It is easy to get so busy with the day to day business of the church that we lose sight of the big picture. Vision leaks. But continual reviewing is life renewing.
What is our congregation’s purpose? Why do we exist?
“To connect all people to Christ through nurturing, building friendships, and serving.”
What goal are we chasing after, then? We are in the business of connecting people to Jesus Christ. In the first part of this mission statement we are affirming that everybody needs Jesus in their life. He is not a way but THE way of having a life giving relationship with our heavenly Father.
The means by which the Holy Spirit grows us in that connection is described in the rest of the statement - through nurturing, building friendships, and serving.
The nurturing happens when we learn what is in our Bibles and apply it to our lives. We trust it. We obey it. That’s is why at Shepherd of the Valley we continue to encourage people to not only read their Bibles, but be involved in a small group Bible study or class in order to learn about what God is saying to us through the Bible. That is why a main emphases in our children’s ministry is teaching the Bible. We sincerely believe that a child, as well as an adult, needs to know the Bible.
This growing connection with Christ does not happen in isolation. We need to walk alongside other believers in friendships based upon our common bond in Christ. Again, that is why we have so lifted up small group ministry as a must for all ages.
This relationship with Christ grows when we take up Christ’s instruction to serve in and outside of the congregation. It is in serving people in Jesus’ name that we continue to experience his presence in our lives. As we obey his call to serve others we discover for ourselves the truth of Jesus’ promise of blessing in our lives. We also learn to trust Savior who knows what makes our lives work.
Of course, all this nurturing, building friendships, and serving has a bigger purpose in mind - that we be enabled to connect the unconnected to Christ. Everyone needs Jesus. Amen!