LifeGroup Curriculum: Vision Message 2010
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OVERVIEW: There are thousands of Churches all over the world, with many different worship styles and strategic mission statements. The churches that teach Biblical truth and recognize Jesus as the way, truth and life, these are our brothers and sisters with whom we share the greatest exploit known to mankind… to advance the kingdom of God in the earth. As the Church, the ones betrothed to Christ, we are called to finish the work Jesus began… to demonstrate God’s love to everyone he places in our path or draws to the church’s doorstep. Please take the following notes from Pastor Terry’s vision message and prayerfully consider your role in building the church here at City of Grace. Also, please tuck this page in your Bible and use it as a prayer guide throughout 2010.
Guiding Passage: Matthew 16:18 (ESV)
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
ONE: The church belongs to Jesus. “I will build MY church.” The church in the NT is the ekklesia… the community of called out ones. The church transcends human reason. Through scripture Jesus is saying: “I am going to teach the world there is a better way to live… and my church will model it. My church will be based on another value system…the value system of an upside down kingdom where the last shall be first and the first shall be last. A kingdom where the greatest of all shall be the servant of all. A kingdom where those who give their lives away shall find a greater life. It’s a kingdom where the best seats at the banquet table are reserved for the least, the last and the lost. This is MY church!”
TWO: He has promised to build the church. “I will BUILD my church.”
The greatest satisfaction you will ever experience is in knowing that you are co-laboring with Jesus to build the house of God in your generation. Everything else you do, regardless of its significance, is temporal; however, what we are building here, together, is eternal!
THREE: The Church will prevail against the powers of darkness.
“The gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
NOTE:…Gates are not offensive weapons. This insight Jesus gives us reveals that it is the Church who is on the offensive as we assult the gates of darkness and allow the Holy Spirit to use us to set the captives free from bondage.
Taking Action: On page two of these notes (back of hard copy), you will find our theme for 2010, our initiatives for the coming year, our dreams and a list of our values as a church community. There are also three things Pastor Terry is calling our church body to do in 2010. Please prayerfully read over this information and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart about this call on your live to build a stringer church in the coming year for His glory and purpose.
May God’s richest blessings overshadow you as you seek to live in His purpose for your life in the coming year and beyond.
Looking Forward: Our Theme for 2010 is: “Stronger.” Job 17:9
“The righteous keep moving forward and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.”
2010 Vision Initiatives
1) Launch third City of Grace campus. (Biltmore Area)
2) Complete our parking lot expansion project (Mesa)
3) Complete SMC and begin expansion of Administrative Offices (Scottsdale)
4) Develop our “Family Wednesdays.”
a. Move Radial Mesa Service to Wednesdays.
b. Move Encounter Service to first Wednesdays.
5) Develop our Sunday morning Spiritual Enrichment Hour.
a. Begin all church prayer in Chapel from 9:00-9:50 (Mesa).
6) Revitalize our 11:30 worship service and relocate to the Activity Center (Mesa).
7) Launch Internet Campus
8.) Develop Adult Lifestage Ministries
City of Grace Values
Please review the values of our church as stated below. This is “who we are.” As Pastor Terry stated over the weekend, values are more important than vision. Vision is fluid. Vision comes and goes, based on the objectives before us, but values last. Vision is the doing part of church life but values is the being part of church life. Who you be is more important than what you do!
As a co-laborer at City of Grace, please prayerfully embrace these values and look for ways to express them in your own unique witness as a partner in ministry.
1) A healthy church family filled with life, laughter, and liberty.
2) A church family that is biblically literate, culturally relevant, and spiritually sensitive.
3) A church family with effective ministries to the whole family.
4) A church family that is multicultural and multigenerational.
5) A church family that nurtures, trains, and empowers emerging leaders.
6) A church family with an inviting atmosphere that loves and affirms one another.
7) A multi-site church family reproducing new campuses at a healthy rate.
8.) A church family that is willing to take risks for God.
9) A church family committed to excellence in spirit, lifestyle, and ministry practices.
10) A church family committed the transformation of communities, cities, and nations.
Our Dream
Out of these values…We dream of City of Grace thriving as a multi-site church of ten thousand people meeting on seven campuses throughout the city. We dream of reaching the unchurched community around us with the grace and power of Jesus Christ. We dream of young leaders emerging, new churches being planted, and missionaries being sent to the nations. We dream of a new generation of Kingdom leaders being developed and deployed into every sphere of influence in the world around us. We dream of making a lasting impact on our community that cannot be ignored or denied. We dream of us increasingly becoming a City of Grace.
Three things our Pastor has called to take action on in 2010…
ONE:To fast and pray for City of Grace. We have set aside the week of January 10-16 for 1 WEEK of FASTING AND PRAYER.
TWO: To commit to personal evangelism. Bringing our family/friends/co-workers/neighbors to our weekend worship experiences.
THREE: To get involved beyond the weekend. As exciting as our weekend services are…they are just the front porch of this house. We also have a living room full of groups and classes where you can grow deeper in your relationship with God and each other. And we have a kitchen where our teams serve the church, the community and the world. There are many areas of ministry that need your gifts, talents, and abilities.