Severn River Church has not yet found its voice.

"Severn River Church has not yet found its voice." This is the thought that's been recurring in my mind for the last several days. I was walking into the loading door (the door we use for loading and unloading equipment into the Cade Building) on Sunday and that thought struck me. We haven't found our voice.

Now as I write this, a really sappy illustration comes to my mind. It will classify my age I'm sure, but do you remember Symba of the Lion King finding his roar? It's kinda like that.

I believe that every significant organization becomes significant because of its voice. It finds its unique, God-given purpose and reason for being and in every way that it presents itself it is heard through that voice.

Voices are unique. I talked to a friend, Joseph, on the phone the other day and thought he was his dad. I commented that it must be difficult for him. The whole first half of his life when he answered the phone people would say, "Jessica?" (his mother), now everyone hears his voice and says, "Joe?" (his father). But in actuality when you talk with Joseph he has his own voice.

Or consider, people have long compared my voice to my fathers. There are a large number of people who have told me over the years that I sing well, but not as good as my father. See though there are similarities, their are unique differences as well.

And the penultimate example...Dr. David Dippold. He was a professor at VFCC where I went to college. He had a fantastic voice. I wish I could even half represent how deep and full of character it is.

Of course, a famous example of an organizational voice is the Ford Company that wanted to "democratize the automobile", in other words make it affordable for every family in America. Or consider Starbucks. They don't just sell coffee, they sell community. The reason they get four and a half bucks for a cup of coffee is not because they have the best beans, it's because they create a place you want to drink your coffee, meet with a friend, make friends with the guy making your coffee, play chess in the corner, talk the same language (Mocha, Venti, Skinny, Frap, etc.).

In the Christian world we observe this at the Saddleback Church. Their voice is "Purpose-Driven" and everything you hear them say is in that voice. The Willow Creek Church is voiced in "Seeker" terms. Other churches have a voice that opposed to the traditional church, or voiced in Missions, or even in the edifices they own and build.

What is SRC's voice? I think that mission is an important part of it. The more we pursue our mission the more we will be developing our own voice. In the meantime we need to be pathfinders; finding our way along. And just like a boy who is experiencing a voice change there will be squeaks and squelches along the way. We need to remain vigilant in this one thing, our pursuit of being a significant church in the greater Annapolis area; making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey God's word.

--Ben