The Kind of Church I Want
As many may know, I currently serve at a fantastic church as the youth pastor of a great group of teenagers and I assist our pastor in the ministry to our entire congregation. I know that God has called me in to His ministry and that my specific calling is to be a pastor. Knowing this, I understand that one day God will move me and transition me to a church where I will serve as a senior pastor. When that day will come I do not know but we stay sensitive and ready to obey at His command. In understanding my calling and in understanding both my current assignment and my future one, one of the things that I have learned to do is to pray for the people that I currently minister to but I also pray for those that God will call me to in the future. I pray for the individuals and for the families that one day I will pastor. One day, as I was praying along these lines, I sensed that God was challenging me. He was challenging me to dream and to envision what my future church would look like. He was challenging me to write down the vision so that I could begin to pray for certain charactersitics and traits that this church will have. As I took time to meditate, pray and to search the scriptures I discovered 4 major characterisitics that I want my church to have. What follows is my vision for the church that I will one day pastor.
The Kind of Church I Want
An INTERCEDING church: To plead on another’s behalf.
I John 5:14-15; Ephesians 6:12
- We are a church that seeks the face of God to know him intimately and to hear him clearly.
- We are a church that goes before the Father and pleads on behalf of the needs of our church family, our community, our nation and the world.
- We are a church that is engaged in spiritual warfare and that will experience victory because of our persistence and tenacity in prayer.
An INTERNATIONAL church: Extending across or transcending national boundaries
Matthew 28:19-20; Revelation 5:9
- We are a church that is aware of the need to evangelize the nations of the world.
- We are a church that is committed to evangelizing every nation through the giving of our finances, time and strength.
- We are a church that reaches out to and openly welcomes every race and ethnicity so that the nations of the world are represented in our church family.
An INNOVATIVE church: being or producing something like nothing done or experienced or created before; ahead of the times.
1 Corinthians 9:22; Luke 14:23
- We are a church that endeavors to find any way possible to communicate the word of God and to demonstrate the love of God to our world.
- We are a church that seeks practical and creative ways to meet the needs of people.
- We are a church that serves as a model of 21st century ministry methods while uncompromising the age old message of the gospel.
An INTEGRATED church: combining or coordinating separate elements so as to provide a harmonious, interrelated whole.
I Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:3-6
- We are a church of many members that come together to form one body, one army, one family.
- We are a church united in worship, in service and in fellowship.
- We are a church that genuinely cares for and encourages each other in every aspect of our lives.
I’m curious to know, what elements or characteristics would you like to see in a church?
Saul Ramirez said,
August 20, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Bro. rob,
thats a great vision and hope to become a memeber of such a church. wow, just reading gave me chills of whats to come. a blessed man you are sir.
Dennis Muse said,
August 20, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Have you considered one that looks just like the church gatherings the disciples and Paul planted, the way Jesus said they where to be, the church that we see in the bible that is:
“So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a song, teach a lesson, tell some special revelation God has given or speaks an unknown language or explain what the language means, let everything be constructive and edifying and for the good of all !” I Cor 14:26
Note is does not say church is put on by paid professionals, it says “each one” does something, it is so awesome to be part of that kind of church. Church is not to be a spectator event, everyone has a part and does it (I’m not talking about changing diapers or passing out bulletins here, I talking about the things listed in the verse), no one just sets and observes.
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-48
Note that it is based on fellowship, community, love, sharing, prayer, teaching and no one was lacking anything. And no need for church growth seminars, programs or marketing plans needed, when real church is happening, God adds to it. Believe me once you have been part of a church that does what you read in those two verses, you will never settle for anything less.
robsjourney said,
August 20, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Dennis, I couldn’t agree with you more. As a matter of fact the verses that you quote are some of the exact ones that I considered and meditated on as I endeavered to put all those characteristics of the early church into some broad categories that would serve as pillars in the structure of a church. By no means is this an exhaustive list of traits and characteristics of what I would like to see in a church but rather some core elements that I feel are true to the biblical model of the church. In other words, all the traits and characteristics found in the apostolic church that we see in the book of Acts and in the various epistles can be listed under one of these broad attributes.
While I agree with you that church should not be put on by a few paid professionals, I do believe in the five fold ministry found in Ephesians 4:11-13, “11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. ” According to the Bible, God calls pastors and teachers, not to do all the work of the ministry, but to prepare God’s people for works of service. There is a Biblical calling to be a pastor, of which I believe I have been given. But that role is to serve as a trainer, instructor, encourager and facilitator.
This is the model that will grow the church. Not a gimmicky ministry, but a ministry that attempts to follow the Biblical outline of church structure and life.
R.J. Martinez said,
August 21, 2008 at 12:03 am
Please tell me you are considering me as a candiate to be some sort of leader at this church!?!?!?!?!?!
J.C. Garcia-Mena said,
August 24, 2008 at 12:01 pm
The best is yet to come. The body of Christ as a whole must leave its confort zone and press on. Everyone must work together. This is the type of church I want in the near future. We each must have a role in the church. And when we fulfill our role in spirit and in truth in service and in love then will the body of Christ grow physically and spiritually.