“Where there is no vision, the people perish; but happy is he who keeps the teaching.”
(rf. Prov. 29:18 MEV)
“When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread toward heaven. And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant. May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us…’” (rf. I Kings 8:54–57NASB)
One of the key phrases used in leadership employment in the present day is the term, “vision-caster”. This is a person who provides their vision of where the organization is and where it needs to go to be successful. Although the term has more of an individualistic bent in our culture (e.g. the leader’s vision), it has been appropriated as of late into the Church, especially the American version, which, above all things, values material and numerical success.
However, the Scriptures also teach the necessity of having a “vision”, but, more importantly, God’s “vision” for His people. Since He is Lord and King and Christ is the Head of the Church, His body, it is only right that He be the one who provides the direction and insight that His people are to follow and accomplish. This truth not only applies to the overall Church, but also to the local expressions of His Church.
So, what then is God’s “vision” for St. John’s? We’ve made a number of adjustments over the years to bring our church into the 21st century while holding on to our treasured heritage in the German Reformed faith. This is important because, like the well-used phrase from Esther 4:14, these purposeful changes have been designed “for such a time as this” when many of the younger generations have found the contemporary church lacking in depth and substance and are seeking churches with greater spiritual and historical connection with Christ and His Church (read Ever Ancient Ever New by Winfield Bevins). Secondly, the Kannapolis area is experiencing an explosion of growth in retail businesses, industry, and the connected housing opportunities as it further explores its expanding position as a bedroom community to Charlotte. God is situating St. John’s to be in just the exact spot to benefit from this growth and interest for the coming years and for the future. What will this mean for St. John’s and what actions will we have to take shortly and down the line to maximize the prospects that God desires for us to have?
First of all, without jettisoning our Reformed and liturgical heritage, we need to consciously retire the past into the past. No church ever grows stronger toward the future while trying to keep their “glory days” in the present. Secondly, we must embrace the tools of technology while not becoming captive to them. The younger generations are inseparably connected to technological enhancements and so, instead of being in fear of learning and using new things, we must be willing to expand our minds and experiences so that these generations will see our willingness to grow in this area and add their ideas, energies and insights to our ministry. It is clearly possible to have sacred worship in a sacred space while providing some helpful technology as a benefit to all.
Thirdly, and most importantly, we need to keep our focus forward as a positive endeavor. We have some in our fellowship for whom negativity is a constant. As the old saying goes, “the glass is always half-empty”. If we want to minister to others, especially the younger generations, positivity is an absolute necessity. If our spirits are inclined more toward “vinegar” than “honey”, we really need to “test ourselves to see if we are in the faith”, as the Apostle Paul would say in II Corinthians 13:5. Where Jesus lives in the heart, grace, love and hope abound, leaving no room for constant negativity. Only in Christ will people be drawn to Him (rf. John 12:32)…and to St. John’s.
God has great plans for His Church and for St. John’s in particular. Are we willing to be led by His Spirit, following His lead, so that these plans will be realized? Only with our hearts committed to Him will we truly see all He has in store for us.
