In the midst of the excitement (and scariness) of everyone changing their congregation, we wanted to acknowledge some realities that are worth keeping in mind.

 01

Same Same

The big things are not changing. Jesus is still our King. His gospel of love and mercy is still our message and passion. His word is still our guide and we’ll preach it every week. Lost people will be saved and God will be glorified. We’re all going to keep praying, serving, repenting, encouraging, laughing and crying together. We’re still going to be the same HBC, same staff team, same values and mission.

02

Harder for Some

We’ll all have very different feelings and ways of going about the next few months, and that’s ok. It’s important that those of us who make quick decisions are patient and understanding of those who take their time. And those who value thinking things through for a long time will need to be understanding (and even thankful) for those who act swiftly.

03

Expect to Grow

Our God loves the widows and orphans. He has a welcoming heart. Our king, Jesus, died for every tribe and nation, people and language. And he taught us to look out at the harvest and pray. We love people and so we love welcoming them into our church family.

Occasionally people say that big churches must be unloving. In our own hearts we feel the fear that if more people come, I won’t matter and I won’t be cared for. Sometimes that is true. But it’s also possible to be unloved in a small group of people and to feel deeply loved in a large group. What matters is not size but our heart. Love means we want people to join and we also think and work hard to love them when they do.

04

There Is a Cost

Big plans always require an extra effort to get off the ground. It might be the cost of some close relationships, the investment of extra time, or the dollars and cents it will cost to make church happen in 2026.

While the cost might be felt different for different people, it’s right and good that we all dig deep, with thankfulness to God.

How will you decide which congregation to join? This is a big decision that everyone in our church family is going through together. Emma and I are trying to decide for our family… Praise God, they’re all good options!

We’re approaching this decision by asking three questions.

Principle 01

What’s good for the lost?

I always want to start by thinking about the people I love who need Jesus. My neighbours. My friends and family. Which campus and congregation are they most likely to go to? I want to bend over backwards for the lost person now, while there’s still time.

So if all your lost friends are up bight and early before the crack of dawn, the 8:30 service might be a good one for you to go to and invite them to join you? If they need as much time to get started in the morning as possible, maybe it’s a good idea to make 10:30 your service. If they’re always away or doing things on a Sunday morning, it might be worth re-thinking your day and making the 4pm service a thing.

Principle 02

What’s good for others?

Jesus gave us the beautiful model of looking not to our own interests but to the interests of others. This will affect our decision about which campus to join.

You might prefer one service time over another but know that a person, family or group of people will be more loved if you’re at their service. You might also choose your congregation because you can serve more helpfully there. There is the chance that we’ll “tap you on the shoulder” and ask you to join a particular congregation because your gifts and experience are really needed there.

Principle 03

What’s good for you?

It’s not wrong to ask this question! It’s great to have your own hopes and preferences. Some of us will naturally lean towards 8:30am and others to 10:30am.

It’s good to think about what will meet yours and your family’s needs. It’s good to ask your friends where they are planning to go. It will be great if we can all look forward to having some of our friends at our new congregation. Start those conversations as soon as you can!

01

The Realities

In the midst of the excitement (and scariness) of everyone changing their congregation, we wanted to acknowledge some realities that are worth keeping in mind. Read more about the realities of what this change means for church.

02

Principles for Deciding

How will you decide which congregation to join? This is a big decision that everyone in our church family is going through together. Here are three helpful questions to ask when approaching this decision.

Let Us Know

When you feel like you have a fair idea which congregation you’d like to be part of, we’d love to know.