Since September, I have been wrestling with 2010. It is a challenging time for the church as employment and financial pains striking the community is also striking the congregation. I have talked to a number of pastors who are in similar situations and I have been hearing things like, “Not losing ground is a win in these conditions,” and “We plan on hunkering down and surviving this time and once its over, we’re going to get going again.” I understand these feelings and have even found solace in saying them.

My prayers for 2010 these past months have really led me into the abyss – “Should I be here any longer” and “Nothing is happening and I don’t know if I can be productive anymore at this parish.” It has been a painful process.

But through the struggle I found at the end of November and start of December that I started coming out of the dark abyss (clearly not by my own power, but by God’s) and found myself being filled with a new sense of the presence of God.

By mid-December, I had a plan in mind. We at Apple Grove and Yellowstone are going to do the exact opposite of “Hold our own,” and “duck until a better time comes along.” I am going to set before the congregation a real challenge. I am going to ask them to help our congregation grow both spiritually (increase in Bible study participation) and numerically (10 new members at each church and ten people off the inactive list),and for those that can to give more in a time of financial stagnation. For the thirty days leading up to Ash Wednesday, I am challenging to get a minimum of 50 members to pray ten minutes a day for the church, for I believe any real growth begins at prayer where God connects with us. There are other things too, but you get the gist of it.

God has blessed our congregations in so many ways and maybe that has happened so that we would be ready for this time; to be a light to the community in a time of darkness and a place to come to find hope in a time of great depression. And, to let people know that God has the power to make things grow, anywhere, whether it’s a valley of dry bones or a economically depressed rural area.

I’ll keep you posted at how things are going. We have an important meeting in two weeks that will begin putting the stepping stones in place so that we can reach our goals. Please pray for us.

I’d love to hear what you pastors out there plan for the church in 2010. Please share your plans, and your dreams with us as dreams are catchy!

God bless, Dan

P.S. I’ll share the plan for our prayer focus I call “10 in 2010″ later this week with you.