We have begun to think about much of the ministry at Good Shepherd in terms of making space.

Here’s how it works: as a church we make space — other terms include “design experiences” or “craft environments” — in which the Holy Spirit can then move in powerful ways. What happens inside those spaces is then up to the people involved and the Spirit who is running loose.

We as pastors can’t necessarily control everything that happens inside the space, but we are responsible for opening it up in the first place.

This approach explains much of what we do:

• We offer our Pathfinder program to grow community. We can’t make the people in a given Pathfinder group really like each other or develop strong bonds. That happens organically, naturally. So Pathfinder launches and groups become the space where relationships form and community blooms.
• Our Healing Services give space for the Holy Spirit to be released in people’s bodies, minds, and spirits. During the Without Limit series, we realized if we were going to talk about the Holy Spirit, we needed to give him opportunity to move in the people of the church. So we had healing services every week in February of this year.
• Our First Serve ministry gives people space in which to impact the community. With a wide range of monthly options, our hope is that people find the area of service that best fits their spiritual gifts and the needs of the city of Charlotte.

These are just a few examples of the ways in which we try to make space for God to move and for people to connect.

That’s why we do what we do.

What will you do in the spaces God and this church provides for you?