The Changing Seasons and the Life of Our Church

We’ve arrived at the season of the year—fall—that is filled with transitions. Fall is associated with change. The seasons and weather change; it’s my favorite. With the changing weather come changing colors, coffee flavors, and aromas. Since ancient times, fall has been associated with work: the harvest comes in the fall, yielding its fruit as the Thanksgiving holiday draws near. The vacation cycle winds down, the academic cycle begins afresh, and business planning cycles turn toward execution. Fall is a time for shedding and releasing, but also for preparation for closure. It is a season of homecoming and gathering as daylight recedes and the nights grow longer.

Because of the hustle and busyness of the season, however, fall can be a time when reflection is lacking, promises go unrealized, regrets begin to mount, and our relationship with God moves to the periphery of our lives. Our faith, character, and lives drift into the wayward and polluted seas of uncertainty, discontent, self-indulgence, entitlement, and selfishness.

Nevertheless, a thoughtful local church sustains healthy rhythms. Most churches, whether intentionally or not, have annual rhythms that anchor their preaching, Christian education, events, and discipleship. For us at Metro, our vision for 2026 developed throughout the year, culminates this season, and prepares us for the year ahead as the current year comes to a close. As a church body nearing 800 total congregants, it is vitally important that Metro prepare its people thematically throughout the year for worship, discipleship, and healthy church life—unto renewal, greater ownership of the church, and the honor of God. By now, anyone attending our church can recognize that Metro is experiencing a unique—unprecedented—season of growth and change.

With that in mind, a person can maintain two postures as a witness and participant in the movement of our body. The first is a posture of compromise; the second is a posture of faithfulness. The first is driven by spiritual drift away from the Father; the second by spiritual renewal toward him. We give into compromise when our distractions and desires become barriers to intimacy with God (Matthew 13:22). However, we grow in faithfulness to the Lord and his church when the gospel leads us to repentance and renewed intimacy with him (Joshua 24:14-15).

The gospel of Jesus Christ speaks to both postures. Contrary to a spirit of compromise, the gospel speaks directly to the idols of our hearts and holds us accountable. What drives our compromise? Are we distracted by cravings for acceptance, intimacy, wholeness in our families, or success in our educational paths and careers? Are we less willing to be generous because we lack control over our spending, or because money and status have come to define our sense of worth? Conversely, what drives our faithfulness? Are we being shaped by the beauty and work of Jesus on the cross? Are we repentant over our lack of love for Jesus amid the pressures and distractions of everyday life?

The church is a spiritual birthing, mission, and discipleship center (Matthew 28:18-20). Part of its calling, therefore, is to provide a comprehensive approach that leads both the person who has compromised and the person who has remained steadfast toward greater renewal and intimacy with God. Throughout this year in our church, our church has focused on several macro-themes and corresponding “streams” of renewal toward the long-term ends of worshipping the Lord well, making disciples, cultivating healthy church life, and advancing the honor of God. Each person in our church can commit to participating in at least one of these streams, but they are meant to form a holistic “diet” rather than a mere collection of standalone appetizers. When taken together, they allow us to experience the beauty of belonging in Christ’s church.

One of the macro-themes speaks directly against spiritual drift (Hebrews 2:1). Spiritual drift is a gradual movement of the heart away from a steadfast faith, hope, love, and obedience to the Lord, not through an intentional choice to reject or rebel against God, but through neglect, distraction, and misplaced loves that feed unbelief. The book of Exodus teaches us about spiritual slavery and Christ as our Savior and Lord, but it also leads us into lessons about what it means to worship God. Our Exodus sermon series, therefore, intersects with the theme of spiritual drift throughout the early fall months, culminating in our first-ever congregational RE:NEW Conference, which focuses specifically on what it means to battle spiritual drift. What an incredible lineup of speakers, breakout seminars, and conference content for everyone ages two and older. This season, we pray for a deepened love for Jesus as we hear God speak to his people through the Scriptures, repent of our sins, respond in worship, and love one another.

