Church Family update from Pastor Ned
UPDATE FROM May 16, 2024
Dear Christ Community Church Family,
Today I realized that I have been your Transitional Pastor for 3 months and I took a few moments to reflect back on this time with you. During the past 3 months, we heard a huge detailed report from VitalChurch Ministry about the health of Christ Community. I know that was a hard report for you to hear and walk through. Some of you were very discouraged about the church family you love dearly and call home. And, in my humble opinion (IMHO), while in many ways it was an accurate report it seemed, IMHO, they focused more on the negative than on the positive; specifically–what has made Christ Community so great.
Then a month later you honored my leadership as Transitional Pastor by attending the All Church Family Gathering on April 14th to hear my response to the report and address some of your concerns where Christ Community is heading. I’ve told you many times since I’ve come to you that I believe Christ Community’s best years are still yet to come–and after over 50 personal conversations with many of you, I believe that all the more–even after hearing some of you express pain and deep concerns for the church moving forward. In my listening tour I discovered that “being listened to and heard" helped many of you surrender your pain and concerns to the Lord then move forward.
A special prayer team was formed a month ago and now there are more than 50 prayer warriors praying weekly for Christ Community. If you would love to join this special team, please let me know. We welcome all the prayer support we can muster!!!!! Prayer is central to Christ Community moving into a healthy and missional future. Please consider joining us!
The staff and the Session are currently reading through a powerful book, “The Emotionally Healthy Leader” by Peter Scazzero. The discussions around the book are bringing a new, fresh look at moving Christ Community towards that emotionally healthy place. I see the signs of greater emotional health; I hope you’re seeing them also.
We’ve not arrived yet–there’s much more work to be done on the journey, although progress is being made. The process of selecting and screening new Session candidates for 2024 has gone so well. You all provided quality people to serve on the Session and there was a terrific nominating team who interviewed and made a recommendation for three wonderful Session candidates to bring to you at our June 2nd Congregational Meeting. The training this group of individuals who have been nominated to come on Session has been thorough! This will probably be the best trained slate of Session candidates in a long time! Praise God.
Then I’m thinking about the request the Session made of me the very first night meeting with them: To assess Ryan Balbi to determine if he can step into the role of lead pastor of Christ Community. I would encourage you to scroll down the page on this blog to refamiliarize yourself with the process I crafted to complete this assessment. I believe it was thorough and fair. Those who know me well know that I’m all about the process; an honest, fair and, I pray, Spirit-led assessment. I pray you will see that as well.
I gave my recommendation to the Session 2 weeks ago to allow time for them to pray over it and be prepared to deliberate, discuss, and pray corporately so God could lead them to a GOOD decision. The Session met Tuesday night and made a minor change to my recommendation regarding Ryan. Their recommendation will be communicated to you next Wednesday, May 21st in a special Christ Community email, well in advance of the June 2nd Congregational Meeting.
Yes, I am asking for your patience for 1 more week for the reveal of that recommendation. Can you do that??
In closing, I want to draw your attention to my favorite passage in the Bible: Romans 5:1-5 and focus on verses 3-5 where Paul says, “We also rejoice in our suffering BECAUSE WE KNOW that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character and character hope. And hope is never put to shame because God has poured out his love through the Holy Spirit whom He has given us.” Why do I want to focus your attention on these verses? Because I was just reflecting on the adversity that Christ Community has been embroiled in for the past 15 months and I know it’s been hard for most of you going through it. But God was not surprised at the adversity Christ Community would walk through recently, just as He was not caught off guard to the adversity this church went through in 1992. Most of you stayed with the church through that difficult period and the church healed, but more importantly I believe it became stronger. I want to applaud you for sticking with Christ Community through this current time of adversity. Slow but sure healing is taking place! It really is!!!!! But more important you’re going to come out of this time of adversity stronger.
I’m reminded of years ago when I had a 5-year-old home in Palmdale, an area known for strong winds. On my property the builder had planted a tree with a large wooden stake next to it in order to keep the wind from destroying the tree. I kept that stake next to that tree for 5 years until one day a tree arborist happened to stop by my home and told me that I needed to remove the stake next to the tree. I immediately protested and said, “But the wind. I don’t want the wind to hurt my tree.” I will never forget what he said next, “If you don’t remove the stake, the tree will become weaker and susceptible to disease. The tree needs the adversity of the wind to make it stronger.”
