Being Presbyterians and therefore genetically predisposed to doing things Decently and In Order, CENTRALongmont  pursued a very systematic path of discerning our Purpose and Core Values, a path we did our best to immerse in prayer and the study of Scripture, particularly in what we know as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). This was an important endeavor for those of us already calling CENTRALongmont Presbyterian Church in Longmont, Colorado home, but equally important for those we’ll be laboring alongside as we work to bless our community. Should we be asked, “So, what are you and your church all about?”, we wanted to be able to respond with something more than predestination and potlucks.

When I was interviewing for the pastoral vacancy here at CENTRALongmont, I was asked, “If we call you as our pastor, what will your dream be for us?”

I thought a moment, then told them, I don’t so much have a dream for you as I have a dream for this community. My dream, I said, is this: one night, should there be a mini-Rapture and the entire congregation of Central Presbyterian Church is sucked up to Heaven, the next morning all of Longmont would gather around this building and mourn… mourn that we were no longer here because they realized what an incredible blessing this family of faith had been to the community.

Frankly, I think that’s a dream every congregation should have.   

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David Barker has a B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.Div. from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is Pastor and Head of Staff at CENTRALongmont Presbyterian Church in Longmont, Colorado. He’s married and has two children.