WELCOME
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
Church family. As we gather today, we come not just to sing or to listen, but to seek the presence of God together. This morning in our message time, we’re going to look back over a specific 3 yr. Time period to hear from a group of our own who has been learning, listening, and preparing and they would be the first to tell you that through it all, one truth has stayed the same:
We need God’s presence more than our plans.
We need His Spirit more than our strategies.So this morning, we come as a people who are hungry, hungry for His presence, hungry for His renewing work, hungry to hear what He wants to say to our church in this moment.
Psalm 105:4 says, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually.” That’s our prayer today, that as we worship, the Spirit of God would meet us here, renew our hearts, and lead us as one body, one family, one church.
Let’s begin this time by remembering His faithfulness, because when we look back, we see His goodness written all over our story.
So, with thankful hearts, lets lift our voices and declare together: “All my life You have been faithful.”
Church, lets worship with “Goodness of God.”
Songs
Prayer
CONFESSION:
Gracious God, You have been faithful to Your people through every generation, guiding, providing, and renewing Your Church. And yet, Lord, we confess that we do not always follow where You lead. We confess that we have sometimes trusted our own strength more than Your Spirit.
We’ve made plans without waiting for Your voice, and we’ve moved ahead when You were calling us to be still. Forgive us, Lord, for the moments we have grown weary in faith, for the times we have let fear or frustration shape our choices, and for when we have forgotten that You are the true head of Your Church.
Renew our hearts, O God. Restore our first love. Teach us to depend not on what we can do, but on who You are. Breathe new life into this congregation, that we might be a people of prayer, humility, and hope.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE:
As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” So, friends in Christ, receive this assurance: You are forgiven, You are loved, and You are invited to walk forward in grace.
Renewed for Purpose
Becoming a Healthy Church
Today's Message: Pastor Dave Page
Looking Back with Gratitude
Good morning, church family.
Before we look ahead to what God is calling us to do next, I want us to take a few minutes to look back. Because sometimes, the best way to see where God is leading is to notice how far He’s already brought us. As some of you know, for the past three years we’ve been part of a Revitalization Cohort through the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec — the CBOQ.
We’ve journeyed alongside four other churches from across our region, churches a lot like ours, asking similar questions:
- What does it mean to be a faithful church in this new cultural moment?
• How do we engage a community that’s changed so much in the last decade?
• And how do we build a ministry that’s sustainable — not just busy, but fruitful — for the next generation?
Over these three years, we’ve been learning, listening, and experimenting. We’ve been reading, reflecting, and praying, sometimes celebrating, sometimes struggling.
It’s been stretching and encouraging all at once.
And today, as we launch this short two-week series called “Renewed for Purpose,” we’re taking a moment to say, “God, thank You for what You’ve taught us. Now show us how to live it.”
Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:3–6; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27
Philippians 1:3–6;
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 12:12–27
Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Let’s start with these words from the Apostle Paul:
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel… being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
That’s the tone I want for today, joy and confidence. We’re not at the finish line, but we are further along the road. God has been doing a good work among us. And I believe He’s just getting started.
What the Journey Taught Us
Over these three years, our team has learned a lot, some lessons we expected, some we didn’t.
First, We Learned That Health Is Spiritual Before It’s Structural
You know, one of the biggest lessons we’ve learned in this three-year revitalization journey is that health always starts in the heart — not in the handbook.
We often want to fix things by changing a program, adjusting a system, or reorganizing a schedule. But real church health doesn’t begin with structure, it begins with Spirit. Healthy systems flow from healthy souls and when the soul of a congregation is in step with the Spirit of God, the rest follows. This truth comes through clearly in Revelation 2, when Jesus speaks to the church in Ephesus.
Listen to what He says:
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people… Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:2–5, NIV)
Think about that. The Ephesian church had structure. They had solid theology, hard work, and perseverance. If you looked at their ministry calendar, it was full. If you listened to their doctrine, it was sound. But something was missing: love.
Their outward order hid an inward drift. Jesus doesn’t tell them to start a new program or hold a better meeting. He tells them to return to their first love. Because that’s where renewal always begins, not in systems, but in spirit.
Applying It to Us
That’s exactly what we’ve been learning through this revitalization process.
We’ve looked at our structures, committees, leadership roles, communication systems, and those things matter. But unless our hearts are urning for God and one another as His Church, none of the rest will bring health.
- Healthy churches are prayerful churches.
- Healthy churches handle conflict with grace.
- Healthy churches speak truth in love.
- Healthy churches cultivate gratitude, humility, and hope.
That’s the spiritual soil where renewal grows.
