Congregation Responds to Move of Spirit

SANTA ROSA, CA (September 30, 2003) - Editor's note: This is the last in a six-part series exploring Redwood Covenant's experience in spiritual transformation. To read the first five parts in the series, visit the links displayed at the end of this story.

The Redwood Covenant Church leadership and elders began making administrative changes soon after associate pastor Scott Peterson delivered his second message, focusing more of their efforts on prayer and less on doing business. Executive pastor Joanna Quintrell says that her leadership style for organizing staff and elders meetings changed because the church is more God-centered in terms of leadership direction.

"As soon as this happened, for about two months the spirit of God would show up at these meetings and the agenda would fall on the floor," Quintrell said. "At some meetings, we would have our opening prayer and in the middle of it we would have people crying, people confessing sins. It was incredible and it got to the point where I gave up on writing agendas because I realized God was doing something. I had to try not to orchestrate it."

Parishioners heard about the elders' meeting and wanted to know who had given the message to them. When the usually happy-go-lucky Peterson was identified as the messenger, a large number of the congregation became more convinced that God truly was speaking to the church.

"I expected, because I'm the comedy guy on staff and surround myself with funny people, that people would come and tease me about this," Peterson said. "I've had just the opposite thing happen. I've had people that haven't cried in 10 or 15 years (respond) in tears and the thing they always say is, 'thank you for being obedient.' I think, in one sense, if it had not happened to me, my wife, Sheri, and I probably would have thought these Californians have crossed the line of spiritual decency. But I think it has been confirmed to her that this is God."

The elders and other key leaders had a January 2001 retreat and decided to re-evaluate its ministries again. The church added a pastor, Alejandro Sotres, to help minister to a growing Hispanic population in the area. And although they are now involved more heavily in the new building project (a skeleton metal structure is now in place at the new site), the leadership at Redwood Covenant is grateful for the reflective period where they refocused on God's will for the church.

"I believe that God was saying to us that we couldn't build because we weren't ready for what God had planned for us," Quintrell said. "God has been saying through all of this that He is about to do something in Sonoma County, which is a hotbed of cults and New Age stuff. It seems like God is preparing us and other churches in the county for this. And some of what God is sharing with us is the fact that there will be so many people coming to Christ that we won't have room for them."

Strong is convinced that God isn't through working on the spiritual life of Redwood Covenant, and that thought sobers him. "It's a different ballgame at this level," he said. "In smaller churches that are more traditional, they're very resilient. Larger churches are more fragile - we're not one big family. One big family can weather a bad decision or a bad pastor. Larger churches are very fragile in that respect. You make two or three really bad decisions and you've lost half of your people, half of your finances and you have to fire half of your staff. You've changed peoples' lives."

Peterson also believes that God isn't finished with Redwood Covenant. He is also aware that God isn't done using him as a messenger, either. "I know that there's more to come - God said that specifically," said Peterson. "I know the next one's gonna be a doozy and I used to be scared of that. But I'm not anymore. I sort of have a rough idea when it's going to come . . . and I know it's going to happen in a much different way and is going to affect a lot more people. And it will require the obedience of a lot of people.

"There's the conservative Midwest Covenanter in me hoping that . . . someday I hope I wake up and realize this was just a dream," Peterson continued. "I've got a feeling that the people that are supposed to hear what's going to be said aren't going to hear it. And I'm sad about that, although I'm not giving up. We know that people don't always listen to God. And I was one of those people. I mean, even in Moses' time, you had outright miracles happening and still people did not listen. It's like where Mary quietly pondered these things in her heart (Luke 2:19, 51). And right now I'm very content keeping it to myself."

To read the first five parts of this series, visit the following links:

• Message from God
• The Messenger