As the gears of the upcoming presidential election cycle churn into motion, I can only imagine that it’s just a matter of time before we hear about a candidate’s “2020 vision.” There’s something about a clearly articulated vision that can galvanize a group into action, that can catalyze excitement, energy and focus, and that can provide guidance and inspiration when the going gets tough. In the Church, clear vision is critical. Proverbs 29:18 reminds us, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law” (ESV).
At Redeemer, we’ve had a team working on a strategic plan to guide and focus our ministries for the next several years. This team consisted of our elected Leadership Team members, our ministry staff, and several other individuals representing a wide range of backgrounds and all committed to the ongoing ministry of Redeemer Covenant Church. Over the course of several months, the team listened to the movement of God’s Spirit and to one another, as we together discerned how God might desire to focus and recharge our shared ministry efforts. We prayed, we consulted the church’s founding charter, we revisited the congregation’s profile of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and barriers that was developed two years ago, and we updated that information with new interviews with committed church members. We also examined external factors: Brooklyn Park and its changing demographics, local healthy churches and how they’re engaging in ministry, and the landscape of Christianity in Minnesota and the United States.
Finally, we synthesized all these findings, results, deliberations and assessments into newly-articulated statements of our shared vision, mission and values. Redeemer’s leadership is excited to share these guiding statements with you, and even more excited for us to live into them as a congregation. Here are the vision and mission statements that have been developed:
- OUR VISION: A Diverse Christ-Centered Community United By God’s Redeeming Love, Growing Together and Going Together
- OUR MISSION: To join God’s work by reaching, discipling and equipping people to courageously and authentically live out God’s Word in Brooklyn Park and beyond
During the month of March, we’ll be diving into this new vision in depth, taking four Sundays to unpack the statement, to see how God’s Word can guide us in living it out, and to begin to consider together what tangible steps we can take as ministry priorities, as we ask God to empower us in making this vision an increasingly clear and vital reality in our congregation. Please plan to join us each Sunday, March 10-31, as we engage God’s Word and this renewed vision together. Note also that, in addition to the ongoing Gospel of Mark adult Sunday School class meeting these weeks, there will be a class devoted to a biblical exploration of the themes found in the vision statement.
Our strategic planning team fully recognizes that, in many ways, there is nothing “new under the sun” or shockingly novel about these vision and mission statements. The purpose, identity and mission of the Christian Church have been clear since the days of its founding in the time of Jesus Christ. However, we do believe that these renewed statements will help us focus our energies and resources on the particular call that God would have us hear over these next several years as we seek to live faithfully into effective shared ministry on this corner in Brooklyn Park. Please continue to pray for our leaders, and be ready to dive in. It’s going to take all of us to live out this calling from our Lord. I look forward to continuing to partner with you in mission and ministry, for God’s glory.
Pastor Ben