WHY CHANGE A GOOD CHURCH?
Trinity Presbyterian Church

Satellite Beach, FL

Throughout its 40-plus years, Trinity Presbyterian Church has been an outstanding congregation; its members faithfully sharing the love of Jesus Christ with each other and with neighbors near and far. The Trinity church family has been known for its warm hugs, for its inclusion of contemporary music in worship, and for its passion for sharing the gospel. Considered to be one of the "flagship" churches of Central Florida Presbytery, the congregation doubled in size from 1985-1994. An ambitious five-year strategic plan for growth was adopted in 1996.

Yet by the end of 1997, the pastors began wrestling with unsettling questions. In a church that held up high expectations, why were such a small percentage of members seeking to grow through classes or small groups? Why were many new members "falling through the cracks" within a year of joining the church? The fear wasn't that Trinity wouldn't grow in size, rather, that numerical growth would actually weaken the significance of the congregation for its members, and that few newcomers showed signs of spiritual growth. While feeling blessed to pastor a strong congregation of the Presbyterian Church, USA, the pastors couldn't help wondering, "Is this as good as it gets?"

While on a family vacation visiting Methodist relatives in Lake Junaleska, North Carolina, Pastor Michael Carey saw the book "Purpose Driven Church" in the conference center bookstore. He had heard of Rick Warren previously, but had stereotyped this Baptist mega-church pastor as one who distorted the gospel in order to facilitate "church growth".

However, reading "Purpose Driven Church" changed that false impression. Michael was fascinated by the story of how Rick Warren, a Southern Baptist, began a new church in southern California with a determination not to replicate Southern Baptist church culture. Rather, Warren sought to start a congregation that would bear witness to the essentials of Baptist theology without importing cultural baggage that could be a barrier to Californians. Particularly attractive was Warren's insight that church growth happens naturally, if the church is faithful in proclaiming the good news of Christ, and effective at removing the cultural and organizational barriers that often impede the fulfillment of the basic biblical purposes of worship, mission, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry. Michael began to muse over the possibility of trying to incorporate the purpose driven model into a Presbyterian congregation. He was particularly excited about the possibility of developing a strategy for reaching unchurched persons, while providing a path for significant spiritual growth.

In January of 1998, Michael sequestered himself in an oceanfront office for prayer and reflection. Gazing out on the sunny ocean vista, he concluded that God was calling him to invite Trinity's leadership to explore the possibility of changing the way that we strive to be a covenant family where people of all ages are brought to a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, are nurtured to maturity, and equipped to share God's grace and love. (Mission Statement-at the time.)

Trinity's other ministry staff and lay leadership agreed to explore the implications of such a journey. Acknowledging that "the good can be the enemy of the best", they sent Michael and the Associate Pastor Chris Romig to the 3-day "Purpose-Driven Church" training conference held on-site at Saddleback Church, in Orange County, California.

This was truly a watershed experience. While recognizing theological differences, and acknowledging stylistic elements more appropriate to southern California, Michael and Chris felt a sense of confirmation that the purpose-driven paradigm addressed many of the core issues they were struggling to resolve at Trinity. (For differences, see "Ways We're Not Like Saddleback!")

Flying back to Florida, the pastors were brimming with ideas for positive changes at Trinity. However, more significantly, they sought to enlist Trinity's leadership in a commitment to embark on a journey towards the goal of becoming Purpose Driven Presbyterians! After prayer and discussion, Trinity's elders and ministry staff decided to set sail. Though the transition is never really over, they are grateful that the Holy Spirit has taken them a long way towards their goal. Read more about the journey at www.trinitypres.net