Share the Vision at Faith
Over the past two months, we have learned about seeking God’s vision for our church as we studied the book of Nehemiah. In the book Visioneering by Andy Stanley, he says “Everybody ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose” (p. 8). This is how Nehemiah lived his life and this is the biblical model that we can follow at Faith for intentional ministry.
During the 5-week series in September and October, I talked about creating a new vision for our church. Nehemiah gave us a model on how God gives His people a vision for their future and how we can pray and plan for what God is calling us to do. Stanley defines vision as, “Vision is being angry about the way things are in light of the way things could be. Dissatisfaction with the status quo. Something could be done, should be done, must be done” (p. 17).
God used Nehemiah to share his vision which began as a concern in the hearts of God’s people. It wasn’t just one man’s plan. The vision was caught, not taught. When we pray about what the Lord has laid upon our hearts, we will see that God calls us to seek His will for meeting the needs of those around us.
This is what I would like to invite you to do at Faith on November 15 and 22. We will have 2 special “Share the Vision” worship and prayer services at 7 pm. Just like Nehemiah sought God’s vision through prayer, we must seek God-ideas rather than just good ideas. In the Sunday bulletins this month, we will have a survey that you can use to jump start your ideas for Faith’s future plans. The questions I want you to pray over and answer are:
1. What do you believe is a significant ministry, service, opportunity, and/or vision emphasis that Faith Lutheran Church should pursue in the next 5-10 years?
2. How do you plan on participating with and contributing to that ministry, service, opportunity, and/or vision emphasis in the future at Faith?
3. What prayers for our church would you like us to collectively pray for together?
Please join us for the “Share the Vision” Worship Services on Nov. 15 & 22 at 7 PM to pray over these suggestion!
You can send your answers by email or leave them at the church office. We will collect them and ask for God’s Spirit to direct us to do His will in our church and community. We will see how faith is key in leading us to serve God in our community for His glory, not our own. When we seek to live and be as Christ made us to be, we will grow into the vision God has for us as individuals and as a church. But we cannot expect others to take greater risks than we ourselves are willing to take when it comes to God’s vision. That is why it is important to ask yourself, “How is God calling me to serve Him at Faith?” We might have differing ideas. Yet through prayer, God will draw us together to a common vision!
Thanks and God bless!
Pastor Paul
