Tis the season for setting goals!
Maybe you’re the person who takes the formal approach to goal setting by writing down a few measurable and attainable goals. You have a plan for what you want and how you’re going to get there. Go you!
Maybe you’re the person who’s less formal in your goal setting approach. You won’t write anything down, but somewhere in the back of your mind you’re thinking, “I’d like to have a better year.” “I hope to lose a little weight.” “Maybe this year my finances will improve.”
Wherever you are on that spectrum, there’s no better time of year to set goals than January 1. I don’t have research to back this up, but I’m pretty sure that 100% of unset goals are unmet goals.
With that in mind, we’ve decided to set a goal for our church. Yep, you read that right… A goal. Not ten goals, five goals or three goals. One, single, God-inspired goal for our church as a whole.
Ready for it?
Here it is.
Our primary goal for 2018 is to be firmly planted.
We’re not aiming to just plant a church. We’re aiming to plant a church that’s firmly planted.
Check out the very first Psalm.
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:1-3)
To be honest…
I want to produce fruit. I like the last part that says, “whatever he does, he prospers.” That sounds good to me!
However, in order to produce fruit and prosper, there’s something else that must happen first: you have to be firmly planted.
This is true for our church, and this is true for your life. Loosely planted trees don’t produce much fruit, and loosely planted shrubs don’t prosper.
That’s obvious, right?
But, what does it really mean to be firmly planted?
1. It means we will unapologetically teach God’s Word.
There is one thing in which I am completely confident: God’s Word. It is completely true which means you and I can completely trust it.
God’s Word is powerful, profitable, and can penetrate the hardest of hearts. Real life change happens when we submit ourselves to the authority of God’s Word.
This year we are committed to teaching God’s Word “so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
2. It means we will invest in people.
Antioch Georgetown has been three years in the making! The last several years have been full of dreaming, planning, training, and following the Spirit’s leading.
We have invested time, energy, and money into this new church.
Why?
Because people matter! That’s more than just a phrase we toss around. It’s part of our DNA or our culture as a church. We’re not interested in just having another worship service in Georgetown. We’re interested in investing in people.
We want to be firmly planted this year by fiercely investing in relationships. Whether it’s our special needs ministry or our small group ministry, we’ll do our best to keep our focus on people. We are less interested in growing a church and more interested in growing people.
We are less interested in growing a church and more interested in growing people. Click To Tweet3. It means we will follow the Lord’s leading.
Sure, we have hopes, dreams and aspirations for Antioch Georgetown in 2018. There are things we certainly would love to see happen.
But…
We have chosen daily to set aside our plans for His plans. This isn’t a sacrifice per se, because we are more than willing to give up our good dreams in order to be in the center of God’s great plan.
We’re clinging to the promise “what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Would you pray with us and for us in 2018? We desperately need the Lord’s hand to firmly plant us – we are but laborers in His field!