Inspired by a Dream
by Andy Perry

As the book of I Kings opens, David dies and the Kingdom of Israel passes to his son Solomon. During David’s lifetime he had purposed to build a Temple for the Ark of the Covenant but God did not allow him to do so. Therefore, when he died the vision of building a Temple passed to Solomon. As he took up his throne he faced a lot of challenges. He was young and inexperienced. He had never undertaken such a project. Where would he find the right materials and skilled men to pull it off? What would the details all look like? For Solomon and the nation it was both a daunting period with many challenges facing them and an exciting time with the prospect of building something beautiful to God’s glory.

That’s an apt description of the period in which we find ourselves here at Trinity Church. For two years we’ve studied, discussed and prayed toward a fresh leadership structure and By-laws revision which we believe best reflects the Bible’s priorities and assists us in our current context. A few weeks ago our Elder Board presented the next step in this process of ministry clarity: a philosophical ministry vision to help ground our church identity, guide our ministry decisions and focus our congregational priorities. Along the way some have asked us, “Why do we need a ministry philosophy and focus? It seems so limiting. What are the benefits?” Good questions! Let me answer in the form of a dream of some of the goals we believe our vision will achieve to God’s glory. Dream with us a little bit.

Imagine a church with:

• An overarching strategy by which Trinity’s elders and deacons can systematically shepherd, teach and care for our church family toward the goal of spiritual maturation.

Imagine a church where:

• Every person is systematically growing in their knowledge of God, the gospel, God’s plan for the family and church, its mission and the Bible.
• Every person is connected to a small group family within the larger Trinity Church family ensuring accountability, mutual ministry, prayer, support, community and evangelistic service opportunities.
• Every boy and man is being systematically trained to become the kind of servant husband, godly father and/or wise church leader described in I Timothy 3:1-14.
• Every girl and woman is being systematically trained to become the kind of supportive wife, nurturing mother and/or godly feminine mentor described Titus 2:3-5.
• Every adult single is intentionally integrated out of isolation into rich community with the families of Trinity Church.
• Every family is systematically trained to become the church in miniature, building it’s priorities around robust family worship, including Scripture and catechism memory, Christian singing, missions awareness, prayer and neighbor-focused evangelism.
• Intentional bridges toward reaching unchurched children, teens, college students, nursing home residents and prisoners can be crossed for those with such a calling through existing programs in the Christian community which we already support as a church (e.g. CEF, YFC, CCC).
• Our collective energy and resources are maximized toward a few key priorities shared by the entire church body toward achieving ministry excellence.

That picture of who we can be as a church fuels our passion! We’re inviting you to join us in the passion of becoming that picture. We believe the result will be more souls saved, more disciples integrated into Christ’s church, more God-centeredness in every area of ministry, more relational health, depth and commitment to Christ’s people and mission to the glory of God.

We have a vision of where we believe the Lord wants to take us as a church. Solomon’s Temple didn’t begin as a detailed blueprint which answered every question. It began as a vision and the details emerged along the way. Join us where we are, at the beginning with a vision. And together let’s trust the Lord to guide us in the details as we move forward to His glory.

Come join us as we step into the next stage toward God’s vision for Trinity as we gather in the sanctuary during the Sunday School hour for the month following Easter. We plan not only to discuss but make key decisions about our ministry identity. Come to learn. Come to share. Come to listen. Come to discover God’s plan for the next chapter in the life of our church family.