Go Beyond

A Vista For 2015 & Beyond
Introduction to Go Beyond

On Sunday 15 February, I shared the first stage of an emerging five-year vision that I’ve entitled ‘Go Beyond.’ It builds on the DNA of our church and the mission of God that birthed our church and that continues to capture us as we seek to reach our city.

Much of what I shared derives from what I heard you say in the 30 or so Meet & Greet times held throughout October to December, and what I believe the Spirit of God is saying to us as a church as we step into this next chapter in the unfolding story of our church.

Blessings,
Ps Jonathan Dove.
Update (June 2015):

It’s been 3-4 months since we launched our GO BEYOND vision, a church of diverse communities living out the gospel together, impacting the 1.1 million people who live within a 25km radius of Greenlane Christian Centre. I thought it must be time for an update. Let me give you a glimpse of what’s happening around our four arrows:
GROW
 
  • You might have noticed a new email called "Message Rewind” in your inbox this past week. We are a church that takes God’s Word seriously and believe it should lead to life change. Since every service is anchored in the same biblical message, we want to give opportunity for all of us to go deeper. Each email will provide a chance to Recall (a brief look back along with a link to the message), Reflect (questions to think about) Relate (discussions with God and others), and Respond (action steps to take).
  • We will also be launching our Applied courses in June  - a Wednesday night, church-wide, intensive Bible study and ministry training weaving together faith and practice, taught by scholars and specialists from around the city. Upcoming topics include "Gospel Fluency," "Being a Caring Community," "How to Lead and Develop Self & Others," and "Reason for God (Conversational Apologetics)."
  • Don’t forget you have free access to RightNow Media, the Netflix of Christian Bible Study, with over 10,000 videos at your disposal (contact the office if you need some help accessing these).
WORSHIP
  •  As you know we’re keen to provide diverse styles of Sunday services. More service styles means that we can connect with a greater range of people!  Our team has gathered lots of feedback since February about what this should look like. I’ll update you on the specifics in a couple of weeks (we’re just ironing out a few more things first). But, effectively, we will begin with three distinct services all with a contemporary vibrant flavor. The mornings will still provide dynamic children’s /youth ministries. All will have the same accessible biblical preaching, anchored in God’s Word. The same service times (9am, 11am and 6.30pm) will apply.
  • Towards the end of June, we will be kicking off a series called “The Land Between.” We all face times that are like a wilderness season, a barren place that seems to have no end in sight.  Whether we’re between jobs, facing health issues, or reeling from the effects of poor decisions … we all find ourselves at some time in this land between.  When the ancient faith community found themselves in a literal wilderness stuck between Egypt and the Promised Land, they found that God was using this land between to transform them from a group of slaves into a nation that would bear his name.  They discovered that these barren seasons could be fertile ground for spiritual growth. This is what the biblical story of Numbers is all about.
  • I’m excited about The Land Between series for a couple of reasons: First, we will begin to realize that ALL the books of the Bible are incredible relevant for us (even books like Numbers that tend to be avoided). Second, we will come face to face with fellow sojourners and the help we need for our own land-between moments. It’s a series for followers of Jesus AND for friends not-quite-there-yet. After all, such experiences are common ground for all of us.
CONNECT
 
  • I loved hearing the stories of stronger relationships in our recent series on US and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. I even heard of three proposals during that time!
  •  Feedback from that time caused us to launch a new ministry called Common Ground – a safe, friendly and authentic community of single adults. Common Ground creates spaces to connect with Jesus Christ and each other in new and healthy ways. One person commenting on the first event said “…people were almost too excited and happy to have this initiative begin. I saw God at work in the need for people to simply meet, laugh and enjoy being together. There is something about laughter and simply enjoying friendships that give people hope and a little taste of Christian community.” Very cool.
  •  We also have our GCC Chaplains (prayer team) available after every Sunday service (9am, 11am and 6.30pm) at the rear of the auditorium.
IMPACT
  •  Our Generationz team began ministry in a couple of new rest homes, our prison ministry is grabbing hold of new opportunities, and our ethnic ministries continue to grow.


  •  Sandra (our new Community Events Manager) is working on some ambitious city wide events to help us serve, engage, and reach our city. We’ll have an update in a couple of weeks.

NEW GENERATIONS
 
  • In term 3, we launch a new curriculum in both Kneehigh Army (0-5) and Transformers (5-10) through partnership with Tru Ministry. It is built on principles like 1) Scripture is our authority, 2) The Holy Spirit teaches, and 3) We need to grasp the big God story from Genesis to Revelation. You can find out more at http://truministry.com.
 
  • It’s looks like we have a new member joining the New Generations team that is going to focus on youth in the community, and improve our engagement with schools, along with working with Blueprint (our youth ministry). This should be firmed up next month. We are also still on the search for a Pastor of Youth to oversee all that goes on so please continue to pray for this role.
 
  • We also have some stroller parking added to the side of the auditorium to help young families find a safe and accessible place to park.
 
ONE OTHER THING
 
One other thing that I’m praising God for is the way people are responding to change. Change is part and parcel of a growing engaging church. When we meet new people or experience things that are a little different, we can often face a bit of fear and uncertainty. What I’m noticing is the overwhelming willingness that our church has to explore what it looks like to reach out to diverse groups of people in today’s context. Along with that, I love the way people raise concerns or questions when they are unsure about a particular change.  Typically, such conversations or emails I have received have…  a posture of humility,… a desire to make a difference in the lives of others (rather than be more concerned about how it affects them personally), and … and abounding with encouragement. What a healthy church context!
 
Can you take a moment to pray that the Spirit of God will lead us as we take next steps to worship, grow, connect, and impact.
 
Every blessing
 
Jonathan Dove
Senior Pastor
Go Beyond Handout
Vision Sunday Sermon
Go Beyond Handout
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