The Church grows one person at a time. It begins with me. It begins with you. Individually we change ourselves by the grace of God. We cannot change others.
For this reason, a vision requires an individual commitment. It begins with me and my personal growth. My longing is to grow myself, so I may change and, in the company of others, build and transform each other so we can build Christ’s church. Here, there and everywhere.
A vision bigger than ourselves is required if Grace Church is to go anywhere significantly in the future. A congregation grows one person at a time, but its viability depends on the many adopting a common vision and building toward it.
Everything suggested here is possible as a common vision but impossible if it remains the vision of only one person.
Here is an opportunity to grow your vision and accomplish something wonderful and fantastic as part of your life experience.
The Grace Vision
The initial goal shall be to grow to a company of 500 active members. Grace shall become a viable and healthy congregation with members who also share a common mission and purpose to grow Christ’s church.
The Church shall have strong and healthy ministries for children, youth, and adults. These ministries shall focus on educational and experiential excellence that will strengthen the family and assist parents in raising their children in the ‘way of the Lord’.
Together we shall develop a workable model that enables Grace to attract people into membership. Together we shall develop an educational plan that will impart the basic foundations of our working model so all may help to grow their lives as it grows the church.
We begin here. We grow our personal leadership as we grow our personal commitment. One by one, we adopt the vision. We develop the leadership model and membership model to be an example for other churches that face similar circumstances.
Grace shall welcome families from other religions and allow them to learn about the mystery of God from us just as they impart truths about the mystery of God from their cultural experience. These individuals may decide not to become Christians, but they shall have an experience that allows them to say ‘How Great Is Our God’ even if they cannot take the step of faith.
Eventually, Grace shall ‘spin off’ ministries led by creative people who join Grace because of its high energy level. Grace shall welcome fresh and innovative leadership that casts Christ’s net further.
To facilitate the extended ministry model, Grace shall eventually have two campuses. One campus shall focus on programs and projects that provide an initiation to learning and leadership. Such programs as Scouting, the arts, music, and dance shall all be welcome here to encourage people to grow themselves, and both discover and use the gifts God has given them.
The second campus shall focus on the spiritual life offering worship experiences, biblical and theological studies, seminars, and lectures that relate to personal and spiritual growth and worship.
The model shall teach us how to be evangelical in the most positive sense of the word. To be filled with the energy of God’s spirit, to invite others to join with us by example and personal invitation.
We shall invite individuals and families to commit to growth ministry and assist in the development of new congregations and the renewal of dying or dead congregations.
The outlook shall be that there are no reasons for churches to die, only excuses. This is a self-evident truth experienced around the world. In a congregation that closes, yet another group will take the property over and have a burgeoning and growing ministries. The location is not the problem. The style or focus of ministry probably is.
Grace is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and, as such, has an established and credible relationship with 10,000 congregations across America. A sizable number of the congregations are small, shrinking, and have a questionable future. It also has access to Global ministries on every continent and a social ministry organization that is the largest in the USA.
The dream implies that Grace shall develop a systemic model that can be used to help other congregations transform their life and ministry. Likewise, Grace will have a substantial program to support Missionaries throughout the world with Mission sites open for visit by Grace members. These mission sites shall provide opportunities for short-term or long-term personal global ministry experience with a minimum monthly mission support target of $5,000.
The fiscal demands for this ministry development shall require creative and innovative methods to gather, manage and grow funds to sustain the growth and expansion over the long term. It may require the purchase of church properties closed for want of members. It may require working agreements with small congregations and synodical leaders to partner in our effort to transform a congregational ministry.
Grace shall not be a ‘megachurch’ in the modern sense. It shall be a dynamic systemic model that can be replicated to build the kingdom. It shall become a ‘flagship’ church that others will want to visit and learn from its experience in how to grow. It shall be a solid and respected supporter of ‘missions throughout the Americas and the world. But most important of all, it shall be Christ’s Church.
