When Carrie and I began our ministry at the Conejo Church in 2001, our daughters were 7, 4, and 2 years old. The cost of a gallon of gas was $1.65, a dozen eggs were $1.01, and a new car was $21,474! Pluto was a planet, China was the world’s most populous country, and “going online” meant sitting at a desktop computer and using a dial-up modem. A lot has changed in our world in the past quarter century, but one constant has been our shared ministry here in Thousand Oaks, a partnership I cherish and for which I am deeply grateful! In honor of our celebration of shared ministry this Sunday, here is an incomplete list of qualities I love about our church.
1. We’re a multigenerational church. We have at least five generations worshipping together each week, seeking to love, care for, and understand each other.
2. We’re a servant-hearted church, committed to being a good neighbor to Conejo Elementary School, Many Mansions, and other local groups.
3. We’re committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ through teaching, sharing, and deeds of Christ-like care.
4. We love and invest in our kids. Our two most active ministries are to children and teens and they are at the heart of what we’re about as a congregation.
5. We love children worldwide, including those at Conejo Elementary School, the City of Children (Ensenada), and Made in the Streets (Nairobi).
6. We love to sing. When people say, as if to shock me, that their favorite part of the assembly is the singing, I like to shock them back by revealing, “me too!”
7. We’re good in a crisis. I’ve seen this church faithfully respond after 9/11, car accidents, Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession, the deaths of dear friends, multiple major fires, COVID-19, and many more challenges.
8. We’re a church that sings each other’s songs, rather than a church that demands everyone sings the songs “I like.”
9. We’re a purple church, a blend of blue and red Christians who understand that while our faith impacts our politics, our faith also transcends political divisions.
10. We’re a talented church that understands that the gifts we’ve been graced with are for blessing others, not for becoming puffed up and self-important.
11. We value collaborative leadership. We don’t believe God gives one person ALL the wisdom that is needed for a community to be healthy and thriving.
12. We value the spiritual gifts of our brothers and our sisters. ‘Nuff said!
13. We’re not perfect and we know it. We’ll never stop pursuing the upward call in Christ Jesus. And we will firmly resist the delusion that we’ve arrived spiritually, which means we’re always willing to wrestle with important ideas.
14. We’re an adaptable church that also appreciates its traditions. Both/and is often far better than either/or.
15. We seek to love each other well. Do we always succeed? Show me a church that does! But I’ve seen a demonstrated willingness to love one another, to welcome others as Christ welcomed us, and to walk together through good times and bad.
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