This Sunday in worship, we continue the sermon series, “What Kind of Church?” This series asks three important questions: What is the universal church called to be? What kind of church makes God’s heart glad? What kind of church will make the strongest gospel impact in our fractured, anxious world?
The message this Sunday is “The Peacemakers' Journey” from Matthew 5:3-11. Accompanying scripture passages are Micah 6:1-8 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.
We will welcome to the pulpit Rev. Sterling W. Severns. Sterling and his wife, Laura, are looking forward to being back among dear friends at FBCDC where he served as Associate Pastor from 1998 - 2004.
Since 2004, Sterling has served as the Senior Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. During his twenty-year tenure, he has focused on rekindling Tabernacle's role as a teaching congregation, partnering with several seminaries and universities to mentor numerous pastoral residents and interns. Under his leadership, Tabernacle has become known for its innovative and participatory worship practices and strong commitment to inclusivity. Sterling guided the congregation through a year-long discernment process on sexuality, leading to the church becoming welcoming and affirming. He also led efforts to integrate diverse ethnic refugee communities from Myanmar into the church's life and leadership and was instrumental in the founding of ReEstablish Richmond, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping newly resettled refugees integrate into the broader Richmond community.
In recent years, Sterling has expanded his ministry by focusing on re-missioning work and equipping pastors around the world. This work involves leading online collectives for church leaders, helping them develop vision and tools to revitalize their congregations. Sterling's leadership is characterized by a wholistic vision that values the interconnectedness of human experiences and prioritizes equipping the church to love God and live like it.