Communication as Discipleship

By Miriam Rossow, Communications Coordinator

The vision for the new COS website and our communications model is to connect people with Jesus. Our mission statement says that we share Jesus in this community and everywhere. We want people to be able to interact with our stories and share them with others easily even if they never step foot in our building. That is the “everywhere”.

This means we want everyone, no matter where they are on their journey, to become closer and more connected to Jesus. Our faith is not just a head knowledge; it is also an attitude of the heart. Having valuable information about how our faith connects to our everyday life is one of the best ways to encourage and support visitors as they learn more about Christ Our Savior and our beliefs.

The body of Christ and His creation are made up of a wide range of cultures, backgrounds, and stories, and we want to reflect that in our website as well. Because not every person is a mother, married for 24 years with 4 children and raised in the Lutheran church from birth, I cannot be the only writer. We each have a different background and story. The word of God has absolute truths that the text is sharing, and the way we hear and connect those truths will differ from person to person.

Sunday morning worship is a major part of who we are as a church. Worship is where God has promised to show up and share himself in a very tangible and wonderful way. We want a response that takes Jesus and His gifts into our week.

Sunday worship is only 2 hours of your week. How do you take Sunday into your life? Is God still present and working in your life? Are you still looking for Him in those everyday hours? Why does Sunday matter for the rest of my week? If Sunday does not matter; if Sunday does not feed me; If Sunday does not strengthen me and flow into the rest of my week, why do I go?

“If Sunday does not matter; if Sunday does not feed me; If Sunday does not strengthen me and flow into the rest of my week, why do I go?”

We want people to respond to worship weekly. We want to help you take Worship into your week as you go about your daily routines. Maybe the confession and absolution were very meaningful for you, or maybe a song will stay with you into your week. Often it is the sermon that strikes a chord with us. Maybe it is even a question that Sunday stirred up. Jesus can handle our questions and wonderings. In fact, that is one way we grow closer and deeper in our faith. As we share our stories about how worship has impacted our lives and helped us follow Jesus, we help each other in our discipleship walk.

Events, both fellowship and service-oriented, and groups, like Quilters or Moms of Faith and weekly Bible Studies, are also a big part of who we are as a church. Again, the point of these events and groups, either fellowship or service, is to move everyone closer to Jesus. As we look to publicize and share information about upcoming events, we will also be looking for content that shares a story of how that event impacted your life, your discipleship, and your family. They are also a great way to get someone not familiar with Christ Our Savior to take a closer look.

There are also times in our lives where something just strikes us or touches us. Maybe we had a conversation with a neighbor, coworker, or family member and some lesson or a thought came out of that conversation that would benefit others. These can be written and shared. Maybe you struggle with chronic pain or have had an experience with Jesus in your neighborhood or workplace. These are other good ways to share how Jesus is meaningful and affecting your everyday life and relationships.

· Everyone needs Jesus.
· We want personal stories of how the things the church provides connect you with Jesus.
· We want to help you take Jesus into your daily living.

Discipleship is a lifelong process of following Jesus, learning from Him, and sharing Him with those around us.

This is what our mission states we are trying to do.
“Make disciples who share the love of Jesus in this community and with people everywhere.”

Our website, social media presence, paper communications, and all other types of communication are part of how we share Jesus’ love with this community; Christ Our Savior, Livonia, the greater Detroit area, and beyond.

So, don’t be surprised when I ask you to “write a blog about that” or “share that story with me”. And be on the lookout for how Jesus is working in and through you at church and in your everyday life. Send those stories my way, miriamr@christoursavior.org, so we can grow in a deeper relationship with Jesus and with each other.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash