First Discovery and Discernment Session Held in Ft. Collins

Upon the invitation of Dan Vincent, pastor of the American Baptist Church in Ft. Collins, American Baptists from Boulder, Greeley, Fort. Collins, Longmont, and Loveland gathered for the first Discovery and Discernment Session. Discovering God Together was the enveloping theme for this session in Fort Collins. From the opening thoughts, to the small group discussion format, to the presentations made by various staff members, to the concluding consensus drawn by the entire group of participants, the discovery of what it is God is doing and the discernment of what it is God wants us to do was front and center.

Participants arrived with various expectations. They were eager to "get to the ministry and not spend too much time on structure." They expressed a desire to "maximize available networks in order to be empowered for ministry." They requested a "place to try out ideas and bring questions and problems."

Acknowledging that church agendas generally include items such as the future, financial challenges, and the need for a financial plan, Desmond Hoffmeister, Transition Executive Minister, challenged participants to work to change the root narrative of their individual churches. Our stories inform the way we live. If we hear the same old stories, our lives continue in the same old patterns. In order to develop new stories, we must skillfully shape the questions we ask of ourselves and our ministries.

How might these five cluster churches begin to develop a new story in northern Colorado? By being "authentically Baptist" and teaching people what that means. Positive energy was exhibited in the discussion that ensued.
   •  The group agreed that we treasure our Baptist freedoms.
   •  We value separation of church and state.
   •  We appreciate diversity, various opinion, and ecumenism.
   •  We’re intentional about living in tension.
   •  We are family, and we have found a way to live together.
Nevertheless, we’ve been hiding the fact that we are Baptists because we were ashamed of the "Baptist reputation." In general, the group agreed, "Let’s change our root narrative and begin a new story. Let’s identify our unique appeal, reinterpret Baptist identity, and get the story out!" A suggestion was made to produce a printed piece describing our Baptist distinctives which could be personalized by each local church.

The group places great value in the fact that they have begun meeting together as a mini-cluster. Each of the five churches is located in a college/university town. Since they are essentially mirrors of one another, they want to learn from each other, share ideas and resources, and partner together to seed one or more new congregations. They expressed appreciation for having ABCRM staff persons readily available to them.
From the outset of this initial meeting, the group was eager to move forward. They determined to be a working group that meets regularly. The next meeting date is October 4th from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. in Fort Collins.


Reflections on the First Discovery and Discernment Session

. . .from Jack DeHaes, American Baptist Church, Fort Collins, CO

Grapes come in clusters. Newly ripe or wrinkled as raisins, they possess a certain beauty as they bunch together, touching each other. They are nourishing. They are good for your heart.

That’s the image I saw as a dozen pastors and laypersons met with ABCRM staff to explore the Region’s cluster concept. Coming from churches in Boulder, Longmont, Loveland, Greeley and Fort Collins, we committed ourselves to strengthening the American Baptist witness in our corner of the Kingdom. We committed, too, to strengthening each other in the task. Though our vision of the future is, as yet, a bit unclear, we are confident in it. We are, after all, clustered together and nurtured by the same Vine.

. . .from Mary Lou Weaver, First Baptist Church, Greeley, CO

My first "Cluster" meeting was a stimulating, thought-provoking, informative two and a half hours. Our theme was "Discovering God Together" and the conversations, questions, answers, small group sharing all gave me a feeling of oneness in our desire to help and encourage each other and to listen for God’s direction in all that we do together in our Region and in our individual churches. I'm already looking forward to our next meeting!

. . .from Wayne Dvirnak, Ministry and Mission Cluster Coach, ABCRM

We came with the intention of encouraging people to put their toes in the water, and they stepped in up to their knees. This group of churches was ready for the cluster idea! As a staff group in our meeting afterward, we realized that it would have been ideal to have had all the SE Wyoming/NE Colorado churches at the table for this initial meeting. In other clusters, we will now take that approach. But as I evaluate what happened in Fort Collins at this first mini-cluster meeting, I’m encouraged and excited to see what God will do next as we open ourselves to God’s plan for the American Baptist churches in the Rocky Mountain Region.