Dear Watermark Family,
In a recent Sunday message, I told you about two different coffee shops near my house. At one coffee shop, I could hardly get the attention of the barista who was furiously typing on her phone. She barely made eye contact and made me feel like my presence was a huge inconvenience. The other coffee shop was a little further away, but I was quickly greeted by a tall man with an Australian accent who asked my name and expressed an interest in my coffee preference. The moment I walked into that shop, I felt like I had run into a longtime friend. Needless to say, I never returned to the first coffee shop (which went out of business a few months later), but I was quick to return to the second one where I was greeted by name.
As a pastor, I often think about how we can make a large church like Watermark feel smaller such that everyone who walks through our doors feels welcomed. My prayer is that every Member would feel known, cared for, and equipped to serve.
One of the ways we try to know every Member is through our annual 4B Assessment (Believe, Belong, Be Trained, Be Strong). The 4B Assessment is a simple way for each Member of our church family to make an annual commitment to the core beliefs and practices of our church. Although we strive to care for everyone who walks through our doors, our first responsibility is to our Members as we take seriously Peter’s admonition to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you” (1 Peter 5:2). So far, over 6,500 people have already completed their 4B Assessment this year! (If you are not a Member, you can learn more about how to become one on our Membership page).
Behind every number is a story of God’s grace the Lord has entrusted to this church family. As we seek to care for one another, every Member belongs to a community group that is overseen by a Community Group Director on our staff. Through this network of relationships, we are able to care for every Member. If you are a Member of Watermark, your Community Group Director information is available on your MyAccount page. All of our Community Group Directors are dedicated to praying for and shepherding the groups under their care.
Each one of us has also been given a gift by God to serve others (1 Peter 4:10), and the role of every pastor is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). Therefore, we want to help you discover, develop, and deploy your gifts in fulfilling your God-given call. If you are unsure of how the Lord has gifted you or are looking for a place to serve, you can find resources and serving opportunities on our serving page. In serving others, we not only help those around us, but grow our own faith.
If you call Watermark home, would you please help us make a large church feel smaller? If you haven’t already done so, please fill out your 4B Assessment. Then:
- Invest in the life of your community group and pray for them; or
- Invite someone on your ministry team to lunch; or
- Simply learn the name of someone sitting beside you this Sunday.
As God’s family, I pray that we create a place where every Member is known, cared for, and equipped to serve.
See you on Sunday,
Blake serves as Elder and Lead Pastor at Watermark Community Church.
On My Desk
- The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene H. Peterson
- You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World by Alan Noble
- The Creedal Imperative by Carl R. Trueman
- Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger
