THRESHING SESSION

In our September monthly meeting I asked the question; do we need to change? I asked this question because Ministry and Counsel has been studying a book together called Leading Congregational Change which leads a church into what we are calling transformation. Ministry and Counsel gave a demonstration of what we are learning on Sunday October 5^th for the 175^th anniversary.

In September when I asked the question about changing we had a number of different comments from people. These comments led me to suggest that we have a meeting where the congregation could express their feelings concerning the direction of the church. It is my understanding that the Quaker Expression for this kind of meeting is a “Threshing Session”. “Threshing sessions derive their name from the assumption that through them the chaff might be separated from the grain of truth, clearing the way for later action on the issue. However, no corporate decisions are made at such meetings.”

The reason I feel it is necessary for this kind of meeting is because Ministry and Counsel does not want to go in a direction that is not being understood, supported and encouraged by the meeting. It would be destructive for us to continue learning how to lead the church into this transformational process or journey if the members did not agree that they wanted to go and saw the necessity of it.

On November 9^th at our monthly meeting we will be once again asking the question of whether we, as a church, see the need to enter into this transformational journey together. Our goal will be to understand how the Lord is leading us as a congregation by listening to Him through one another. Our method for discerning His will is not to debate with one another but to enter into what we are calling a dialog kind of conversation. We will be looking to listen and learn from one another. A threshing session is not a meeting to make a decision; it is a time for us to listen to one another in order to discern the truth.

If you have questions or concerns that you don’t feel comfortable speaking, please write them out and we will read them. We are looking to understand how the meeting is thinking and feeling so that we are able to gauge what we are doing.

Blessings,

Pastor Craig Blair