A Fresh Exercise in Vision
Okay, here's a fresh exercise for a new year, for all of us who love to weigh in on where the CGGC is and where we are going. Answer the following question (on this blog where we can see it):
If you could see 3 things about the CGGC change over the next 10 years, what would they be?
There are rules...
1. You cannot list more than 3, but you can list as few as 1.
2. You are allowed one sentence to express each desired change (so your whole comment cannot be more than 3 sentences, which will save you all the time normally involved in longer compositions:-).
3. You can only comment on other people's "3 Things" if you intend to play the game also by listing your own three things.
I thought it would be interesting to see what the compiled list would look like after everyone weighs in. Come on, it'll be fun...
posted by Fran Leeman at 10:53 AM
14 Comments:
(Disclaimer: AS one not officially in the CGGC, my answer is what I would like to see in many Evangelical denoms)
1. A greater embracing of non vocational pastors to lead communities, while still allowing vocational pastors so y'all don't have to get jobs. ;)
2. More thinking outside the box on planting and funding communities with alternative worship gatherings (including, but not limited to, house churches, new monastic communities, and other unique gatherings in "third spaces") and treating them as missions as opposed to church plants.
3. An enhanced understanding of the modern and postmodern cross roads we live in needing to create multiple missions to raise up communities to reach both of these groups and get everyone to co exist more nicely than they currently do since we currently point fingers at the different models and insult them when we are still one body (ha! Run on sentence!).
Well said Captain Tux.
I just have one that the passion of God to reach out to the world would infuse each of us.
Captain Tux's comments above are appropriate, but are from someone peering into the CGGC more from the outside. As such, his comments could probably be said of almost any historic evangelical denomination.
When I posted this question, what was in my mind was to see a list emerge that comes from the long-time CGGC insiders who read and comment here. We talk so much of change in our denomination, and sometimes go deep on one issue, so I wondered what the concise answers would look like. I hope you'll submit some thoughtful responses.
Hence the disclaimer in my first sentence, dude. ;)
First of up to three comments:
1. We will become a repenting people.
1. A sharp focus on discipleship, passionate conversations on what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and passionate dialogue about how this is working in local congregations.
2. Leadership development
I'll reserve my right to a third one.
I'm not a long time GCGCer. But I am a CGGCer.
1. I pray that all pastors and leaders would live more sacrificially for the sake of the Kingdom, and take more sacrificial risks in ministry and life.
2. I pray that the CGGC would embrace, equip, and empower people with their specific gifting sets in innovative ways that will grow the CGGC and more importantly the Kingdom of God.
3. I reserve the right to add a third.
I would like to see the CGGC become a place of grace--not a place where perfect people can come and gloat but a place where sinners can come and sob--and it's okay.
1. I would like to see churches in a local geographical area working together very intimately - ensuring a balance of leadership giftings (APEST) and sharing responsibility for that area (church development, planting, social work etc.) Shared leadership, shared staff etc.
Right now each church operates basically on their own (with encouragement from each other and denom staff.)
1. I agree with Dan, that I would like to see local churches working more closely together. Particularly in reaching out to help struggling churches both financially and spiritually.
2. That the people of the CGGC learn what it really means to live a missional life.
3. That we raise up and equip knowledgeable Bible teachers, who can pick up God's Word and teach it. To use the Bible as the main source of teaching instead of a supplement to man-made curriculum.
by your definition is God a long time CGGCer or more like someone peering in more from the outside?
1. Follow the Father.
2. Follow the Son.
3. Follow the Spirit.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths strait.
That is the key to bearing fruit!
Dan,
Since I already played, I think that gives me the ability to speak. I love your point about churches working together when geographically close. And you are so right, each church mostly operates on it's own. Going back to Bill's point on repentance, I think that is an unconscionable error that must be corrected and repented of if we are supposed to be one body as opposed to a bunch of little bodies running around. Well made point! :)
2. A Deeper Gospel - both in total scope and personal depth.
I think the gospel we preach needs to have a greater kingdom component. We need to think much less about rapture and much more about resurrection.
On the personal level, I think we need to see our own response to the gospel as ongoing instead of a decision we made years ago.
I could go into more detail...
2. Recognizing that our only rule of faith and practice speaks of leadership as an issue of who a person is called and gifted to be and not a role that a leader fills or a job s/he does,
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers..." (Eph. 4:11)
"Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?," (1 Cor. 12:29)
we will become a community of believers who empower our leaders to lead from who it is the Lord has called them and empowered them to be.
(Now, how's that for a long sentence?!)
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