We don’t usually think of the Bible as a place where we’d find opinion polls. In most cases, opinions don’t count in scripture. God commands and creatures respond. Seldom does God consider public opinion before making a judgement. That’s not to say that God doesn’t listen; God hears the intercessions of Moses in the wake of Israel’s rebellion (Exodus 32:7-90) and considers the queries of Abraham regarding the possibility of righteous individuals coexisting with the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:22-33). However, the instances where God solicits opinions are few and far between.

One notable exception is found in Mark 8:27-30 and parallels where Jesus asks his disciples to gauge public opinion concerning his ministry. “Who do people say I am?” he asks. The disciples respond with what they’ve heard on the street: John the Baptist; Elijah; one of the other prophets. Then Jesus probes the hearts and minds of his disciples, asking, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter, of course, makes his statement of faith, “You are the Messiah.” Peter’s reaction seems to determine what Jesus says next. Realizing that the disciples will probably misinterpret the nature of Jesus’ lordship, he foretells his death and resurrection the first time. Here opinion dictates the direction of Jesus’ ministry.

Your opinion is important to the way we conduct ministry here at St. Timothy too. Many of you have responded to the Mutual Ministry Committee’s request to evaluate our staff. Each year this group of dedicated volunteers sends out questionnaires regarding the performance of our musician, secretary, and yours truly, eliciting your opinions about how we do ministry. Your opinions matter, and we are guided by your assessment of our work in our service to God and this congregation.

Because your opinions matter, I’m hoping to find out what you think about directions our ministry may take in the coming years. Church life has changed greatly over the years, and it’s important that St. Timothy respond to these changes. Programs that worked 60, 20, or even 5 years ago may no longer serve the needs of the congregation, grow the church, or glorify God. Over the next year or so, we will be looking for your input. We’ll start with young families – those who attend the 9:00 service and hang out in the SonRise Bistro afterwards. We’re going to try to utilize Survey Monkey or another online resource to survey respondents. Shortly thereafter, we’ll widen the range of questions to the whole congregation. Please think and pray on what is your vision for ministry at St. Timothy; with God’s guidance, we’ll follow Christ into the future.

In Jesus’ name,

Pastor Robert M. Mountenay