Pastor Chris' March Letter 2016
Dear Trinity Family,
Over the last couple of months, we have been discussing what it means to be a disciple and how we live this out as a part of Trinity Church. This is the purpose behind the current teaching series called “Connect Grow Serve.” These topics are designed to help us to focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ and to keep the focus on how we live as disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ. Throughout this series I have pointed out that the easiest way for us to go astray is when we forget the why of what we are doing as the church. This is why it is important that every church have a mission and vision statement that helps to remember what we are here for.
The mission statement of Trinity church is the same as every United Methodist church: Our mission is to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This mission statement is not unique to the United Methodist Church. It is Jesus that has set this as the mission of all Christians. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus tells us to, “… go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” This is the why. Why do we worship on Sunday mornings? To be and make disciples. Why do we meet in small groups to grow in our faith? To be and make disciples. Why do we serve our neighborhoods? To be and make disciples. This statement helps us to focus on what is important to us in our walk with Christ and as a church. We should always ask ourselves: “Does this ministry or these decisions help us to be and make disciples?”
A vision statement relates directly to the mission statement in that the vision lays out what it looks like to live out the mission. When I arrived at Trinity Church, the church had a good vision. However, out of all the people who attended a town hall meeting with me only two people could remember this vision. Because of this I have boiled down the important parts of our vision and turned it into a three-word statement. Trinity Church lives out its mission as we Connect, Grow, and Serve. We connect to God in Jesus Christ primarily done in worship. We grow in our faith in Christ primarily via small groups and spiritual disciplines that help us to deepen our relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Finally, we serve in our community and world for Christ.The mission and vision statements together give us a clear direction and will continue to focus our ministry here at Trinity Church as we walk this journey of faith.
Over the last couple of months, we have been discussing what it means to be a disciple and how we live this out as a part of Trinity Church. This is the purpose behind the current teaching series called “Connect Grow Serve.” These topics are designed to help us to focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ and to keep the focus on how we live as disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ. Throughout this series I have pointed out that the easiest way for us to go astray is when we forget the why of what we are doing as the church. This is why it is important that every church have a mission and vision statement that helps to remember what we are here for.
The mission statement of Trinity church is the same as every United Methodist church: Our mission is to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This mission statement is not unique to the United Methodist Church. It is Jesus that has set this as the mission of all Christians. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus tells us to, “… go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” This is the why. Why do we worship on Sunday mornings? To be and make disciples. Why do we meet in small groups to grow in our faith? To be and make disciples. Why do we serve our neighborhoods? To be and make disciples. This statement helps us to focus on what is important to us in our walk with Christ and as a church. We should always ask ourselves: “Does this ministry or these decisions help us to be and make disciples?”
A vision statement relates directly to the mission statement in that the vision lays out what it looks like to live out the mission. When I arrived at Trinity Church, the church had a good vision. However, out of all the people who attended a town hall meeting with me only two people could remember this vision. Because of this I have boiled down the important parts of our vision and turned it into a three-word statement. Trinity Church lives out its mission as we Connect, Grow, and Serve. We connect to God in Jesus Christ primarily done in worship. We grow in our faith in Christ primarily via small groups and spiritual disciplines that help us to deepen our relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Finally, we serve in our community and world for Christ.The mission and vision statements together give us a clear direction and will continue to focus our ministry here at Trinity Church as we walk this journey of faith.