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Become the Church You are Called to Be

Become the Church You are Called to Be

Become the Church You are Called to Be

When we started Lake Hills Church in the fall of 1990, we envisioned becoming “a growing church for a growing community.” We wanted to be a church where everyone knew your name – where you felt that you belonged in community with other Christians. We were committed to reaching people who didn’t go to church. We wanted them to experience the love of Jesus – bringing the love of Jesus to every neighborhood in Castaic and beyond.

We spent time seeking the Lord and searching the Scriptures to understand our unique part in God’s plan and to become the church He had called us to be. We worked together with our launch team to understand the answers to questions like these:

  • Who are we?
  • Why are we here?
  • Where are we going?
  • How will we get there?

Through the encouragement of many leaders who poured into my life like Bill Malick, Bob Logan, and Steve Ogne – plus the example of church planters in the MCWR – we began to develop a written plan that described our Identity, Purpose, and Direction.

Over the past thirty plus years as I’ve trained lots of church planters and worked with lots of churches, I’ve seen the benefit of a written Church Impact Plan. It gives clarity and focus. And it helps churches avoid many traps that others have fallen into – including agenda disharmony, keeping people busy without seeing impact, being driven by programs/calendar, or being seen as irrelevant in the community.

We know that the struggle has been real to maintain direction these past few years. We know what it’s like to try to make a difference while feeling unsure and alone. We firmly believe that you can lead confidently despite the changes and challenges that come your way.

One of our responsibilities as church leaders is to regularly and repeatedly help our church family to understand its identity, purpose, and direction. Otherwise, we may lose our way, lose followers, and more significantly, lose leaders.

Easter is a great time to reflect on Christ’s death and resurrection, as well as our purpose and calling as His Church! Remember who God has called you to be as a church family. We are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Pet 2:9-10)

Don’t forget who God has called your church to be and why you are here!

And if you’d like to find greater clarity and confidence moving forward, it is our joy to help you navigate a course forward. Feel free to give us a call.

Together,

Dave DeVries
Vinia Executive Director
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This blog post is from the March 28, 2023 Vinia Newsletter. 

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