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This year at State of the Church we started out celebrating and laughing a bit at ourselves. Each Campus, Network Church and Church Plant received some silly jabs from our Creative Team. The result was one of our funniest intro videos in the history of our church and our first ever live dance performance.
After taking some time to celebrate, the event took on a more intimate tone as Brad shared some of the changes the church has been through over the past year. While we looked back and celebrated what God has done, we also looked to the future to see what might be next for us.
In the weeks previous to State of the Church we asked the entire congregation to take The Anatomy of a Disciple Self-Assessment. We wanted to know how we were doing spiritually—what areas we were strong in and where we needed to grow. The results produced a bit of a “light bulb moment” (pun intended).
While we are highest in Relationally Healthy, focusing on the development of our spiritually forming relationships, we are lowest in Inclusive Community, leading us to believe that we have developed a very rich “exclusive community.”
Therein lies our challenge for the coming year: How do we turn our exclusive community into an inclusive one?
Here’s how:
- Focus on the next generation: There are thousands of kids in our city who don’t know Christ, and our Family ministry is working to come alongside families to help them reach their neighborhoods and schools. Through original curriculum based on The Anatomy of a Disciple (link), our Family Ministry is equipping children and their parents to grow in their personal relationships with Christ so they can reach out to others.
- Intentionally reach out and invite others: Many of us aren’t college students anymore. With the added constraints of work and family, it has become more challenging for us to reach out to others. And let’s be honest, we’ve gotten a little more complacent. We’re not as hungry as we used to be, but this year that changes.
- Pray faithfully for others: A prayer-less church is a prideful church. We need God. He is the one who initiates. He is the one who calls people to a relationship with Himself. He is the one who warms our hearts toward the gospel. Without His leading and His initiating, our work is fruitless. We’re going to be intentional about asking the Lord to move in the hearts of those around us.
- Ask and answer these 3 questions regularly to help conversations go beneath the surface:
- What has God been showing you through His Word?
- In what areas do you need to grow spiritually?
- How can I pray for you?
We’re thankful for what the Lord has done and confident that the best is yet to come. These are the good old days. And we are expectant, excited to see what God will do as we begin this new ministry year.