So Simple Yet So Profound

As a church our ultimate goal is to reconcile the world and specifically our world to God through Jesus Christ. Christian churches around the world have worked tirelessly over the last twenty centuries and yet the world, at least our world here in North America seems farther way from God.

In my quiet time this morning I discovered something so simple yet so profound in God's word - something I've never seen in this light before. Listen to this...

When a person's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he even reconciles his enemies to himself. Proverbs 16:7 (NET)

WOW! Could this not also apply to the church - our church? Could we say that when the Adventist Community Church of Vancouver's ways are pleasing to the LORD, we even reconcile our enemies with the Church and thus with God?

As we envision the future of our church we must pray that the ways that we devise and follow would be pleasing to the LORD so that we could thereby aid in recociling our world to God.

LIVE Video Conference

Last night we met via video conference for the Mission/Vision Team.  I was/am in Michigan and the rest of the team was there in Vancouver.  It worked okay.  I can't say it was the absolute best for a discussion or for my ability to hear everyone.  But it worked a little.

In that meeting, we discovered that the average age of the community was 37, whereas the average age of our congregation was 43.  Although we're a little older, we're not doing too poorly.  The average age of the North American Adventist is 60!  Hey!  That means we're not middle-aged yet!  That's awesome.  But there was other demographic information we looked at as well - family size, education level, marital status, male/female ratio, etc.  

But the question comes now, what do we do with that information?  Where do we turn next?  There are some obvious implications that come with demographic information:

• Can we reach people who are like that?
• Are we like them, or different from them in our lifestyle?
• Some said like, others said different...
• How different can we be and still reach them?
• Does that affect our programming?
• Does it affect our theology?
• Should we feed the consumers of society or give them pure truth?
• Is there a balance between feeding people what they want, or what they need?

When people show up at church, after a fairly extensive survey was done, they found these 5 issues in order of preference:

1. People want to have the Presence of God
2. People want to Experience the Gospel
3. People want to Receive Hope
4. People want to Experience Acceptance by Others
5. People want everything to run with Excellence

This survey connects with who we are and who we're trying to reach.  It connects with people and allows us to understand what they are really looking for in church - it's the things that connect them to God.  It's not programming.  It's not good potlucks.  It's not about what style of music we use.  They want to see God and see God in others.  #5, the excellence thing, helps people to have a distraction free environment where they can have the other 4.

So the question remains, how does our mission and vision relate to these things?  How will it address these issues?  Stay tuned....

Be a Difference Maker!

roger walter

Senior Pastor 

Adventist Community Church

Fwd: Let this encourage you!

From: "Gene H. Heinrich" 

Date: May 5, 2009 5:14:24 PM GMT-04:00

To: Roger Walter 

Subject: Let this encourage you!

The means in our possession may not seem to be sufficient for the work; but if we will move forward in faith, believing in the all-sufficient power of God, abundant resources will open before us. If the work be of God, He Himself will provide the means for its accomplishment. He will reward honest, simple reliance upon Him. The little that is wisely and economically used in the service of the Lord of heaven will increase in the very act of imparting. In the hand of Christ the small supply of food remained undiminished until the famished multitude were satisfied. If we go to the Source of all strength, with our hands of faith outstretched to receive, we shall be sustained in our work, even under the most forbidding circumstances, and shall be enabled to give to others the bread of life.  {DA 371.1}


Blessings,
Gene

Wanted: Vision Implants

In my devotional time this morning I was unsettled by the lyrics in David's song recorded in Psalm 20. Especially Psalm 20:4

"May he [God] grant your heart's desire; may he bring all your plans to pass!"

I don't know about you - but I don't trust my heart's desire or the plans I concoct. Before I can sing these words I need implants! First, I need God to implant His desires in my heart. Second, I need God to implant his vision (plans) into my mind.

Maybe I'm the only one with this struggle - I'm naturally self-centered. If the desires and plans of my natural heart are allowed to be brought to pass I fear that I'll find myself heading down the broad road to destruction instead of the narrow road that leads to life.

Pastor Roger is right - we need to be focused on Christ. And as we move forward as a church and as leaders in the cause for Christ it's my prayer that God will implant His desires in our hearts and His plans in our minds.

Pastor Gene

Sitting in Class

I'm sitting in a class that is focusing on prayer and spirituality. We're discussing how worldview, core values affects our actions in the long-run. They often by-pass our belief system. For example, we believe in the priesthood of all believers, but we still want the pastor to be the one who prays with us.... We believe what Adventists believe, but we don't go to church.... We don't eat pork and we convince our live-in girlfriend to give it up too....

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.............

What we're dealing with on the Mission/Vision team is SO important to the future of our actions as a church. Core Values are our deeply held belief about HOW we do ministry/live life as we pursue our mission. Our mission, should reflect the great commission. But does it? Well....that's to be defined.

Regardless of where we are, where we are going, and how we go about doing it, we need to be focused on Jesus Christ. Look at this quote:

"Prayer is the answer to every problem in life. It puts us in tune with divine wisdom which knows how to adjust everything perfectly. So often we do not pray in certain situations, because from our standpoint the outlook is hopeless. But nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is so entangled that it cannot be remedied; no human relationship is too strained for God to bring about reconciliation and understanding; no habit so deep rooted that it cannot be overcome; no one is so weak that he cannot be strong; no one is so ill that he cannot be healed. No mind is so dull that it cannot be made brilliant. Whatever we need, if we trust God He will supply it. If anything is causing worry or anxiety, let us stop REHEARSING the difficulty and trust God for healing, love and power."

Be a Difference Maker!

roger walter

Senior Pastor

Adventist Community Church