Pastor Scott Wilson says he was taken aback when the mayor of his town came to him and told him his church was hurting the community. This confused Wilson, because his church served the community a lot: But therein lay the problem.
“I just want you to know, you have a horrible reputation in our community,” Wilson says the mayor told him. ” … What was the last time you thought about what you can do with us? Think about this. You guys have come in the last two years, and done a fall festival that had thousands and thousands at it. Do you realize that for the last 60 years in this community, we’ve had a fall festival every year? And for the last two years, we’ve had like 20 people show up because they’re all at your thing. And now our tradition is gone.”
Although the mayor’s phone call surprised Wilson, he decided to think and pray about it.
“I was a little frustrated, went back to the office and prayed and just said, ‘God, what do You want me to do?'” Wilson continued. “And I felt like the Lord said, ‘How did I come among you? I came as Immanuel, God who was with you; I came among you and walked with you.’ So I felt like the Lord told me I needed to start walking in relationship instead of my wins being defined by ‘Did we meet needs, and did we do what we wanted to accomplish?'”
That encounter with the mayor led to Wilson being more intentional about working together with the community, rather than separately, he says on The Influencers Podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network.
“Together, we can do more,” Wilson says. “Even the people of our church, this isn’t just about us. This is about the part we play in the greater kingdom of God, and in community engagement.”
To listen to the entire episode, titled It’s Time to Change How We Do Community Relationship, click here.
