Building into a new Church generation
Generous Kingdom thinking enables church legacy to continue
Jason Rivers
Special to Spur Ottawa
Many older church congregations in Canada are struggling to get by. They often own buildings with a long history of use for the Kingdom, but their small congregations struggle to afford the upkeep. As funds run out, churches often sell their facility to developers or community groups that repurpose the property for secular use. Others, however, are finding creative and generous ways to carry on the property’s Kingdom legacy.
Greenbank Community Church was a church of a few strong and faithful Christians. Planted in 1961, they had a long-established building and a heart for the local community. Sadly, by 2012, when Pastor Ken Hall stepped in to help while they searched for a full-time pastor, their outlook was bleak.
Hall had been studying how to pastor the small church. He knew the chances of turning things around were low. Mergers often struggle as people try to hold onto their church history. The group of baby boomers was struggling to keep young people involved.
“Every time we had a group of young people that might be a constituency for church renewal, once they would graduate high school and a youth church opened up, they all disappeared,” Hall says. “We didn’t have any resident young people that could be raised up and brought into leadership.”
“The look on his face was absolutely stunned.”
Yet, amid the situation, Hall had an idea.
Over in Ottawa’s east end, another team was just starting a church. The new Vineyard group met in homes every second Monday night.
“Our team was seeking the Lord regularly about what neighbourhood in the east end was going to be our mission field, because we really do believe in geography, in taking a neighbourhood,” explains Vineyard team member Richard Long.
Surprisingly, despite their prayers, they felt no answer from God. Looking back, Long says there was a good reason: God had something else in mind.
Hall and Long had a friendship going back 25 years, with the older Hall often mentoring Long. So when Long shared their plans, Hall joked that they should plant the church in Ottawa’s west end, using the Greenbank facility.
“Greenbank Church had been believing God that He had a future for that church and ministry in the community.”
“Richard couldn’t see it himself, but the look on his face was absolutely stunned,” Hall recounts. “He said, ‘We’ll need to pray about that for a while.’”
After several months’ prayer, the Vineyard team was confident this was a “God idea”.
Hall had already presented the challenges of continuing to the Greenbank congregation. Now, with the Vineyard team’s willingness, he presented his idea to the congregation.
The proposal was this: The Greenbank Community Church would officially close. The Vineyard team would assume responsibility for the building and formally plant their church. But the two groups would also form a relationship and the Greenbank congregation would be welcomed into the new Vineyard church.
The final confirmation that God was at work came when they tallied the congregational votes about the transfer—they were all unanimous.
Leading up to the transition, the Vineyard elders and worship team joined the rotation to lead Sunday services, as the Greenbank congregation closed. The process helped foster the relationship with the giving congregation, many of whom chose to join the new Vineyard group.
Reflecting on the process, Hall says the most important thing was to “be patient and wait on the Lord. The people at Greenbank Church had been believing God that He had a future for that church and ministry in the community. They were so faithful and so committed to believing God. Don’t get anxious or jump because of pressure. Wait on the Lord.”
Vineyard Ottawa Church officially launched in January, starting with about 70 people and has grown steadily since. On May 13 they are hosting a worship evening as part of a celebration and commissioning weekend, with a commissioning service the morning of May 14.
Similar Articles
Pastoring from the field
Establishing trust and relevance are two of the biggest hurdles for the Church in 21st century, post-Christian Canada. Starting his ministry in the small town of Almonte, Matt Dyck knew he had to be visible in […]
Bethel baptizes 13 people during pandemic
“God doesn’t stop working, He is still saving!” That is the testimony Rob Olson will remember when the pandemic has past. Nothing can stop the life-changing power of the cross […]
More than swaddling clothes
When most people think of missions, baby blankets aren’t the first thing that come to mind. A few years ago, on a medical mission trip to Malawi, Dr. Robert Yelle saw how much the simple gift of a baby blanket can mean. Yelle was helping a local physician set up a rural […]
Wrong number leads to faith
Terry Orchard knows that if you want to be in step with God, you have to be ready to change your plans and seize the opportunities He brings. So when someone called his church by accident […]
Workplace Network puts faith to work
What’s for lunch? Once a month, from March to May, the Workplace Network will serve a hearty meal of thought-provoking content from guest speakers, with a side of discussion groups. These interactive luncheon seminars aim to […]
The God who answers prayer…again
Several weeks ago Spur Ottawa ran an article highlighting how God answers prayer and challenging readers to share stories of what God has done in their lives. Here is an encouraging testimony one reader sent in […]