Insight Day, All Nations, 2023.

When I was preparing to meet the elders last year they asked, naturally, about vision. As I am in a listening phase right now, I thought today may be a good time to share with you some of what I put in the document I shared with them. It'll give you insight into how I see the local church. 

Unintentional and Deliberate Change

What changes would Barbie and I bring to All Nations?
Change is here to stay! But it should be noted that the biggest change to come to the church in nearly four decades will be the change of Senior Pastor. Pastor Billy is the only Senior Leader many people in the church would know and associate with the church. Just by our arrival on the scene can seem as radical change by some, even if that is unintentional change.

Deliberate change is where the eldership, along with consultation with the wider leadership, begin to bring adjustments to the church and its life. It may be that the core ministries do not change but that they are tweaked. From what I know about the church I am not sure that radical change in every department needs to happen, but every church, no matter how good it is, will need a bit of a shake-up from time to time. 

How Does Keith See Church?

If we were to discuss vision we would probably all agree on 80% or more of what ANCC is as a church. Our uniqueness comes in that remaining 20%.
I guess the following would be my values. 

It’s been my long-held belief that the church is not a country club that exists for the comfort of its members. Neither is it a graveyard where the pastor just mows the lawns! 

What could you expect to see as vision develops? A hint maybe in the way I view church. In short a local church should be:

A Growing Community: 

A healthy church should grow numerically and spiritually. I believe spiritual growth is measured in changed lives, obedience to God’s word, and individual and collective witness (Acts 2:47).

A Discipling Community:

Discipleship is vital in any church, especially given the societal changes that are happening around us and, if we are honest, affect the practices of church members too. A church needs a framework of discipleship, such as small groups, marriage preparation classes, marriage courses, age appropriate ministries et al, these would be the meta-narrative elements of church life, the big story moments (Matthew 28:19).

But the most effective discipleship is built on one-to-one or one-to-two relationships. We can see this quite easily in the life and ministry of Jesus. Simply put, discipleship is defined as time with people: doing life together. 

A Fellowshipping Community:

The intangibly tangible koinonia that believers share (Acts 2:42). The time we share together, socially, prayerfully, on-mission together. Bound by the chords of love in Jesus.

A Sending Community: 

A healthy church is a missional church. 
My role is to equip people for their works of service (Eph. 4:11-13). All Nations has a great history and reputation in its support of missions, both locally and overseas. I’d like to see that develop more. 

But a sending church is also one that sees itself as equipping missionaries (everyone) in the church to witness and love the lost (Acts 1:8). 
It means to send more to recognised theological training to benefit the wider Church Body, but to also raise up future leaders within our church. 

To see ourselves as not pastoring a local church, but pastoring a local town.

A Compassionate Community: 

A compassionate church has to do with how we treat those inside the church community (with grace) and how we treat those who are not-yet-saved (also with grace). 

It means that we support, instigate, and encourage members to be involved in good causes and ministries locally. Reading and the surrounding area needs to know that All Nations loves them. (Matthew 15:32). 

A Praying Community: 

Prayer is vital. It has been said that nothing happens without prayer. That’s not quite true. Nothing good happens without prayer. Where there is no prayer strategy and focus in a church’s life there’s a vacuum, and that vacuum can be filled with all kinds of activities, but more often than not what grows is apathy. (Matthew 6:9-13). 

Engaging busy people in prayer today is a challenge, but it’s not impossible. Whatever God is going to do in and through All Nations will be birthed from prayer.

A Worshipping Community: 

Worship is vital to our life as a church. We worship on Sundays, corporately, to dwell in the presence of God. We need to be worshippers at heart too, not just the ‘lifestyle’ worship but living worshipful lives. (John 4:24).

A Spirit-Filled Community: 

All of this is had to be done in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are part of the Elim Pentecostal Church movement. We are a Pentecostal Chruch. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the moving of the Spirit. Like Moses we can say we will not move forward without the presence of God with us (Exodus 33:15; I Corinthians 12:1).

Wrapping this up:

The above is not exhaustive, but really speaks into the 80% of what a healthy church does. What else will God reveal to us this year as we seek Him? That’s the season we are entering.