Weekend Snapshot
Hey Northgate,
I am really excited about leading our next Pathway to Partnership class on July 12 from 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. If you’re newer to Northgate, or if you’ve been here for a while but feel like now is the time to make a deeper level of commitment to the church, this class is for you. If you’re simply curious about who we are as a church, our history, or what we believe, I think you’ll also find it to be time well spent.
At the end of the class, everyone is given the opportunity to choose to Partner, Prepare, or Participate.
Many people choose to become a Partner, saying, “I’m all in. Northgate is my church, and I want to make that commitment.” Some say they believe they’re headed in that direction but want to take some time to prepare for that commitment. Others say, “Thank you for this information. We would love to keep participating here at Northgate.”
If you have any questions about the class, please email me at john@northgatefmc.com.
If you would like to register, you can do that here:
https://northgatefmc.com/event/nvfwq2v/pathway-to-partnership-class
While the response to the move from Membership to Partnership has been really encouraging, there have also been some questions, and I wanted to take a few minutes to address them.
Q: What is the reason for the change?
A: As we seek to build the strongest and healthiest church we can, this change helps us better understand what it means to be intentionally partnering with Northgate. But even more importantly, it creates meaningful opportunities for you to grow, connect, and belong.
The commitments in the Partnership Pledge are the very things each of us needs to have a strong, vibrant, and healthy Christian walk. We don’t encourage group participation because we want to boost our numbers or feel good about having more groups. We do it because you deeply need to be part of a community of fellow Christ-followers who can encourage and support you in your walk with Christ. You simply can’t receive all of that by only participating in weekend worship.
Likewise, we don’t encourage generosity because we’re struggling to balance our budget—because we aren’t. God has filled this church with generous and faithful givers. But we know that generosity and tithing unlock something in our hearts and lives, a deeper level of trust that God desires for all of us.
So, this isn’t about getting something from you, it’s about wanting something for you.
Q: How will you be policing the commitments that we make in the Partnership Pledge?
A: We really aren’t interested in “policing” anything. That’s not our heart or who we are as a church. Partners are the people who self-determine their commitment. We aren’t running the numbers to determine whether someone is giving 10%, and we aren’t checking Northgate Group attendance to confirm participation. We are simply asking people to examine their own hearts and lives.
Q: Sometimes, in certain seasons of life, it is harder to maintain all of these commitments. What does that do to our partnership status?
A: We know that some seasons of life bring busier schedules, more time away from New York, or tighter financial situations. We don’t want someone to feel like they should end their partnership or feel like they are a bad partner because they are going through one of those seasons.
If you go to Florida for several months every winter, we understand that you won’t be attending regularly in person. We aren’t asking you to rescind your partnership until you travel back north. The same is true of other comparable situations. You know whether you are committed to Northgate and whether this is still your church.
Q: Does it cost money to become a partner?**
A: Absolutely not! I think if we did that, we would have to formally drop the “Free” from Free Methodist. The Pathway to Partnership class is free to attend, it’s free to transfer your membership to partnership, and no one on staff works on commission or for tips.
Q: Is this an ultimatum to current members? If we don’t transfer our membership to partnership, will we be kicked out or will our membership be ended?**
A: Again, absolutely not. That’s not what we’re trying to do here. The last thing we want to do is alienate members of Northgate who love and support the church.
We do not have any kind of deadline or date by which we expect this transition to be complete. This is a long process that we know will take considerable time. I still believe it is the right thing to do, so we are going to continue moving down this path. But if you are a current member, you do not need to fear having your membership removed.
As always, people who are neither members nor partners are welcome to be a valuable part of the church. While you cannot vote at Summit Weekend meetings for our board and nominating team, and you cannot serve as a group leader, you can still be a significant part of the life of the church, and that will not change.
With all of that said, in collaboration with our board, we are slightly modifying a few of the Partnership Pledge questions. In the original version, questions 5–7 read:
5. Will you use the unique gifts God has given you by volunteering on a ministry team?
6. Will you participate in worship, connect with others in a group, and seek God privately?
7. Will you support the ministry by growing in generosity and giving financially?
We have updated them to say:
5. Will you strive to use the unique gifts God has given you by volunteering on a ministry team?
6. Will you strive to participate in worship, connect with others in a group, and seek God privately?
7. Will you strive to support the ministry by growing in generosity and giving financially?
We believe this better reflects the heart and intention of the Partnership Pledge while also acknowledging the changing seasons of life that I mentioned above.
As always, I am open and available, and I love hearing from you, Northgate. Send me an email, grab a few minutes with me in the lobby, or let me know if you would like to get together for coffee and conversation. I would love to hear what you think.
As Pastor Vern regularly reminded the staff, “We are in the people business.” You are not an interruption to what the staff is trying to do, you are the reason we are here.
See you this weekend,
Pastor John
Lead Pastor
I am really excited about leading our next Pathway to Partnership class on July 12 from 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. If you’re newer to Northgate, or if you’ve been here for a while but feel like now is the time to make a deeper level of commitment to the church, this class is for you. If you’re simply curious about who we are as a church, our history, or what we believe, I think you’ll also find it to be time well spent.
