PEACE

Written by cycleguy on October 5th, 2010

First, I want to sincerely thank every one of you who have been praying for me and for OVCF over the past couple of months concerning out move.  I have told the folks more than once that what we did in somewhere around two months often takes church planters up to a year to prepare for.  The transition to the new offices went smoothly and even the hook-up of the phones and internet went fairly well.  I described that here. I am still looking for things since I still have a makeshift office.  The desk came late yesterday afternoon so I think once that is put together I will seem to be in a much more permanent situation.  But I was really struck by how well the people adapted to the two services, in spite of it being a new experience for most of them.  I am convinced that much of that was because of your prayers.

Second, I know you have been in suspense to know what I chose to do with our Mission Statement.  😀  I cannot tell you how invaluable it was to hear from so many of you, especially from those who are part of OVCF.  It made me stop and think and pray hard about what I was going to say and the influence it would have on others.  I shared with the people the new Mission Statement: “Love God…Love People…Make a Difference.” It is a good progression of thought.  If you love God and if you love people then you will make a difference in peoples’ lives.  Funny thing happened afterwards.  Dan Drewes, who designed my blog header as well as the church’s header and logo, was walking out when I said, “Hey Dan.  You know what this means?”  He looked at me and said, “Yeah.  Love God…Love People…Change the Banner.”  🙂  I am glad he was such a good sport about it!!

Several years ago I wanted to convey to the people how we were going to attempt to share our mission with others.  I see the Mission as “what we want to do” and the Vision as “how we plan to accomplish it.”  So I put together a PEACE PLAN that made it pretty simple to see and understand.  I shared it with the folks Sunday.  For some it was a review.  For others it was a great way to introduce some core values of OVCF.  Here is what the PEACE Plan is:

Proclaim the authority of God’s Word without compromise. This is a non-negotiable.  Biblical preaching is not preaching about the Bible, but preaching the Bible.  Methods may change but the message never will.  I see Biblical preaching being substituted for on the altar of “relevancy” and being hacked to pieces by people who claim to be God’s messengers (shysters).  There is no substitute for well-grounded people.

Exalt Christ through worship. Worship is declaring God’s worth.  It is being aware of an audience of ONE.  While some may not like changes that take place in the way things are done, in the end we really only have one person to please.  The people sitting in our chairs must take that same approach.

Accept the Imperfect. Honestly, is there any other kind?  A couple of years ago I preached a whole series on No Perfect People Allowed. We are all imperfect, broken.  We are all a mess.  It is not our job to fix people or to change them.  That is best left to the One who can.  We need to provide a place where hurting people can be healed.  We need to let people know God is not their enemy.

Compassion in Action. Compassion is not compassion until it is seen in action.  What good is it if we say “be warm and be fed” but do nothing to alleviate their concerns?  In the old way of thinking God preferred to hang out at church with His people.  The degree of devotion was centered on church and activities.  The new way of thinking is that the target of God’s redemptive love is the world not the church.  We don’t go to church. We are the church.

Equip to Serve. God gave specific gifts to specific people.  To some He gave leadership responsibilities (Eph.4: 11-12).  To others He gave other gifts.  We need to function in the body according to our gifts.

There is so much more I could have said but time limited that.   Got any thoughts?  Can it be tweaked any?  Is there any one aspect that resonates within you?  As  most things it is a work in progress so I am not opposed to hearing other views.  Let me know what you think?  One more question: does your church fellowship practice these?  Do you?  Oops now I have gone and asked two more.  Have a great day!

 

24 Comments so far ↓

  1. Jim F. says:

    I love your PEACE plan – it is different from Rick Warrens 🙂 who I enjoy his too. I think the plan flows well and there is not one that resonates because of how well they flow together.

    We use four Key Words as our Plan-
    Reaching out in the name of Christ.
    Moving forward in Christ.
    Building relationships.
    Serving Christ, our community, and each other.

    I appreciate what you are doing there and I am excited to see God moving in and through it.

    • cycleguy says:

      Thanks Jim. I have to say in all honesty that I have no clue what Warren’s says. I like yours as well. I like the 4 action verbs used. Thanks for your kind words. You know that you are in my prayers. Good things are going to happen there.

  2. “Love God…Love People…Make a Difference.”

    It really close to my Church’s, which is really kinda cool!

    “Love God…Love People.

    Praying for many to come to the Kingdom as your church walks that mission out!

