Church in metro Houston reached neighbors after a hurricane
Heritage Park Baptist Church started in 1977 as a plant of First Baptist Church, Friendswood, TX. In the days transitioning from Apollo to the Space Shuttle, southeast Houston grew dramatically. The planting pastor served 20 years before continuing his ministry elsewhere. A 7 year tenure followed. I have served as the pastor for almost 10 years. According to the local lore, Heritage Park has approached 300 in attendance twice before I arrived, each time declining to below 200 after that season. When I arrived, our attendance hovered around 175. To date 2016, our average attendance is 351.
Just before I arrived, the church went through a major staff exodus, leaving the church with a part-time worship leader as the sole staff member. The church became inwardly focused, by necessity prioritizing member care. I understood the need for an inward focus and member care. Fresh faces were few and, when they did show up, were often overlooked because member care functioned as the survival mandate.
Then it came.
Just a few months in, I received a letter from a visiting family saying that not a single person had spoken to them when they attended.
That point was a faith crisis for me as a pastor and for our church leadership. Wedding the history of the attendance modulations with an inward focus meant we needed soul-searching. I had been their pastor less than a year. These were not struggles of my creation. But they were mine to own.
Faith Factor
I really wish there was a simple solution I could offer to anyone who has a similar story. But like most stories of faith, ours is a little messy and has some starts and stumbles. Faith, I came to discover, was part of the challenge. Our people had to believe that we could grow and that God wanted ...
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