Toongabbie Anglican Church Blog

Weekly Blurb

Where are we going?

Thursday 22 May, 2008 · Posted by Raj Gupta

As any organization gets older, it becomes harder to maintain clarity about its vision and purpose. The same is true of churches. A friend once said to me: ‘churches seem to be very good at managing slow decline!’ It is a provocative statement that puts its finger on a reality about church life. Over time, it is easy for any church to lose its focus and purpose. It is a statement of reality that is evidenced by looking at the state of many churches around the world.

But God has left us in the world with a very clear purpose. It is through the church that God is declaring his manifold wisdom to the world (Ephesians 3:10). We are a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God, with the purpose of declaring the praises of him who has called us from darkness …. (1 Peter 2:9). The Lord Jesus has not yet returned because we have a job to do. The day of the Lord will come like a thief, when we least expect it (cf 2 Peter 3:10).

For these kinds of reasons, I have been keen for us to revisit our church strategy and vision. To do so will help us be clear about our vision and purpose, and being clear about these things will help us work out priorities for the future as we seek to fulfill God’s purposes for us.

I am pleased to say that some progress has been made on our church vision and strategy in recent months. Picking up on the excellent work done a few years ago, our Parish Council and Staff have now begun the process of updating our church vision and strategy. The draft documents are available on our website.

But they are only a draft. It is a process that we are keen for all to be involved in and, to this end, I plan to hold a series of workshops over June and July (the idea is that you come to one) to which all members of our church are invited. These workshops will be an opportunity for genuine consultation.  We will pray for God’s wisdom, review the draft documents together, have the opportunity for input and talk about the next steps. Stay tuned to our calendar for the dates for these workshops.

God has left us with a vision and purpose. He has poured out gifts among his people to use for his purposes and to his glory (cf 1 Corinthians 12). He has already been blessing our work in the Gospel enormously. Just imagine what may lay ahead!

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