Dr. Crowder shared the following in a letter to future Living Waters Region Clergy on Thursday, July 23
Beloved Colleagues,
As the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin prepares to become the Living Waters Region on January 1, 2027, I have been reflecting on a simple but important question:
How will our communities know we are here?
For generations, many churches have expected people to find us. They knew where the church building stood, when worship began, and how to locate the pastor. But today’s world is different. Communities are changing, neighborhoods are becoming more diverse, and many people have little or no connection to a local congregation.
The answer is not simply better advertising or a stronger social media presence. Those have their place, but they are no substitute for relationships.
The answer is presence.
Jesus never confined His ministry to a building. He walked roads, visited homes, attended weddings, taught beside lakes, met people at wells, and dined with those whom society often overlooked. He entered people’s lives before inviting them into a new way of living.
The Church should do the same.
I confess that I did not always understand this. Early in my ministry, I believed faithfulness meant spending most of my time in the church office. I thought that was where ministry primarily happened. Looking back, I realize I was wrong. While there is important work to be done behind a desk, I discovered that some of the most meaningful ministry happens outside the office—in neighborhoods, coffee shops, hospitals, schools, community events, and wherever people naturally gather.
Some of the most significant conversations I have ever had were not scheduled appointments. They happened over a cup of coffee, at a community gathering, after a basketball game, or while simply being present. Relationships are built by showing up. Trust is earned through presence. The Church is at its best when it is visible, engaged, and walking alongside the people it is called to serve.
Imagine pastors regularly working from neighborhood coffee shops instead of remaining in their offices all day. Imagine church members attending city council meetings, school concerts, neighborhood festivals, volunteer projects, and community gatherings simply because they care about the well-being of their neighbors.
Imagine clergy sitting in the bleachers at a youth soccer match, cheering at a basketball tournament, attending a football game, applauding at a cheerleading competition, or supporting students at a school play—not because they have a family member participating, but because they want every child and every family to know someone from the Church is in their corner.
Let’s introduce ourselves to business owners, educators, coaches, first responders, healthcare workers, elected officials, and community leaders. Let’s become familiar faces in our neighborhoods. Ministry begins with relationships, and relationships begin by showing up. Let’s expand the table. Let’s grow the table of love. These seemingly ordinary moments become extraordinary opportunities for ministry.
Before I say another word, I want to acknowledge that many of our clergy, chaplains, and congregational leaders are already living this vision. I see you. I appreciate you. I have watched you faithfully serving in coffee shops, hospitals, schools, community meetings, athletic events, neighborhood gatherings, and countless other places where people live their daily lives. You are demonstrating what it means to be the Church beyond the walls, and your ministry is making a difference.
My hope is that our elders, deacons, trustees, ministry teams, and all of our lay leaders will embrace this same spirit of visibility. It is perfectly appropriate to have office hours at a neighborhood coffee shop, library, or another welcoming public space where conversations and relationships can naturally develop. At the same time, we must exercise wisdom. Sensitive pastoral conversations, confidential counseling, and private meetings deserve settings that honor trust, discretion, and confidentiality. Ministry calls us to be both visible and discerning… accessible to our communities while faithfully protecting the sacred confidence entrusted to us.
Our chaplains understand this well. Whether serving in hospitals, hospice programs, colleges, prisons, military installations, corporations, or public safety agencies, chaplains carry hope into places where people experience life’s greatest joys and deepest pain. Their ministry reminds us that sacred encounters often happen far beyond church walls.
Every congregation can embrace this same philosophy.
Visibility is not about recognition or popularity. It is about accessibility. It tells people that the Church is interested in more than Sunday mornings. It communicates that faith belongs in neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, hospitals, and public spaces.
People are longing for authentic relationships. They want to know that someone sees them, values them, and is willing to walk beside them through life’s celebrations and struggles.
When pastors know the names of local business owners, teachers, coaches, police officers, healthcare workers, and civic leaders, ministry becomes woven into the fabric of community life.
When congregations partner with schools, food pantries, youth organizations, neighborhood associations, and civic organizations, the Gospel becomes visible long before it is spoken.
As the Living Waters Region takes shape, our vision is to help congregations flourish, leaders thrive, and communities experience the transforming love of Jesus Christ. We will live out that vision through our commitment to Work, Wellness, and Worship. Through Work, we serve our neighbors and strengthen our communities. Through Wellness, we care for the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational health of our clergy, chaplains, lay leaders, and congregations. Through Worship, we glorify God, gather at the Lord’s Table, and are sent back into the world renewed for ministry. These are not separate priorities but three expressions of one Gospel, shaping the witness of the Living Waters Region for generations to come.
The Church cannot afford to be invisible.
Our neighbors should know us because we show up after storms, celebrate community victories, comfort grieving families, mentor young people, support local businesses, and work alongside others for the common good.
The Church has always been strongest when it has lived among the people rather than apart from them.
As we prepare for this new chapter in ministry, I offer a simple invitation to every pastor, chaplain, elder, deacon, trustee, choir member, church board member, ministry volunteer, and church member throughout Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin:
Leave the office.
Walk the neighborhood.
Visit the coffee shop.
Attend the ballgame.
Volunteer at the festival.
Support the school.
Meet your neighbors
Be present.
Because before people will hear our message, they must first see our compassion. The future of the Church will not be determined solely by what happens inside our sanctuaries. It will also be shaped by how faithfully we carry Christ’s love into the places where people live, work, learn, play, and serve. The Living Waters Region is committed to that kind of ministry. And I believe our communities are waiting for the Church to show up.
Amen. Ase’.
Rev. Dr. William E. Crowder, Jr.