3 Ways to Prepare for State of the Church-2019

This Sunday, October 20^th I will offer my State of The Church message.

During our 11:00 a.m. worship hour, we will gather as one unified body, in our sanctuary to celebrate what God has been up to, in and among us as a congregation over the last year, and will lean forward with eager anticipation to envision our future together.

This year’s State of the Church message will be unique. The heart of my message will be the introduction of the four Strategic Initiatives that were recently introduced and approved by JCBC leadership. Having come after more than a year in development, our Strategic Initiatives Task Force, along with four specially designed Innovation Teams have developed a set of goals and action plans that will guide our congregational energies over the next 3+ years.

On Sunday, I will cast a vision of our future together, if we are faithful to the call we believe God has placed before us.

In preparation for Sunday’s message, I am calling on you to do three things.

1. Be present.
   I am asking every member of the JCBC family to be physically present on Sunday. There are some occasions that are high moments in the life of a church. These are moments when we are reminded that we are not simply an assembly of individuals. We are one, unified body—a congregation, whose future is inextricably bound as multiple branches mutually abiding in one life-giving vine.  I am calling on us to experience the strength of abiding together for this important day on Sunday.
2. Pray.
   More than simply a presentation of information, The State of the Church is a summons. It is a calling to join in the flow of more than one year of discernment, and, by faith, seek to come along side God in what we are perceiving to be a clarion call from God for our future together. I am calling on all of us to pray for open minds and hearts, as well as readied hands and feet.
3. Stop What You’re Doing, and Watch LAST Year’s State of the Church!
   Each State of the Church message is a continuation of a story already in progress.  Last year, I shared some CRUCIAL information about the state of the church (at large). I described trends nationally, and at JCBC that have shaped the context in which we find ourselves. It is out of the message of LAST year’s State of the Church, that the hard work of this past year has emerged. Those who take the time to watch a rerun of THAT message will be most informed and prepared for THIS message Sunday.

I look forward to Sunday with a full heart, as we lift our worship before God, and envision our future together!

Have I told you lately how much I love being your pastor?
Well, I do.
Shaun

Dr. Shaun King
Senior Pastor
Johns Creek Baptist Church