Becoming Everything God Intended: “The Blessed Church”

I traveled recently to New Philadelphia, Ohio by car. It’s one of my favorite times of year to drive and begin to see the beauty of creation changing, even as I reflect on changes that come naturally to us at the beginning of a new church calendar year. I was reminded of how creative God is at inviting us to participate together in these changes, with others in our denomination. At a commission lay pastor training event sponsored by the Muskingum Valley Presbytery, Graham Standish of Calvin Presbyterian Church was training CLP’s on how to lead others into Christ’s presence — the Holy Spirit in our midst — so that together we can see how God is working in and through us. Standish has written a book Becoming a Blessed Church, that speaks about congregations that are able to discern — sense — what God is doing in their midst and then respond in movement with the Holy Spirit, always present to the love of Jesus, and open to God’s guidance.

Churches like those highlighted in video stories at the top right of your screen are growing Christ’s church Deep and Wide. Watch them here, then download them and share with a larger audience how God is working the Presbyterian Church.

This is what our work in Evangelism & Church Growth is about — to ignite a passion for Jesus, to inspire the church to be the church, and to equip leaders for ministry so that every church will pursue their full redemptive potential, and to become everything God intended.