actions by all of our staff teams. They have worked hard, pivoted like NBA players, and tried incredibly hard to ensure our churches know that we are serving them. They are awesome. Our Regional Board has struggled with questions of money, of direction, of denominationalism, and of how to lead without power. These things all matter. And you do have the opportunity to review each team report as part of the AGM package, for accountability purposes. But none of them matter as much as pausing in this most unique year, listening to God, and truly learning what we need to learn.
A Christ-centred, cross-empowered, gospel-preaching, biblically focused church is not more essential than it has ever been. I have heard those sorts of words a few times in the pandemic. They are not true. The church was always essential, and still is. Neither the pandemic, the government, or public health orders change that fact. Christ has been, is, and will continue to be building his church.
— David Horita