In Scripture, the concept of vision is often connected to receiving new revelation. Lest anyone misunderstand, we are not using the term vision to suggest that we are looking for new, extra-biblical revelation from God. Rather, when we talk of the vision for our church, we use the term to emphasize what we discern to be a powerful, yet simple reason for existence. If all of us can articulate what our church is about, we should enjoy a clear sense of unity in purpose, and we should be able to plan and evaluate ministries strategically.

Our vision focuses on love—the centerpiece of Christ’s new commandment in John 13:34-35:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. His new commandment expands upon the great summary of the Mosaic Law— …you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…[and]…you shall love your neighbor as yourself. [Mark 12:30-31]
Both the vertical and horizontal components of love are reiterated by John in I John 4:21—And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

IMPLEMENTING VISION. How do we implement this vision? It is one thing to say that we want to love God and love people, but how do we carry that out? The following table summarizes how we purpose to express our vision in action. To sustain health as a church, a balance needs to be maintained among worship, discipleship, fellowship, service and outreach. The first two naturally emphasize loving God. The last three naturally emphasize loving people.

EVALUATING VISION. If we successfully implement our vision through these five balanced areas of focus, there should be an observable outcome. We will see life-change. We will see transformation…“outsiders” becoming children of God by faith in Christ, and “insiders” growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ (II Peter 3:18). Life change is the essence of God’s purpose in Romans 8:29—For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

KEY ENVIRONMENTS. A lot of thought and prayer by the Elders and staff have gone into the following conclusion: two settings or environments are essential in order to carry out our vision—Corporate Life and Community Life. Neither environment can be excluded without detriment to the individual believer or to the church as a whole.

Corporate life focuses on things like worship, praise, evangelism, preaching, exhortation and teaching. Community life focuses on things like friendships, serving, fellowship, mentoring and caring. In corporate life we celebrate as a whole; in community life we connect one-on-one. In corporate life we worship in a crowd; in community life we work relationally, as friends.

Along with some of you, my past religious life included a setting in which church consisted of one hour on Sunday morning, where “quiet reverence” was sandwiched between a hurried entrance and even quicker exit. Needless to say, significant “love for the brethren” did not flourish in that environment.

To carry out meaningful expressions of love for God and love for people, it is important for each of us to participate regularly in both corporate life and community life. We need to be “in church” consistently, where public gatherings afford opportunities to worship, to grow in discipleship, and to celebrate together. But we also need to connect relationally to a small group of other believers. In our church, we call them “L.I.F.E. (Living In Faith Everyday) Groups.” Because they are so important, we intend to focus more attention and resources on them in the future. We anticipate adding a staff person to work with youth, thereby freeing Barbee to concentrate more fully on L.I.F.E. Groups and provide the critical point leadership that they need.