One question I am sure to be asked almost every day is, "So, how's the church?"
Most of the time, they're asking for specific measurements. They want to know things like how is attendance? Or, how are the offerings? Or, what big events are coming up?
Those questions are pretty easy to answer, but they don't usually answer the question of how the church is doing.
Attendance rises and falls at certain times of the year based on family schedules. Offerings often reflect the economy and say more about a community's financial condition than anything else. And events happen and don't happen in both healthy and unhealthy congregations.
Then how do you answer the question: "So, how's the church?"
The mission and vision of the church should be the measuring rod of "how it's going. "
At CrossPoint, our vision is given to us by Jesus Christ Himself in something called the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:18-20. To go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.
CrossPoint has learned to live on 89% of the gifts you give because we make sure that 11% automatically goes back out the door to fund works from local to national to international in obedience to the vision.
This summer, we have several groups traveling to all parts of the world to help on the mission field, but more intentionally, to gain perspective and passion and bring the experience home for sharing the gospel in hard places.
And probably most importantly, we have already seen one new CrossPoint congregation established in Ellsworth. We look forward to seeing another open up in Russell before the end of the year!
I label that last one "most importantly" because it is the direct living out of our vision, and the one that we don't just pray for and give toward, but we have our hand on the plow to get it done.
We believe that when you start a church, anything can happen. A locally led body of believers praying, following God, and serving a community can make an impact that changes everything.
We even quantify the Great Commission and say that our vision is to reach 10% of every community we're in.
Mega churches in cities of millions don't even dream about that kind of impact, but in rural America, where a congregation can reach 10% of the people at the local grocery store, kids in the school, and people on the street… that church is no longer simply a church in the city, it's that city's church!
When that happens, you're not just a presence. You're making an impact like a gospel meteor, crashing through the atmosphere of a broken world and exploding with Power leaving a mark for all eternity.
"So, how is the church?" Pretty good! Excited about all that God has done, but even more so about the fact that we have a plan to change communities all across Kansas and North America, one church at a time.