    • cycleguy says:

      Thanks Jay. Praying for that same thing. (You gotta wonder how many churches do use that as their Mission statement. Would be interesting to see) 🙂

      • Tami Grandi says:

        ours is the same as the old one- Love God.. Love People.. Impact the World.

        This was “addressed” in the book that I am reading- Radical- in the chapter I read last night. When I get home tonight (or some other day when I have more than 5 minutes extra time) I’ll have to look at it and find exactly what was said.

  3. techgeek says:

    What I like about each letter…

    P, as you stated, this is non-negotiable… Don’t add to it, don’t take away from it… It is what it is GOD’S WORD

    E, I can’t think of any other reason to do what we do… It is about God.

    A, Its a good thing too… cuz if I had to be perfect to be invited… I wouldn’t be here.

    C, I need to work on this one, some days are better than others, but definitely worth being in the plan

    E, The pastor can’t do it alone and was never meant to… We all must be equipped to “make a difference”.

    My .02 –and you can keep the change 🙂

  4. Kim says:

    I just love it when God makes things flow like that. It just give you such confirmation and peace with where you are going.

    I really like your PEACE plan. It emphasizes that some things are unshakeable i.e. our belief in the Bible, but also challenges people to be better personally and corporately on some basic Christian tenants.

    I also appreciate the emphasis on equipping your members to serve. Often the less aggressive church members get lost in the shuffle. From your statement it tells me that you recognize everyone has something to share.

    I am so excited for all the blessings God is pouring over the OVCF family.

    • cycleguy says:

      I love it when God confirms things also Kim. He did it in so many ways Sunday. I believe more is to come. Thanks for praying for us and enjoying God’s blessings with us. 🙂

      • Kim says:

        Oh and I meant to say I had hopped over to the OVCF site and love the new building! Looks like you’ll have plenty of space for all of your events in the future.

        • cycleguy says:

          It is an awesome place for our young people. The adults will be in two worship experiences until we can find the way to make something bigger. 🙂 Nice challenge to have. Thanks Kim.

  5. When I read the word plan, I started to shudder based on what I am currently studying in Experiencing God about our plans interfering with God’s working…

    But after reading your PEACE plan… WOW! I am adopting this as a plan in my own life. The only thing missing, although I believe it is implied in each description, is Seeking God first in all things.

    • cycleguy says:

      Most definitely implied. In fact, when Love God takes first place all else follows. Hopefully all we do will follow seeking God’s working. Glad you thought it was a good one Dusty. 🙂

  6. jasonS says:

    I think the one that hardest right now to figure out is ‘equip to serve.’ I believe it and want to see it more, but struggling to come up with the best way to do this. Praying for wisdom!

    Thanks Bill. Great post.

  7. lindaM says:

    Hi Bill,
    I agree that there is no substitute for well grounded people. I think there has been some ‘smooth talking’ in many christian circles over the years. ‘Relevancy’ being a word that has been used many times. God’s Word is relevant eternally. It is relevant no matter the times we are in or the changes in our culture.
    I like your peace plan and the idea that God’s working in our lives produces action and fruit.

    • cycleguy says:

      Thanks Linda. I too agree about the “conflict” surrounding relevancy. God’s Word is always relevant. No sense in compromising it.

  8. Ike says:

    I would be interested in your “youth program”. The following probably wouldn’t go over very well….but I like it:-)

    Parent-Driven Youth Ministry – The youth ministry is not designed around the presumed unique needs or desires of young people, but it is centered on God’s will for young people as revealed in His Word. Our youth ministry is parent-driven. Our goal is to strengthen parents in their God-called responsibility to “bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). The so-called “generation gap” and the “adolescent years” are a result of sin and should not be encouraged by the church or youth ministries. Our youth ministry is not centered on music, drama, comedy, or other entertainments but on the faithful preaching of God’s Word and Small Groups for application of Scripture, meeting personal needs, and one-on-one discipleship and accountability. While other activities may be allowed, they must never take the place of or de-emphasize the preaching of the Word or the leadership of fathers in discipling their children.

  9. Ani says:

    I LOVE it! Can I adopt you and your church?

    • cycleguy says:

      Not only would I say yes but more than honored if you would. I know you already do but please keep praying for us. The enemy cannot be happy right now.

      • Ani says:

        Yes, I’m praying. Ha! That little creature must be terrified in what is happening there. The more reason to be alert. Telling him about what happened on Calgary, he will flee. Telling him about the blood that has shed, he will scream. Telling him that that church and people belong to Jesus and Jesus alone and that Jesus is the King and Lord of that place. Amen!