We can redesign every system in the church, but if we don’t return to our first love, to Jesus Himself, it won’t last. So, before we talk about any program or strategy, we start here:
“Lord, renew our love for You and for one another.”
Because when the spiritual heart of the church beats strong, the structural body of the church will find its rhythm again.
Second, We Learned That the Church Is a Living System
One of the most helpful things we discovered during this three-year journey through our reading, reflection, and conversations in the CBOQ Revitalization Cohort is this idea that the church is not just an organization; it’s a living system.
Now, what does that mean?
It means we’re not a machine that you can fix by swapping out a few parts. We’re more like a body, connected, relational, emotional, and spiritual, where every part affects every other part.
That’s the language Peter Steinke uses in his book Healthy Congregations. He says
A congregation is an emotional and spiritual system, made up of relationships, reactions, and patterns that shape how we live together. In other words, if one person or one group in the system is anxious, that anxiety spreads.
But the opposite is also true, when someone chooses calm, grace, and faith, that also spreads.
Steinke writes,
“Anxiety is contagious, but so is hope.”
He reminds us that churches, like families, have emotional climates. And those climates, whether peaceful or tense, have a huge influence on how well we handle challenges or change. So, when we talk about church health, we’re not just talking about theology or programs, we’re talking about emotional maturity.
Healthy congregations, Steinke says, have leaders and members who can stay centered, calm, and connected even when the temperature rises, and the temperature of the world and culture around us is certainly rising, isn’t it?
He calls this being “self-differentiated.” It means knowing who you are, staying grounded in your faith, and choosing to respond rather than react. That’s powerful stuff. Because let’s be honest, when things get tense in church life, our first instinct is often to react. We get defensive, or discouraged, or we retreat.
Steinke challenges us to slow down, breathe, pray, and respond with maturity. That’s what healthy people do, and that’s what healthy systems do.
Numbers 13–14 (The Israelites at the Edge of the Promised Land)
Let me give you a really powerful example from Scripture.
The story of the Israelites – Exodus —> Promised Land this is in Numbers 13 and 14.
God brings His people right up to the edge of the Promised Land, but when the spies come back with news of giants, fear spreads like wildfire through the camp. In a matter of hours, an entire nation that had seen God part the Red Sea is ready to turn around and go back to Egypt. That’s how systems work, anxiety spreads faster than truth when people stop trusting God.
But notice something else: a few leaders, Joshua and Caleb, choose faith instead. They stand up in the middle of the anxiety and say, “Do not be afraid… the Lord is with us.” (Numbers 14:9) They model what Steinke calls “non-anxious presence.” They stay calm in a storm of fear, and they speak faith when others speak panic. That’s what healthy systems with healthy leadership looks like, not reacting but responding from a place of trust in God.
And that’s what God is teaching us as a congregation, too.
Through our revitalization cohort, we’ve learned that we don’t just want to be a busy church, we want to be a balanced church. A church that handles conflict well. A church that listens before it speaks. A church that chooses calm over chaos, and connection over control. Because healthy systems, like healthy people, don’t avoid tension; they grow through it.
Growth and responding to cultural change is going to create tension, naturally. But a Church that trusts God knows that God often uses moments of discomfort to bring growth and transformation. So, as we move forward, we want to continue to cultivate that kind of health here, a spirit of calm, grace, and trust that spreads through every relationship, every meeting, every ministry.
We want to be a congregation where hope is contagious.
And third, we’ve realized that the environment around us has changed.
We’re not ministering in the same world as ten or even five years ago. Attendance patterns have shifted, 50, 65 now 100 – 110 volunteers are stretched thin, the economy out there is in decline, so our tithing is not always keeping up with our needs. The people are different and different people have different expectations.
Our community is different – people from all over the world are moving to this region. Tremendous change for oh so many of us creates tension and sometimes anxiety. That’s not a reason for fear, it’s an opportunity for imagination. – amplify this AMEN!!
It means God is calling us to find fresh ways to connect, to serve, to speak good news.
What the Assessment Revealed
As part of this process, we completed what’s called our Church Pulse Assessment. It helped us get a snapshot of our current health, where we’re strong, and where we need to grow.
Here’s what we found, in simple terms:
Strengths to celebrate:
- We are a deeply caring congregation — people show up for one another.
- We have a faithful core — folks who love Jesus and keep showing up, week after week.
- And we have real resilience — we’ve weathered change and kept going.
Areas for growth:
- Mission engagement — reconnecting with our neighbourhood in ways that fit today’s needs.
- Leadership development — helping new people step up and lead with confidence.
