Guiding Statement

There is a lot of talk in church circles about vision. Depending on who defines vision, you may come across 10 different people with 10 different definitions. At the Edge Church we have a guiding statement. It is this.

God’s call to the Edge Church is to establish, build and maintain loving relationships in three key areas. These key areas are the relationship between each one of us and God, between each other in the body of Christ and between each one of us and those who are not followers of Jesus Christ.

As we move forward as a church, we will refer back to this statement to give us guidance on what we should do. If it does not establish, build or maintain loving relationships then we will not do it. It could be a great idea, a great program, but if it doesn't fit in with our goals then there is no point in doing it.

Baptism

It was amazing to be part of baptizing 6 people on Sunday. Each has made a personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 6, when we go down into the water we are identifying with Jesus' death and burial. When we come up out of the water we are rising to a new life in Christ Jesus. Just as Jesus arose into a new life, we too have new life in him. It is amazing that God does that for us. It wasn't enough for him to reach out to us, to show us the way to get to him. Instead of leaving it there, he paves the way for us and pays for all the tolls and gives us the strength and power to serve him. None of it comes from us, all of it comes from him.

Leadership Summit

This past week I attended a Leadership Summit that was put on by the Willow Creek Association. It was a 2 day program that had a lot of good speakers and some great ideas for how to lead in these uncertain times. One of the things that struck me the most was that someone asked one of the speakers recently when would things go back to normal. When would the economy start working again. When can we go back to the way things were before. He answered with the question, what if this is the new normal? What if things around us continue to be uncertain? Does this change who God is and that he has a plan and a purpose for not only the Edge Church, but for each of you? God does not change, he is not surprised by the events happening around the world. If this is the new normal, all this uncertainty, how are you going to approach life from now on? What changes could God be asking you to make in your life? He is challenging me to trust him in all things.

The Future

I have been thinking about the future over the last couple of months. I have been trying to answer the question of what does the future hold for the Edge Church. I can see in the distance where we are headed and will be sharing that both here and in church over the next couple of months. What I need help from others is how do we get where we are going. If you are going on a road trip to California, there are many routes to take. No two routes are the same. You will encounter many different places along the way. On any trip whether it is to a new place that you haven’t been before or a trip to a goal that you have in life you can take many paths. It will be up to all of us as a church to get where we are going and to map out how we are going to get there. Lisa and I are planning a trip for next year out to Colorado for her sister’s wedding. As we plan how we are going to get there we have a lot of choices ahead of us. Which roads to take, which towns to stop in? What are we going to see on the way there? We can take the fastest route or the most scenic route. What really matters is making it to the destination in the time frame. The same goes for the future of the Edge Church. We have an end point in view, but how we get there and what we do along the way is up for discussion. I ask that as each of you think about the church and the end point that we have in mind, that you pray and ask God what part he would have you play in helping us get to our destination and be willing to do what he ask of you. Just as a successful road trip needs each family member to play their part, getting to where God wants us to go will require all of our involvement.