As the summer tries to end and we begin shifting towards another school year, the Elders have been talking through the summer about a new vision frame. All this means is we have been diligently seeking the Lord to understand His leading so our next steps keep on fulfilling the mission of the gospel here in Golden Valley and around the world.

There are four key convictions that the Lord is placing on our hearts that need to be thoughts, His thoughts, to shape our next steps forward.

1. Our spiritual health as a church will be measured by our impact outside the walls of our building even more than what we do inside the building. God has called us to the mission of the gospel, to be His witnesses in the world. This is not just another religious task but an intentional effort to throw a saving life-ring to a lost world. It is easy for us to lose sight of the very harsh reality that once people pass from this world their eternal destiny is irrevocably fixed. For believers, this is mind-blowing good news. We have the privilege to spend the rest of our existence in the gracious presence of Christ Himself. For those who have not surrendered their life to God through faith in Christ, there is a hollow, agonizing eternity apart from Christ.

2. The church is people not the building. This may sound like old news, but it is an important perspective. We are experiencing lots of changes in our building through the summer. Much of this is fueled by our relationship with the French school, Notre Ecolé, as we keep our building in proper condition for their use and our benefit. The thought may have come up that we are losing our church to the school. Actually, they are making more use of our building and while we have been generous with our space, the arrangement gives a huge opportunity for us to grow and thrive – the church is doing well.

3. We want people to be our outreach not a program. The issue is not that a ministry structure (program) cannot be helpful to teach people to share Christ with others. But our commitment here is to cultivate disciple-makers where every individual is equipped and encouraged to be the hands and feet of Christ to touch a lost and broken world. Inevitably, only a certain number of people will gravitate to a program for evangelism. We want our people to be His presence in their neighborhoods, places of work, in the stores, restaurants and everyday places. Our goal is to equip people not run a program.

4. We want generosity and good works to be our catalyst into the lives of lost people. We know the heart of the gospel is about relationships. God has created us for good works (Eph. 2:10) and we are to be zealous for good works (2 Cor. 9:8; Titus 2:14) as we go into the world and be His witnesses (Matt. 5:14-16). We cannot succumb to the temptation that “if they want to come to us the doors are open”. We are called to build intentional relationships with lost people in order to expand the impact of the gospel at home and around the world. We want to care enough to pray that God will open doors; connect with people by living with wisdom; show compassion to the brokenness of others by extending God’s grace; and finally, we want to have the courage to clarify our faith with those we walk with, so they know the hope of the gospel.

In His grace,

Pastor Brad Little