Why I serve on the Great Commission Committee
By Rick Wright
Serving on a church committee: several different reactions come to my mind. The first, to be honest, can be serving out of a sense of duty because the actual committee meeting is not exactly exciting. Another reaction is that the people on the committee can be really nice and enjoyable, so in spite of the content the time can be enjoyable. Worst case scenario is a committee that has a lot of politics and conflict, which is awful. However, sometimes the committee has both wonderful people and meaningful, exciting content, which is the best of both worlds.
That is why I continue to serve on the Great Commission Committee (GCC). I have more than enough responsibilities in my role as an associate pastor at a large church, so I am not in need of another committee/board to serve on. I serve on the GCC because, as far as a committee goes, it is the best of both worlds. The people on the GCC all love Jesus Christ, are thoroughly committed to serving Him and the Church, love the lost and want the Gospel to be heard by them, and are just really interesting people. I have known some of them for years, and am getting to know the newer members. So the time of fellowship and conversations are great.
But the content, our mission and ministry, is all wrapped in why I am a Christian and a pastor. We are all about Jesus, His Kingdom, spreading the good news of the Gospel, and caring for those in our churches. At our GCC monthly meetings we spend our time talking, praying and working to planting churches and support our existing congregations. We do this with an eye on individual people; church planters, people who do not know Christ in cities and towns in our Diocese, and our brothers and sisters in fellow diocesan congregations. So we are not ‘institutional’ in our thinking and praying, but Jesus and people centered. Which makes it very personal and rewarding.
My interest and involvement in church planting started about eleven years ago. When we left The Episcopal Church we were able to start engaging in church planting at The Falls Church Anglican. Not that it was a deliberate, well thought out plan. Our first church plant of this new era was David Glade, who after serving as a ‘Rector in Training’ for three years said he felt called to plant a church in Alexandria. We hadn’t expected or planned that, the Lord spoke to David about it, and off he, and we went.
Over the next ten years, The Falls Church was able to train, equip and deploy a number of wonderful young men who have planted churches within our Diocese. The fruit of their ministries has been remarkable and wonderful to see. It has also been life giving to the parish. We have had many members leave the ‘mother church’ to plant these new churches, and they have been excited and happy to be part of the Lord’s new work in their community. I, and the parish, have seen the Kingdom of God growing in very tangible ways, which is very rewarding.
In addition to working with such amazing people and the reward of participating in meaningful ministry, being engaged in church planting and the serving on the GCC is also very interesting intellectually. There is the theological side of these discussions and work, which I have always enjoyed. Then the people side also has the capacity of infinite complexity and change. Church planting is all about the church planter, which involves recruiting, selection, training, and deployment; those components all must be facilitated with discernment, wisdom and skill. For the practically minded parking, finances, and ‘getting the word out’ all come to the fore. So it is a fascinating blend of theology, pastoral care and emotional intelligence, teaching and coaching, demographics, etc. If you ever get the opportunity to serve on the GCC I would encourage to seriously pray about it!
The Rev. Rick Wright is Director of Congregational Care at The Falls Church Anglican, Falls Church, VA.