Companies like 23andMe will analyze a person’s DNA to help them understand what people groups they came from, who they are connected to and thereby provide some context for a person’s life. The desire for this information reminds us that most people have a desire to know where they came from, who they are and why they are here. This self-awareness is unique to humans because God has “put eternity in our hearts,” according to Ecclesiastes 3:11. We want to know where we fit, if we have a purpose for being here and what comes after “this.” Without a context and purpose, it is very easy to lose our way. That is true for organizations like local churches too. Do we know where we came from, who we are and why we are here? Would it make any difference if we didn’t have answers to those questions? Yes. The answer is yes. The decline of a local church is often the result of “missional creep.” In other words, people lose sight of the mission a little bit at a time and eventually they are either no longer a church by definition or they no longer exist. It happens thousands of times a year around the world. This Sunday we’re planning to take a look back, a look at the present and a look ahead in an effort to stay on mission for the glory of God and the good of the people entrusted to our care…and yes, it means change. 😊.