Just say the words "rethink Church" and you will get a variety of responses.  If you've been coming to church for decades, you'll probably say "Please don't change my church, I like it the way it is!"  If you used to come to church, but now you don't, you might say:  "It's too late to rethink Church, you've already lost me."  If you are a young person who gets dragged to church every Sunday by your parents, you'd probably say:  "REthink Church?  Yes Please!!!"
Creating a church that meets the needs of everyone is pretty much impossible.  Church leaders often feel like they are walking a tightrope between the traditionalists on the one hand ("Don't change my church") and the progressives on the other hand ("We NEED to change or die!!!).  So what is the solution?
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowen Williams encouraged church leaders to see their ministry in terms of (what he called) the "mixed economy".  In short, rather than churches trying to create one gathering that meets everyone's needs (call it Church A) they instead create multiple, alternative expressions of church alongside Church A (we'll call them Church B).  Church B looks different than Church A:  they may meet at a different time, in a different place, under different leadership, with a different style.  However, Church A and Church B continue to exist in a supportive relationship with each other.  This is the Mixed Economy of Church.  Not "either/or" but "both/and".  Join us this morning we discuss how St. J & B needs to move toward this model of ministry if we want to preserve our wonderful tradition but also continue to reach new people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Do you "work to live?"  Or, do you "live to work?"  Which ever category you fall into, perhaps there is a better way to understand our relationship between faith and work.  The answer is found in the word "Vocation".  A vocation is far more than a job, it is the work we do in response to God's call in our lives.  


Today we ask the questions:  Is my work a vocation?  How is my work connected to God's work?  Does my work count for anything?  Will any of the work I do outlast my life?  Join us this Sunday as we conclude our four week study of The Connected Life.