Confirmation [Part Four]

It was a Sunday afternoon, but it was not a normal Sunday afternoon. There were no sports and no naps. This Sunday was a day of vision casting, question, answers and votes. What was the vote being taken? Is Mike Hurt the next Senior Pastor of Parkway Church? While the discussion and vote was being taken, Kristi and I were in the atrium hanging out on some very comfortable leather couches. Through the doors into the auditorium, we heard laughter, clapping and voices asking and answering questions. While we couldn't hear any specifics (and no, I didn't try the glass on the door trick), it was clear that God was pulling Parkway toward unity. Given all that the church has been through recently, this was no small step. Before long, a small group of people came out with the secret ballots. These little yellow forms held my future in their hands. The count went quickly which I assumed was good news. The group stepped back inside and informed the congregation of the news. Again, their were claps and cheers. At this, I leaned over to Kristi and told her that either the vote was yes or this was the cruelest group of people on the planet. The vote was overwhelming yes. Only two people voted no. I hope that if we took a vote a year from now that we would get such good results! This unified voice of the church was a call loud and clear to us from the Lord.

There were also a couple of other points of unity in the church that were instrumental in getting clarity on our call. Over and over again, we heard people say:

* The heart of Parkway Church hasn't changed. We want to reach people who don't know Christ.
* We need leadership. We are ready to follow Godly leadership.
* We love you and Kristi and are praying for God's will to be done in your life.
* We have seen God do amazing things through the past year and can't wait to see what he does next.

A unified church is a powerful tool in the hand of God. Let's all keep praying that nothing comes in the way of our church's unity.