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Thoughts on the Future of OVCC You turn the TV on and see a vision of a unbelievably large mass of people sitting in a stadium sized room listening to an ultra-dynamic preacher. You look on the internet and you see images of mega-churches that have a weekly attendance of 5,000 people. You see pastors who are cranking out books to the local Christian bookstore faster than you can say “Whoa!” In this culture of American Christianity, it is appropriate for us to ask ourselves, “Who is God calling us to be as a church family?” “What is our niche in this massive thing called the Church of Jesus Christ?”
In one sense, this is an easy question to answer, and in another it is not so easy. Thankfully, I think the easy aspect of the answer is really where we need to put our focus because it is more foundational. The easy answer to the question who God wants OVCC to be in the future is this: He wants us to be faithful to Him. Thanks, Tom. That helps a lot! J Talk about preaching the obvious to the choir! I know I’m being a bit silly in saying it that way. But the truth is that simple. The questions that we need to raise about our future direction as a church do not primarily deal with such unknown things as whether we will someday become a mega-church, or whether we will have to do an addition to our building some day, or whether your pastor will ever make it onto a famous TV show (I doubt it!). This is how some people measure success in the church. They think it depends on size, growth, numbers, resources, fame, budget amount, and whether or not it has a really cutting-edge website. I don’t believe that this is how Jesus defines success for a church. Rather, such words as faith, hope, love, honesty, integrity, truth, compassion, evangelism, discipleship, unity, giving, serving, mercy, and purity come to mind. Or to put it even more simply, we are called to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Or, we are called to love God first, love His people, and reach out to the lost with love, truth and compassion. Do these types of things sound like the priorities that would be deeply on God’s heart? I believe they are. We need to be faithful to do the right things as a church. That is our calling. How do we know what those right things are? There is only one answer for this…the Bible. Does the Bible tell us that we will need to become a mega-church? Does the Bible tell us we need the most innovative technology in town? Does the Bible tell us that the preacher needs to be the most polished, eloquent preacher in West Michigan? No, it does not tell us anything of these things. Therefore, we must leave each of those things to God. Perhaps he will lead us there, perhaps not. But the point that each of us needs to understand is that we need to be about the things we know are important to God before we worry at all about the things that are not a focus of Scripture.Believe it or not, this actually gets me fired up! I know the role God has called me to and I want to do it with the utmost passion and effort because God has made it very clear what he expects of me. These are the things God calls us all to: Love and reach the lost with the gospel, make disciples, train those disciples to be able to also make disciples, and more than anything else, we are to glorify God in and through this obedience! So where is OVCC in the midst of this right now? Well, for one thing, you need to be prepared to be loved! Our church Elders are serious about getting back in touch with our people and spending time and building relationships with the membership of OVCC. This is a commitment that we have made as a team, and though it will take time, we are convinced that this is what the Lord is calling us to. As a church, we are also committed to reaching the lost in our local neighborhoods with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am in the process of putting together a team of people whose sole responsibility will be to seek ways to reach out to those in the Orchard View area with the love and truth of Jesus Christ. It is time for us to progress in demonstrating Christ’s love “outward” toward our community. What does this all mean for you? It means that, first of all, we need to focus on God’s priorities for the church and not what our society may cause us to think we need. I don’t believe God is much impressed with flashy ministries if they lack love and truth. If we together seek love and truth in Christ, we cannot go wrong. Secondly, it also means that you, as a crucial player in this thing called OVCC, are called to join in what God is calling us to do. Are you concerned to reach the lost around you with the gospel of Jesus? Do you seek to get to know unbelievers and listen to them and love them and share with them? Do you have a passion to make disciples of non-Christians and younger Christians in our church? Are you serving in some way in the church that is used by God (whether “up-front” or “behind-the-scenes”) that will contribute to this greater cause? If so, awesome! Keep up the great work! If not, then jump on board! Talk to an elder or talk to me about how you can get plugged into the ministry that God is doing in and through us… It would be a pure delight to help you find your place in loving service to God and others, I’m only a phone call away! I am so happy to be a part of this body of believers, and I am so excited about where God is going to take us in the upcoming months and years. It may, or may not, be flashy. But if we can simply glorify him through faithfulness obedience in making disciples of Jesus Christ, then in God’s eyes, we will be a success! God’s plan is unfolding all around us! Are you ready for the ride of a lifetime? Jump on board! Let’s seek to do His will together, with all of our might and passion! “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter 1:2 ESV) Seeking Him together, Pastor Tom
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