Then I realized that God allows adversity in our lives for a purpose. He doesn’t remove adversity from us, but allows and uses it to make us stronger and more like Jesus! I truly believe with all my heart that God will use the struggle and adversity of this transition to make Christ Community stronger, healthier, and more missional than it’s ever been before! Paul reminds us that "our hope will not be diminished through the adversity because He has poured out His love through the Holy Spirit He has given us!”
Are you ready for God to grow you stronger through the adversity He has allowed in your life? Better yet, are you excited to see the wonderful ways God will shape and mold you and build increased perseverance and greater character in you through this time? I sure hope so!!!! The easiest thing to do when times of adversity strike us is to retreat into our cave at home or find a new church, but then you’ll miss the adventure!
Blessings!
Pastor Ned
P.S. I am available and willing to meet with anyone and answer your questions and hear your heart for Christ Community! It’s my honor to serve!
UPDATE FROM May 9, 2024
Dear Christ Community Church family,
Before I give you a quick update on what’s happening I want to share with you a passage of scripture that I pray often for you and myself.
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:16-21
It’s verse 20 I want to draw your attention to, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Why am I focusing on that verse specifically? Because I would like for you to give serious thought to what you most desire for Christ Community as we move forward? What is your dream for Christ Community to become?
God is able to do that and more!!!!!!
Quick update:
Your Senior Pastor Formation Team (Don Werkhoven, Bob Balzhiser, Joan Evans, and Kari DeLyser) is already hard at work. Thank you so much for suggesting names for the Senior Pastor Search Team. The Formation Team is praying through all those names (more names than we have room for on the Search Team) and working on creating a viable list of people to conduct interviews with. Please pray for this team. It’s our goal to have the names of a Senior Pastor Search Team ready for the June 2nd Congregational Meeting.
Your session has received my recommendation regarding Ryan Balbi and will spend considerable time this coming Tuesday evening discussing, deliberating, and praying through my recommendation. Please pray for these two teams! Pray for God’s wisdom to be showered down on these teams.
If you need more information on what I am sharing with you then scroll up on this screen to see previous blog posts.
Last but certainly not least–the transition prayer team is growing! Praise God! But I would love to see more join our prayer efforts for the transition we’re in!
Thank you for allowing me to serve you as your Transitional Pastor.
In His service,
Pastor Ned
UPDATE FROM May 2, 2024
Dear Christ Community Church family,
I want to say again what I have said many times how honored I feel, and also deeply humbled, to serve this wonderful church body during this time of transition. I truly believe that since our Church Family Gathering a few weeks ago, Christ Community is beginning to make the turn towards healing and, what I would term, a healthy and missional future. Each week I have the opportunity to meet with your staff to encourage them and provide some insights into their calling as servants of Christ. I also have the opportunity to meet with some of you individually to hear your concerns and sometimes the hurts you are or have experienced. And I have appreciated hearing from so many how much you love Christ Community and want only God’s best for it moving forward. While I believe we’re making the turn towards healing, there is still much to be done. I’m very encouraged to see the Holy Spirit working amongst you so far to bring not just healing but a hope for a wonderful future for Christ Community.
During the Church Family Gathering a few weeks back I explained how the Session shared with me that they recognize there is a tremendous affection for Ryan Balbi as the Interim Teaching Pastor and a strong desire among many to see Ryan step into the role of lead pastor for Christ Community. But they also recognized that there are people who have concerns to not simply place Ryan automatically and conveniently into that role without some process to at least assess and vet Ryan’s abilities and capabilities to be the lead pastor. Hence they asked me if I would perform such an assessment of Ryan and make a recommendation to them. I asked for 90 days to complete my task. I wanted to get to know Ryan, observe him in leadership settings, and have serious conversations with him while being fully transparent about what stepping into the lead pastor role involves.
