OUR ONLINE WORSHP SERVICE IS STREAMING SUNDAY AT 10:30 AM

Change

About change:
• Talking about change is scary.  It does not mean we have problems.  We don’t.  We are a healthy church.  
• Healthy churches understand and engage change.  Unhealthy churches gloss over or do not discuss it.  
• Long term Embark people will most likely“feel” change the most.

Where change is felt:
1. We have built memories in the YMCA and have attached a “feel” to it.  Being in a new building changes the “feel” of a church.  Answer: Seek to make new memories, not reclaim the old. 
2. Two services (beginning in August) will feel different and relational patterns will change.  We may not see the same faces we are used to seeing.  We will also see more new faces.  Answer:
1. We are emptying hell by creating space for new people.
2. The church exists to reach and disciple others, not just meet our needs. 

3. Be careful of seniority.  Many have claimed Embark for a long time.  We may feel a sense of seniority.  This can communicate unfriendliness to others if we are not careful. Answer: Matthew 18:1-4. Jesus is senior to us. He simply brought you sooner than the others to help the others.

Example statements demonstrating we may be feeling the effects of change:
• “Embark doesn’t feel as intimate as it once did.”
• “Embark just cares about being a big church now.”
• “I don’t feel connected.”
• “There are so many people that I do not know now.”

How to navigate the change:
1. We grow bigger and smaller simultaneously.  Small groups are critical to staying connected and feeling a sense of intimacy with others.  
2. Get comfortable not knowing everyone and meeting new people every week.
3. Some may choose to leave.  It will hurt and feel like rejection.  We recognize that the Church is more than just Embark.  It encompasses all churches.  

Watch our sermon series on change via the Embark app.