Make the Vision Plain to See!

And then God answered: "Write this. Write what you see.Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming.It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie.If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time. - Habakkuk 2.2-3

We are finally at the starting line... In the new year we will be starting a Saturday evening meeting that we are calling "Church Unusual." Our goal is to "do" church differently. We are laying a foundation with a core group of people that we trust God will build into a critical mass with which to start a mission church ( that's Nazarene-speak for a church plant).

As the prayer process has been going on, I believe God has challenged me to write down what He has revealed to us. So, what follows is my best effort, so far, to write down what God has placed in my heart about what our congregation is to be.

Our mission is to build an alternative community of faith, having a distinct set of values: Relationally motivated and people focused; Demonstrate a new sense of unity amongst the community of believers; Engage the culture and love beyond it; To be messengers of hope, peace and grace in the lives of those we intersect.

Equipping believers to be ministers – Scripture shows us that all of us are called to "ministry," the 5-fold gifts were given for the equipping of the saints: Ephesians 4.11 – 12: 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ

Equipping missionaries to go out into our community – Our local community is the Mission Field. Our goal is to reclaim the phrase "Think globally, act locally." We have all been given the ministry of reconciliation. Reconciling brother to brother, sister to sister as well as reconciling man to God, through Christ: IICorinthians 5.17 – 18: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Journey focused and process orientated – Life is lived in the dash between the date we were born and the day we die. This is where we find salvation and the ability to share our journeys with one another. Romans 12.1 – 2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

It is a change of focus from the traditional church:

From programs to processes
From demographics to discernment
From models to mission
From attractional to incarnational
From uniformity to diversity
From professional to passionate
From seating to sending
From decisions to disciples
From additional to exponential
From monuments to movements

Our desire is to build a congregation where people are exploring and rediscovering what it means to be Jesus' sent people as their identity. Engaging WITH the culture and BEING Jesus to them. Bearing the gifts of strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow; changing the world one life at a time.

The love of Jesus compels us to follow his example to love others; not as the world does, for what they can get from others, but instead for what we can give away to them... New life in Jesus.

Grow the saved, save the lost, care for the downtrodden!