I then crafted a process where Ryan would be assessed by leaders outside of Christ Community to assist me in my recommendation. I reached out to five lead pastors of similar size and larger churches, whom I know personally and have tremendous respect for their leadership insight and experience. Ryan reached out to each of the five leaders and they interviewed him, asking questions they felt were important in assessing his abilities and capabilities to step into the role of lead pastor. I was 100% confident that the five leaders I asked to help would do a thorough job and was not disappointed. Ryan completed those interviews about 10 days ago and I received the feedback from those five leaders. Then last week I conducted a two and half hour interview with Ryan. Additionally, I have had a prayer team lifting me, the five pastor leaders, and Ryan up in prayer through the entire process. I share all of this so you know the extent of the process I engaged in for this task.
This past Tuesday (yes, just 2 days ago) I sent my recommendation to the Session. You may be thinking, “Wonderful, Ned, tell us what you recommended?” I am not going to share that with you at this time. Now you may be thinking, “Why be so secretive?” That is not my intent at all. I was asked to complete an assessment and make a recommendation to the Session which I have done. It is now the Session’s responsibility to make a decision about my recommendation and then share with you what their recommendation is. The next Session meeting is a week from this Tuesday, May 14th, when I will meet with them to help them process, deliberate, and make a decision regarding my recommendation. I anticipate that will happen. I have requested that they communicate their decision on my recommendation to you well in advance of the June 2nd Congregational Meeting so you will have plenty of time to process and pray before that day.
Please note that I am not the one who decides Ryan’s or Christ Community’s fate in this decision, nor is it the Session’s. That decision ultimately lies with you, the congregation.
Last week I shared with you that a Senior Pastor Search Formation Team has been formed to present to you, on June 2nd, a Senior Pastor Search Team for your approval. The Search Formation Team of four will have its first meeting this Saturday to discuss the best way of proceeding on forming the Search Team. A few of you have suggested names for members of the Search Team but please suggest more if you are so led. My email is at the bottom of this blog.
Finally, I want to ask you to pray! I know many of you are and I appreciate it so much. Prayer is not part of this process or transition it must be at the heart of it. Hearing God’s voice is very essential for the decisions that will need to be made. Specifically pray for me; the Session, especially for their May 14th meeting; pray for our church staff; and also for yourselves as Christ’s body here in Carmichael; that His voice would be louder than any other voice in your heart. I’m attaching a link to a video of a song below that speaks to this very thing. Finally, I need more people to serve on the prayer team for this transition. If you can serve, please let me know!
I look forward to seeing all of you this Sunday, May 5th for worship and of course I will be available to answer any questions you have!
In His Service,
Pastor Ned
UPDATE FROM APRIL 25, 2024
Dear Christ Community Church family,
I want to give a brief update following our Session meeting on April 23rd and some decisions the Session made as we move forward as a church focused on Jesus!
First, the Session is distributing the three VitalChurch Ministry health reports for the congregation to review. For those who want the snapshot version, download and read the Christ Community One Page Overview. If you want to read through the report that was given to the congregation, read the Christ Community Executive Summary. If you want to read the full 140-page report, read the Christ Community Ministry Assessment Final Report. I want to reiterate that the issues and recommendations raised in the report are not unique to Christ Community. Most churches in America are struggling with the same issues Christ Community is going through. What I can share is that many of the issues and recommendations in the report are already being addressed and I am greatly encouraged to see a plan developing to address the remaining issues in the report.
Second, the Session is taking the necessary steps to form our Senior Pastor Search Team, which is required by the EPC in order to interview and recommend a Senior Pastor candidate to the congregation. The Session asked me to work with the four-person team who will interview potential Search Team members. The four people I have asked to serve on the Senior Pastor Search Formation Team are Kari DeLyser, Joan Evans, Don Werkhoven, and Bob Balzhiser. The goal is to present the Senior Pastor Search Team candidates to you at our Annual Congregational Meeting on June 2nd and inform all of you how the selection process was completed in order for you to have confidence in both the process and candidates. If you have someone you want to suggest to serve on the Search Team, please email their name to me, and I will enter them into the process. As a reminder, members of Christ Community will be asked to vote for the candidates on June 2, so I will keep you updated on the process in order for you to make an informed decision. Please pray for this team and for the Holy Spirit to identify the men and women He has called to serve Christ Community on the Senior Pastor Search Team.