Another macro-theme focuses on our response to the saving work of Jesus, beginning with a sermon series on Christ our Savior and Lord during Advent and continuing with lessons on the attributes of God in the new year. Beholding and reflecting on the beauty of Jesus and the saving love of God our Father inevitably leads us to worship. As a result, after Easter 2027, we intend to turn to the Psalms as we explore the various dimensions of worship—demonstrated in our church’s weekly worship service. Like the many facets of a diamond, these dimensions are distinct yet integrally joined together for the unified local body to experience and enjoy. We pray for an increased commitment to worship faithfully as a body and to deepen our intimacy with the Lord as one church, knowing that the very acts of worship and obedience to the Lord teach us lessons about faith and the Christian life that a lifetime of books and classes alone may never show us (Acts 2:42-47).

In concert with community groups, the robust fellowships in our church, and our outreach to East Falls and beyond, we are also learning what it means to be a renewed body in Christ. There is union with Christ, but there is also communion within the body of Christ through relationships joined together in fellowship, equipping, training, and works of service. Our Adult Christian Education courses seek to deepen our transformation in Christ “by the renewal of the mind” (Romans 12:2). We pray for the renewal of the body toward deeper commitment to and ownership of the body together.

In these changing seasons, then, we consider our own growth and transformation as a body. Having just passed our fourteenth birthday as a church, Metro is entering its “adolescent” years. This can be an awkward stage in the life of the church, much as a child entering into the teenage years experiences growing pains. What, then, does it mean for each of us to grow healthily within a rapidly changing church? I offer several pieces of practical counsel:

1. Plug into a community group. As the late Timothy Keller observed about churches our size, “The primary circle of belonging becomes the small group fellowship.”
2. Join and contribute to at least one affinity group. This may be a fellowship group organized around life stage or a ministry in which you can explore and use your gifts. In other words, Sunday services are necessary, but certainly not sufficient for overall spiritual health.
3. Pursue excellence in whatever ministry you join. Whether you support the worship team, assist in Crossroads Fellowship with our children, serve as a parking attendant, or participate in an Adult Christian Education course, do it with zeal and excellence. Every function is interwoven with others to contribute to the health of the body.
4. Take ownership of this local body. If you profess love for this community, receive nourishment through its many layers of discipleship—worship, preaching, teaching, pastoring, mentorship, community groups, fellowships, and ministries—and regularly experience renewal within these layers, then commit to giving faithfully to sustain its work and service. Cultivate a sacrificial attitude of the heart out of a love for Jesus and his church.
5. Help keep one another connected and welcome others in. Opt in to our weekly newsletter and join at least one of the social media platforms through which we regularly communicate with our congregation. Sunday worship announcements cannot sustain an exhaustive list of everything happening within our community, so each of us bears some responsibility for remaining connected and helping others—particularly folks who are new—do the same.

This changing season is a microcosm for the larger season of change that our church is experiencing. With the growth in size come changes in complexity, formality, and demographics—and these changes will likely continue over many seasons, along with their inevitable growing pains. At this juncture in the life of our church, it is, therefore, critical that we remain committed to Metro’s core values and mission.

Keller notes that a “very large church is more accessible and capable of reaching younger persons, single persons, the unchurched and seekers.” It also brings greater responsibility—to remain faithful, to know and care for one another, to serve sacrificially, and to resist the spiritual drift that prosperity and growth can produce. In the words of Uncle Ben in Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.” As Metro enters this new season, may we be shaped by the salvation freely offered to us in Jesus Christ that gives us access to the Father—enabling us to behold his beauty—so that we may know him intimately. May we receive both the opportunities and responsibilities God has entrusted to us—not with compromise, but with resounding faithfulness to the glory of Christ our Savior and Lord.

With love,

Donny Cho
Lead Pastor | Metro