Can you imagine a church:
· where people come together with a common heart & mind and a common vision to fulfil God’s purposes;
· where people can’t wait for the next time they meet together, where nothing will keep them away from being church and doing church.
· where believers gather in Small Groups and experience intimacy as they share their hearts on the deepest of levels in open and accountable relationships;
· where people are well known and known well;
· where people compassionately walk with each other through life’s problems;
· where people’s needs are met through sacrificial love of another kind that transcends human love;
· where people come together, working as teams as they do God’s work;
· where the young people are supported by paid workers on staff and volunteers;
· where people have fun and celebrate the joys of life together welcoming all people into their midst – children, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged people and older people;
This is real community.
Can you imagine a church:
· where people long to offer praise to God in recognition of who he is and of all that he has done; and of what they were made for;
· where worship is a place of surrender to Almighty God, of intimacy with Abba Father, of honesty as our words express our hearts and of unity as the family of God come before him in praise;
· where worship, prayer and the sacraments have a high value;
· where people come and are able to consistently worship in a contemporary way;
· where non-Christians come and experience the presence of God and hear the gospel in a powerful way, in a culture they understand;
· where the teaching helps people relate their faith to the situations they face day by day;
· where God’s presence among his people is tangible;
This is Worship in Spirit and in truth.
Can you imagine a church:
· where people ache so much for their non-Christian friends that the church takes risks to reach out to them with the gospel;
· where the lost are being saved week by week;
· where people flock to find and encounter Jesus;
· where people minister to one another in the power of the Holy Spirit and people are healed and made whole;
· where people are equipped to share their faith in simple words of their own
· where the believers are bubbling over with stories of their faith sharing, and of their family and friends coming to know Christ;
· where people are encouraged and inspired to reach out beyond the church to the lost of our nation and to the furthest parts of our world;
· where the people have a heart for the disadvantaged and the lost of our community and work sacrificially among the deprived of our parish;
· where people come out of curiosity and find a passion for Jesus;
This is effective Outreach.
Can you imagine a church:
· where everyone feels empowered to make a difference through their spiritual gifts;
· where people are “naturally supernatural” – always serving in the supernatural power and gifts of the Spirit, not relying on their own strength;
· where people know what it is that God made them for – their passion & their gifts;
· where the rich share their God-given resources with the poor;
· where people reach out to those in need;
· where people cheerfully give their tithe to the church and the church is free of debt;
· where children and young people are released into serving in the power of the Holy Spirit among their peers and among the whole community of the church;
· where the church and its members are committed to serving the wider community;
· where people can come for their needs to be met;
· where the hurting are comforted and the desperate find solace;
· where people just love to serve with a servant heart.
This is genuine Service.
Can you imagine a church:
· where Spirit-led preaching brings a new God-focused direction to people’s lives;
· where people are hungry to learn the word of God;
· where people grow in the application of their Christian faith in their everyday lives as they come to understand the fundamental doctrines of the faith and the principles of Christian living;
· where people develop the spiritual disciplines of daily bible reading, of daily prayer, of tithing to the church and of commitment to fellowship in Small Groups;
· where people are being transformed to become more like Jesus in their thoughts, their feelings and their actions;
· where people have a distinct lifestyle influenced by deep seated Christian conviction;
· where people are nurtured, and their hands held, as they grow into mature followers of Jesus;
This is true Discipleship.
This is our vision of church. A vision of a church focussed on purpose, of a people with a sense of purpose and having a sense of being on a mission, an adventure for God.
Imagine what it would be like to be part of a church like this! Doesn’t that fire your imagination? Is this something you want to be part of? We believe God has given us this vision – it is this vision we will give our all for, it is this vision that we are pursuing to please our bridegroom and fulfil his purposes for us.
