Here's our Vision for 2010-12, followed by why I am more convinced than ever that it is urgently relevant.
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Our 2010-2012 Vision: Making God Famous (Habakkuk 3:2)
“LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.
Renew them in our day, in our time make them known. In wrath remember mercy.” (Hab 3:2)
Over these next two years the focus of our vision will be spreading the fame and glory of our God who has shown us such mercy in Christ and desires all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4).
This means that on campus we will seek to create a warm and inviting place where anyone can come as they are, learn about Jesus at their own pace and, like Him, grow in wisdom and favor with God and men (Luke 2:52).
Off campus, we will look for opportunities to serve the people of Stoughton in order to not only show but also tell them of the love of Christ, who came not to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
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Why is this so relevant?
Recent research in a book I'm reading:
"58 percent of those studied stopped coming to church because of relational problems. For example, 26 percent said church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical; 20 percent didn't feel connected to people in the church; and 15 percent said churches were either unfriendly, unwelcoming, or cliquish." - Ed Stetzer & Philip Nation, Complelled By Love (New Hope, 2008), 83.
This is not what God intends His Church to be. What have we become? And why?