- Communication clarity — making sure everyone understands why we’re doing what we’re doing.
None of that is bad news, it’s good data. It’s God showing us exactly where to focus next.
1 Corinthians 12:12–27
Paul says the church is like a human body: “Though one, it has many parts; but all its many parts form one body.” And he says, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” Friends, that’s what we’ve been learning. The health of the church isn’t about any one ministry or person, it’s about how the parts work together.
Our assessment helped us see where the body is strong, where it’s a little stiff, and where it needs exercise. The good news? We’ve got all the parts we need, however, because we find ourselves in a new and different time we just need to strengthen the connections between those parts.
What This Means for Us — Taking the Baton and Moving Forward
So, what does all of this mean for us, right now? It means the cohort was preparation, not the finish line. For three years we’ve listened, learned, and grown and God has used that time to prepare us for this next chapter. But now, church, it’s our turn, the rest of us. The cohort team has done faithful work, praying, reflecting, studying, and assessing. They’ve helped us see who we are, what’s working, and where God might be inviting renewal.
But renewal can’t stay in a report. It must take root in the congregation, in us.
Hebrews 12:1–2 — Running Our Race Together
The writer of Hebrews gives us this picture of faith: “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
We’re part of that same story; a 202-year story of God’s faithfulness to this congregation. That’s what we celebrate this month, specifically next week!
Generations before us have run their leg of the race faithfully. They built, served, and gave so that we could be here today. And now, the baton is in our hands. The cloud of witnesses, the saints, pastors, and members who’ve gone before us, are cheering us on, saying, “Now it’s your turn. Keep running. Keep trusting. Keep loving Him – Jesus.”
It’s Our Turn to Run
The question for us isn’t, “Will renewal happen?” The question is, “Will we run our race with the same faith, perseverance, and love that brought us here?” That’s what this next chapter is all about. It’s about each of us finding our place in the story, our role, our rhythm, our part to play in what God is doing next.
And here’s the good news: we don’t run alone. We run together, one body, many parts, one Spirit, one mission. So, as we close today, picture a relay race, one runner passing the baton to the next. There’s that moment of overlap, both runners holding the baton for just a second before one releases and the other takes hold.
That’s the moment we’re in right now.
Our revitalization cohort is about to release the baton, and our leadership, our entire congregation is about to take hold. The handoff is happening, right here, right now. And the next leg of the race is about to begin.
Stay Tuned — Next Week
Next Sunday, we’ll talk about what that next leg looks like. We’ll talk about what it looks like to move from reflection to action from “What have we learned?” to “What will we do?”
We’ll explore how renewal becomes mission; how prayer turns into purpose, how spiritual gifts come alive, and how every single person in this church can take part in God’s renewal movement.
Because the real work of revitalization, the joyful, hands-on, Spirit-led work, begins now. So stay tuned. Pray this week. Ask God, “What’s my part in this story?” And come ready next Sunday, because we’re going to talk about how to run together.
Prayer
Gracious and faithful God, we pause in gratitude for the journey You’ve led us on.
Over these past three years, You have carried us , teaching, shaping, and preparing us for this very moment. You’ve opened our eyes to our strengths and our needs, to the places where Your Spirit has been quietly at work, and to the areas where You’re calling us to grow.
We thank You for the gift of learning, for the wisdom gained through our revitalization cohort, for the honesty of our reflections, and for the courage of those who have led the way.
But today, Lord, we sense that something new is beginning. The season of preparation is coming to a close. The baton is about to be passed, from a small group who has carried it faithfully, to all of us who will hold it together.
Give us courage, Lord, to run with faith and endurance the race marked out for us. Lord Jesus, keep our eyes fixed on you, the author, the finisher, and the center of our faith. Renew in us the same love that first called this church into being over two centuries ago. Make us one body, healed, humble, and ready for Your purpose.
Thank You for beginning a good work in us and thank You for promising to bring it to completion. Remind us that You have prepared us for renewal, and now You are inviting us to live it.
As we leave this place today, help us not to rush into activity, but to rest in prayer to listen for Your Spirit and ask, “Lord, what comes next for me? What part do I play in this story You’re still writing?” Because, Lord, the best chapters of this church’s story are still unwritten, and we believe You are already holding the pen.
Prepare our hearts for next week, as we gather again to learn what it means to run this race together, to move from preparation to participation, from reflection to renewal. All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Teacher, and the One who still leads His Church.
Amen.
Song
Benediction
Go now in the peace of Christ, remembering that the same God who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. The baton has been passed run with faith, love, and perseverance.
And as you go, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.