Are we Flourishing? Post I

I have never once, in twelve years of ministry, heard anyone ask if a church is flourishing. Inquisitive minds, church leaders and community members alike, usually wonder about the tangible things. They ask about worship attendance, budgets, giving, and program participation numbers. Sometimes they will ask about sustainability or use a language of thriving. They never wonder about flourishing.

I found myself a little disoriented when I heard this word used to describe Liberty First for the first time. In October I received an email which explained that Liberty First (represented by one layperson and one pastor) had been nominated to participate with the Texas Methodist Foundation (TMF) in a program called Wholly Faithful, Wholly Flourishing Small Churches. The disorientation was deep. Who is the TMF? Who nominated Liberty First? What are we being asked to do? Is this going to be worth our time? Are we flourishing?

The first questions that rolled through my mind were easy to satisfy. Rev. David Snipes of the United Methodist Foundation of Western North Carolina provided a positive reference for the ministry and programs of the TMF. I learned that this would be a one year cohort of small churches who are flourishing. We would gather for two in-person events and monthly Zoom meetings to develop a framework for what flourishing means and uncover the tangible elements that lead to flourishing congregations. This sounded like an incredible opportunity to contribute to the future of the United Methodist Church. But, are we flourishing?

I needed to create a working definition of flourishing. Most dictionaries will describe this word in terms of thriving or profitability. I discovered, however, that it emerges from the Latin root flos, or ‘a flower’ and can be described as ‘full of flowers’. Are we full of flowers?

I have begun to appreciate the distinction between thriving and flourishing Thriving, as I have experienced it, is centered around the idea that one can do certain things (have vision and strive for it) and be awarded by experiencing thriving. Flourishing, or being full of flowers, is much more complex.

Gardeners can, absolutely, do certain things to help create an environment for their flowers to be full of blooms. They can water, weed, and prune. In the case of Augusta National, they can even ice down the roots to help the blooms to open at the same time. At the end of the day, however, the plant is still a living being. Its flourishing, or being full of flowers, will always be a product of the relationship between itself and thee environment.

Are we flourishing? Yes! We are deeply connected to one another and the wider community, our flowers the product of this way of being. And still, the plant keeps growing. Plants don’t generally grow because they hope to get bigger, become more noticeable, or be thee envy of their neighbor. Flourishing is, in this working definition at least, a process of continuing to live well as an individual and in relationship to others.

What does this have to do with Liberty First?

It is my hope that we, over the next year, will learn to see the flowers and that the story of our being together will encourage others to find joy, peace, and hope for the future of the church.

-Blessings, Pastor Jason

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