Finally, I spent time at our Session Meeting last night beginning to walk through the Session's governing documents to encourage and strengthen them in their responsibilities as Elders and Deacons of Christ Community. They are well aware they have been called to a big task, to represent the mind of Christ for this church body. Already in my time with them I can sense their deep desire to lead well and “keep the unity of the Spirit which is the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). They are striving toward this unity among each other and the congregation. PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM! They need and desire your prayers. You’ve heard me saying this many times already and I want to say again, hearing and obeying God’s voice are the keys to Christ Community’s future of being a healthy and missional witness in this community.
I want to end with what I have also said multiple times, that the best years of Christ Community are yet to come—I believe that with all my heart IF we are captured by God’s magnificent love, we grow in that love, and we give that love to each other and the world.
Your humble servant in Christ,
Pastor Ned
UPDATE FROM APRIL 18, 2024
Dear Christ Community Church family,
I want to thank all of you who were able to attend last Sunday’s family gathering. I wish in this note to you I could cover all that I shared at the meeting but given that I had 11 pages of my own notes to cover it would be extremely difficult to cover everything. What I can share with you is that the transition Christ Community has gone through was rough and it actually started with Covid, then the RCA split, joining a new denomination, and having your lead pastor resign and move three months later.
Then in my humble opinion, IMHO, the transition was not set up in the right way which means, IMHO, the pastor search process was not set up in the right way either. Plus your Session was not equipped or trained to deal with all this transition brought to Christ Community. The result was anxiety set in, communication was poor, not the best decisions were made, and people’s feelings were hurt in the process. Truth is this transition was messy, more messy that it ever should have been and (IMHO) there is plenty of blame to go around.
When I first came onto campus after being asked to be the Transitional Pastor, I had this deep feeling that Christ Community was under spiritual attack; that there was a spiritual oppression on this church–which is why I made a passionate plea for Christ Community to pray–pray that we hear God’s voice over our hurts or our frustrations–that we hear His voice for each of us to do everything we (individually) can do the “keep the unity of the Spirit which is the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). To go and be reconciled to whomever God puts on your heart and not delay or wait for someone else to make the first move. Hearing and obeying God’s voice is the key to Christ Community’s future to being a healthy and missional witness in this community.
I then addressed what the Session had asked me to do: an assessment of Ryan Balbi, of whether he is ready to step into the role of being the next lead pastor at Christ Community. I am in that process now and have elicited the help of five of my dearest friends who are or have been lead pastors of large church ministries. These five men have interviewed Ryan over the past 2 weeks and they will give me their thoughts on Ryan. Then, in the first week in May I will give to the Session my recommendation regarding Ryan. I know there are many who are ready to make Ryan the next lead pastor now, but I really believe this process I’m engaged with is important to go through first. Rest assured you will have an opportunity to give your input and decision into this if my recommendation is a “yes” regarding Ryan.
The last part of the meeting I walked through the VitalChurch Ministry summary report that was shared a month ago. The written report will become available to you soon. In the family meeting I gave some of my thoughts on that report. What I can tell you is that the issues and recommendations raised in the report are not unique to Christ Community. Most churches in America are still struggling with the same issues Christ Community is going through. What I can share is that many of the issues and recommendations in the report are already being address. I am meeting with people who were hurt from the transition to see how to help them heal.
I have taken the staff and the Session through training on conflict management and communication–and there will be more training to come for them. I will meet with the Session on April 23rd to begin a more extensive training to strengthen them as a board moving forward. I made a plea for people to join a special prayer team for the church as we move forward through all the issues before us. Satan is not done picking at Christ Community, seeking to divide us even more. If you want to be on that prayer team, please email me. In fact, in closing I want to make myself available to anyone who would like to speak with me personally about, IMHO, this wonderful church family and how to strengthen it to be a healthy missional witness. I shared about 6 weeks ago when I preached that I believe the best years of Christ Community are yet to come IF we are captured by God’s magnificent love, we grow in that love, and we give that love to each other and the world.
Your humble servant in Christ!
Pastor Ned
email: pastorned@mac.com