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Our Vision
To
be a vibrant, growing congregation changing lives and reshaping the future for
Jesus Christ.
Our Core Values
Fervent Prayer, Diligent Study of Scripture,
Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship,
Faith-forming Relationships,
Risk-taking Mission, Connectional
Ministry
(See Values for more information.)
How do we embrace the vision to be a vibrant, growing congregation
that changes lives
and reshapes the future for Jesus Christ? There are five things that
are needed:
(1) a clear picture
(2) a committed people
(3) consistent prayer
(4) constructive passion
(5) calm persistence
A Clear Picture
Building on the master plans made by each
committee on our Council on Ministries, I hope we can continue to
focus on the vision, and continually ask ourselves how our
particular committee can help make the vision a reality. The clearer
it gets, the more achievable it becomes.
A Committed People
We cannot go forward without commitment. Commitment assures us that
we are putting energy into our decisions and promises. Without the
needed character, without the necessary drive, without loyalty and
devotion and being steadfast, without those things, we will only
fall into chaos. Commitment is essential.
What does a committed leadership look like? A good leader practices
biblical faithfulness, hangs in there through the tough times,
expresses a confident humility, (in other words, they stand tall in
their loyalty, but in a way that is not arrogant or self-serving).
Strong leaders are committed to the cause of Christ, a commitment
that accepts responsibility for their ministry and one that does not
find fault with others. A committed leadership shows
unconditional love to all they work with, and they don’t stop, they
never consider a setback a failure.
A Consistent Prayer
Answering God’s call to be a Christ-like Community can only be
realized when Christ is the head of the church- that means we go to
him for strength and wisdom and love and grace and mercy. That
is, we go to Him for everything. We cannot stand together unless we
stand together by being united in prayer. We are only strong when
we are on our knees. The church is of God, and we can only be vital
and strong when we are rooted and grounded in Him, by Him, for Him,
in submission to Him. That practically means that we grow in
discovering and implementing His word in the power of His Holy
Spirit. Prayer is the conduit, and prayer makes things happen
because God is the one who answers prayer. God makes us go forward,
and the more consistent we are in prayer- the more it will be
obvious that God is in control.
A Constructive Passion
Passion is like the fire, a fire that energizes as well as
brings warmth and beauty, but the fire needs to be channeled and
controlled, like a fire in the fireplace. In other words, our
passion must be constructive, it must be productive and positive,
building up, not giving up. Forgiving, not floundering in
frustration.
Passion is our enthusiasm and excitement and zeal, but it must be
molded and channeled so that God’s will is accomplished.
A Calm Persistence
We must be patient, and we must be persistent, we must not give up.
When things don’t work out exactly like we think they should, this
is an opportunity for God to develop our faith, to develop our
character, to make us more Christ-like. While being
persistent, we must remain calm. We must not give up or quit or get
angry when things don’t happen like we want them to. God is in
the people changing business. And living by faith means we realize
we don’t have to know every detail. Our journey is a
relationship of trust. Remember how God said to Abraham
"I will lead you to a land you do not know". Remember? We need to
trust God, and know that He has a future for us and a hope; that His
plans for us are for good and not evil. We can trust God- our
focus always needs to be on Him and being the people we are supposed
to be as disciples. That means we have this calm assurance, a
persistent faith.
As we increasingly exhibit these five signs, the vision will
be reached. |
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