At the end of the class, everyone is given the opportunity to choose to Partner, Prepare, or Participate.
Many people choose to become a Partner, saying, “I’m all in. Northgate is my church, and I want to make that commitment.” Some say they believe they’re headed in that direction but want to take some time to prepare for that commitment. Others say, “Thank you for this information. We would love to keep participating here at Northgate.”
If you have any questions about the class, please email me at john@northgatefmc.com.
If you would like to register, you can do that here:
https://northgatefmc.com/event/nvfwq2v/pathway-to-partnership-class
While the response to the move from Membership to Partnership has been really encouraging, there have also been some questions, and I wanted to take a few minutes to address them.
Q: What is the reason for the change?
A: As we seek to build the strongest and healthiest church we can, this change helps us better understand what it means to be intentionally partnering with Northgate. But even more importantly, it creates meaningful opportunities for you to grow, connect, and belong.
The commitments in the Partnership Pledge are the very things each of us needs to have a strong, vibrant, and healthy Christian walk. We don’t encourage group participation because we want to boost our numbers or feel good about having more groups. We do it because you deeply need to be part of a community of fellow Christ-followers who can encourage and support you in your walk with Christ. You simply can’t receive all of that by only participating in weekend worship.
Likewise, we don’t encourage generosity because we’re struggling to balance our budget—because we aren’t. God has filled this church with generous and faithful givers. But we know that generosity and tithing unlock something in our hearts and lives, a deeper level of trust that God desires for all of us.
So, this isn’t about getting something from you, it’s about wanting something for you.
Q: How will you be policing the commitments that we make in the Partnership Pledge?
A: We really aren’t interested in “policing” anything. That’s not our heart or who we are as a church. Partners are the people who self-determine their commitment. We aren’t running the numbers to determine whether someone is giving 10%, and we aren’t checking Northgate Group attendance to confirm participation. We are simply asking people to examine their own hearts and lives.
Q: Sometimes, in certain seasons of life, it is harder to maintain all of these commitments. What does that do to our partnership status?
A: We know that some seasons of life bring busier schedules, more time away from New York, or tighter financial situations. We don’t want someone to feel like they should end their partnership or feel like they are a bad partner because they are going through one of those seasons.
If you go to Florida for several months every winter, we understand that you won’t be attending regularly in person. We aren’t asking you to rescind your partnership until you travel back north. The same is true of other comparable situations. You know whether you are committed to Northgate and whether this is still your church.
Q: Does it cost money to become a partner?**
A: Absolutely not! I think if we did that, we would have to formally drop the “Free” from Free Methodist. The Pathway to Partnership class is free to attend, it’s free to transfer your membership to partnership, and no one on staff works on commission or for tips.
Q: Is this an ultimatum to current members? If we don’t transfer our membership to partnership, will we be kicked out or will our membership be ended?**
A: Again, absolutely not. That’s not what we’re trying to do here. The last thing we want to do is alienate members of Northgate who love and support the church.
We do not have any kind of deadline or date by which we expect this transition to be complete. This is a long process that we know will take considerable time. I still believe it is the right thing to do, so we are going to continue moving down this path. But if you are a current member, you do not need to fear having your membership removed.
As always, people who are neither members nor partners are welcome to be a valuable part of the church. While you cannot vote at Summit Weekend meetings for our board and nominating team, and you cannot serve as a group leader, you can still be a significant part of the life of the church, and that will not change.
With all of that said, in collaboration with our board, we are slightly modifying a few of the Partnership Pledge questions. In the original version, questions 5–7 read:
5. Will you use the unique gifts God has given you by volunteering on a ministry team?
6. Will you participate in worship, connect with others in a group, and seek God privately?
7. Will you support the ministry by growing in generosity and giving financially?
We have updated them to say:
5. Will you strive to use the unique gifts God has given you by volunteering on a ministry team?
6. Will you strive to participate in worship, connect with others in a group, and seek God privately?
7. Will you strive to support the ministry by growing in generosity and giving financially?
We believe this better reflects the heart and intention of the Partnership Pledge while also acknowledging the changing seasons of life that I mentioned above.
As always, I am open and available, and I love hearing from you, Northgate. Send me an email, grab a few minutes with me in the lobby, or let me know if you would like to get together for coffee and conversation. I would love to hear what you think.
As Pastor Vern regularly reminded the staff, “We are in the people business.” You are not an interruption to what the staff is trying to do, you are the reason we are here.
See you this weekend,
Pastor John
Lead Pastor
NEED TO KNOWS
- Pathway to Partnership Class — Sunday, July 12 Ready to go all in at Northgate? Pathway to Partnership is your next step to say, “This is my church. During this class, you’ll learn more about Northgate’s mission, values, and vision, and what it truly means to partner together as a church family. More information & registration: NORTHGATEFMC.COM/EVENTS
- Baptism Weekend — July 30 & August 2 Whether you've been following Jesus for a long time and never got baptized or are new Christian, we would be honored to walk through this next step with you and baptize you! Learn more & sign up:
NORTHGATEFMC.COM/NEXT-STEPS