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Inside Sojourn
Why Would Sojourn Launch In New Albany? And Why Should One Campus Support Another?
January 27, 2010 by BryceButler
Filed under Pastor's Blog
Executive Pastor Bryce Butler answered a couple provocative and popular questions about Sojourn’s upcoming vision campaign in the new Inside Sojourn podcast episode. Listen for free at iTunes and other podcast directories. In five minutes, Pastor Bryce answers:
- Why would members of Sojourn East participate in a campaign to purchase the former St. Vincent’s Cathedral in Shelby Park/Germantown?
- Why is Sojourn planning to establish a campus across the river from Louisville in New Albany, Indiana?
Get Inside Sojourn on iTunes Here
(if you subscribe to the free Inside Sojourn podcast in iTunes but do not see the episode yet in the contents page, simply click “refresh” in the lower right hand corner of the Inside Sojourn contents page).
This 11-track collection of aesthetically diverse songs of faith, pain, longing and reflection based on the Psalms features worship music by Sojourn community members Mike Cosper, Rebecca Dennison and Jeremy Quillo.
Bobby,
Thank you for Inside Sojourn. I enjoy the openess of communication from the elders about what we are doing as a church.
Our family has worshiped regularly at Sojourn Germantown now for over 2 years. I am a lifetime churchgoer and have found a renewed sense of worship there that I had lost attending traditional churches.
Trying to define exactly what I have found at Sojourn that works for me, the difference seems to be the “intimacy”, if you will, of the church family and the genuine passion to make the faith and community of the 1st century work in the 21st century; without excuses, without modesty.
Which leads to the current topic of expansion–
The branching out to the East End, and now the consideration of New Albany seems completely in sync with the mission of Sojourn–a horizontal planting of local community ministries that use the successful blueprint of Germantown to spread the words and deeds of Christ within those communities (my interpretation). Paul was never shy to point out the expectation for one church community to reach out and support the other–what could be more fundamental to the rise of Christianity?
However, (there’s always a however in blog comments) the proposed purchase of the St. Vincent building seems somewhat in contrast to the success formula of Sojourn. While there is no question, multiple services place a burden on the pastoral staff, it does allow the smaller group intimacy that is difficult if not impossible to maintain in larger formats. What’s too big? I have no idea. But, is the St. Vincent building a good use of a million dollars or so (which is a minimum of what it would take to purchase and make it habitable)?
Or, is the success formula of Sojourn a continual horizontal planting of community churches and groups making an impact where they live; knowing that with each planting more seats open at the 930 to facilitate new local memberships?
Just observations from a loving friend and constituent that lives in Fern Creek and knows what it takes to drive to a different community to find my place in worship. Spoken in love…………peace