More From VIsion Night

At our "Vision Night," I shared my perspective on mission/vision statements. They can be useful tools, but sometimes they are too specific. We also want to approach them with a humble attitude, learning from James 4:13-16:

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

Clearly, anything we would plan or look to, is completely under the sovereign rule of the King of Kings.

Therefore, I shared my preference to think of our Mission Statement as:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."--Matthew 28:19-20

And my preference to think of our Vision Statement as:

We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.--Colossians 1:28-29

I think these two passages provide all of the foundation for what this church has said since her birth:

Greenville Grace: Bringing Love, Life and Light to Darke County and the World.

Clearly, God accomplishes His will, and so we practice humility when considering the future. We also know He wants us to study, do the work of an evangelist, pray for workers, practice hospitality, exercise our spiritual gifts, give an answer for the hope that lies within, grow in grace and wisdom...just to name a few gracious callings.

To pursue Greenville Grace becoming a place where people grow closer to Christ and people around the globe (including, not neglecting Darke County) are introduced to Christ and then truly discipled, a focused, committed strategy is needed.

Perhaps BILD is a tool to reach that goal.

Perhaps Antioch School is a specific tool.

We invite you to cruise around their websites to understand their ministry a little more. Tomorrow, I plan to answer a few obvious questions that come out of this discussion.

And please, join us in praying that God would see to allow us to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded!