Every church that’s serious about following Jesus has a vision for the future, a dream about what’s next.
Great visions arise out of sacred ambitions, the Spirit’s gifts, wise planning, and community need. They are grounded in the promises of God and animated by the gospel of Jesus.
Our church’s vision statement is called RISE25. It is a framework laid across four key ideas that we sense God is drawing our people toward between now and 2025. Those values are:
We acknowledge – in fact, we celebrate – that RISE25 is always being refined and improved.
Why is that? Why leave our vision statement “in process”? Why is RISE25 a Google Doc and not a PDF?
It is because the Word of God is living and active and because the Holy Spirit is neither static nor inert. Convinced of this, we relish the opportunity to discover new and additional ways of living out our church’s vision in the coming days.
Great visions arise out of sacred ambitions, the Spirit’s gifts, wise planning, and community need. They are grounded in the promises of God and animated by the gospel of Jesus.
Our church’s vision statement is called RISE25. It is a framework laid across four key ideas that we sense God is drawing our people toward between now and 2025. Those values are:
Rethink: Understanding that society and our congregation have changed in fundamental ways since 2020, we are committed to challenging our own assumptions, drafting new mental models, assuming a learner’s posture, and asking the Holy Spirit to keep us from lazy conformity by renewing our minds (Romans 12:1)
Involve: Recognizing that ministry is not a spectator sport, we are committed to including as many persons as possible in meaningful Second Spaces within congregational life. These experiences include small groups, service teams, bible studies, and other opportunities for spiritual connectedness (1 Corinthians 12:21-27).
Serve: Churches thrive when they positively impact their communities and regions. Our church has sensed a dangerous drift toward passive religion and is working hard to correct this misalignment. Therefore, we are redoubling our efforts to build up Orange City, to empower our members to use their gifts, and to send persons into meaningful learning and service experiences elsewhere (1 Peter 4:10).
Extend: Because our church has been blessed with a strong pool of leaders and with a culture of generosity, we want to think about ways of sharing our message and our vision in other places. This kind of multiplication may involve additional campuses, church plants, or online/broadcast ministry (Romans 15:17-21).
We acknowledge – in fact, we celebrate – that RISE25 is always being refined and improved.
Why is that? Why leave our vision statement “in process”? Why is RISE25 a Google Doc and not a PDF?
It is because the Word of God is living and active and because the Holy Spirit is neither static nor inert. Convinced of this, we relish the opportunity to discover new and additional ways of living out our church’s vision in the coming days.