Ministry on the Margins at Woodway

Shortly after being called to pastor at Woodway Church of God in 2011, God laid one word upon my heart – purpose. All things and all people have a purpose in God’s greater plan. We do not believe in coincidences; we believe that everything was created for a purpose. We believe that we are placed in our communities, our churches, our jobs, and our schools for a purpose.

Being a small rural church has its own set of challenges and we sometimes fail to see our importance and our significance in God’s plan. In other words, we fail to appreciate our purpose. Success isn’t always found in numbers. Our success is measured by our obedience to God’s word and His calling in our lives. Individual believers and churches are only successful when we fulfill our purpose.

Every believer has been called to the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18). What we have to discover and embrace is our place in that calling and that is where purpose is so important. God has a purpose for our church in our community. God also has a purpose for each individual in that church. How we love people and how we show them that God loves them and longs for them to be reconciled to Himself is our purpose.

At Woodway we may not have the numbers, budget, or the programs of the larger churches in our community, but we have purpose. We love people, on purpose. When each member of a local church begins to answer their calling and work in their purpose the church not only becomes a successful church, they become a healthy church.

Pastor Cliff Ely