Starting Again

Salem is experiencing a “re-start,” a new church plant with an existing core of people. Like a new church start, we must focus on the basics: worship, a core group of people, a process to disciple people in the way of Jesus Christ, and multiplication.

Worship. When we move into our new location we will finally (after more than two years!) have a place of our own to gather for worship. That means Salem will once again have two worship services on Sunday morning, at 9:00 am and 11:00 am. We are planning on live musicians to lead the singing in our contemporary service. The traditional service will include the piano/organ and choir. As we grow, we will get ready to start a third service at 7:45 am. Our new sanctuary will be a wonderful space in which to worship.

Core Group of People. As an existing congregation, Salem already has a core group of people. This is a tremendous blessing and I am extremely grateful for everyone who has kept Salem going over the last two years since the flood. Your faithfulness and loyalty is the reason Salem has this opportunity to re-start in a new location.

Discipleship Process. One of the most important things for Salem to focus on is creating a process to disciple people in the way of Jesus Christ. This gets to the very heart of why we exist. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. So how do we do that? The truth is, most congregations do not have a plan and a process to make that happen. We will. Our discipleship process will not simply be to gain knowledge but to put into practice the habits necessary to be a people who look, speak, and act differently from the world. As transformed people, then, we are able to transform the world. Certainly, this is what it means for Salem to live out its name. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word shalom. This is usually translated as peace. God’s peace, however, is not just the absence of conflict but the wholeness of life. Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, joy, love, friendship, well-being, justice, and salvation. Salem/Shalom is God’s will for the cosmos, for the renewal of creation, for the transformation of the world. We will work towards that in our own lives and in the world.

Multiplication. As Salem begins again in a new location, we have an awesome opportunity to reach out to others and welcome them. Because this is a “re-start” for Salem in a new location, we will be perceived as a new congregation, a new thing. Research has shown that it only takes two Christians to bring one person to faith in Christ in churches three years old or less. In five year old churches it takes twelve Christians. In a ten year old church, it takes seventy-two Christians. Bringing new people to new congregations and ministries is far easier than bringing new people to established congregations. We do not want to squander this opportunity for every single person of Salem to reach out to new people and welcome them. There are neighborhoods all around our new location. We will reach out to them.

We will have an outreach campaign. We have a new logo and soon we will have a new website. We will mail cards to our new neighbors and place door-hangers on their front doors. Perhaps we will have one or two outdoor events at our new location and invite the neighborhood. More important than any of those things, however, are the personal invitations you give to the people you know. We all have unchurched neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers all around us. Welcoming all these persons means reaching out to them first. To help with this, we have “invite cards” you can hand out to people you know.

As we think about multiplication, it is important for us to think beyond our own walls. New church starts are encouraged to help start another new congregation within their first ten years. Churches are living organisms. They are meant to multiply, to reproduce, to birth other congregations. Of course, Salem needs to be a healthy, mature congregation in order to do this. As an existing congregation that owns nearly ten acres of land on Blairs Ferry Road, however, Salem has a head start.

We do not multiply simply for the sake of more people in the seats. Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God has come near” (Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15). Our calling as the Church is to proclaim, pray for, and embody God’s kingdom in the world, here and now. True, the kingdom of God is not fully realized yet, but it has begun. We have had a foretaste of the complete reign of God and we are to embody that foretaste in the world as we work with God towards the renewal of creation.

This is a momentous time in the life of Salem and in the kingdom of God. God invites us to be a part of this awesome journey. Please do not sit back and watch and wait to see what happens. You are the church. This is your time.