Pastor's Blog: Vision (My Notes from Sunday Night) Part 2

Our Goal: To Be a Healthy, Growing Church Centered on the Gospel

Healthy

What is a healthy church? (key question that we need to answer)

Here’s two thoughts:

1). What is a healthy church?: Matt 22:35-40

Measures the health of our church as well as our small groups, student & children ministry, etc. How?

Love God: prayer, Bible Study, worship
Love each other: prayer, e & discipleship, confession, hanging out together, meeting needs
Love neighbors & world: evangelism, missions, community events, service projects.

2) What is a healthy church?

I think here is where the marks of a church come into play: e.g., worship, prayer, evangelism & discipleship, fellowship, ministry (Look @ Dever, 9 Marks, for lists)
Six signs of a “healthy church”: Study, community, worship, mission, service, prayer (McKinion)

Growing

Spiritual & Numerical

Important: Growth is measured by the rule of the Gospel not numbers, activities, programs, etc.

Yet numerical growth can be a valid goal: 210 in 2010 is our numerical goal, but our focus is on healthy, Gospel growth.

Jesus said follow me and I will make you fishers of men (Matt 4:19; Mark 1:17)
Matt 9:37-38 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (ESV).
Acts …look at the numerical growth.

Bottom line: We live in a growing city . . . we should be growing numerically.

Centered on the Gospel

How does everything we do connect, flow, center on the gospel?

Pastor's Blog