At Exponential 2008 Andy Stanley challenged us to make the vision stick. One of the many things he shared with us is the reality that people have a short retention span; that is, they will forget the vision if it is not shared and repeated often. At Northpointe he makes it a priority to communicate Northpointe's vision at least once a month with his staff and his congregation.
At the same time, while attending Exponential 2008 I was asked by at least a dozen people to share the CORE vision. So, to the CORE Church family and to those at Exponential 2008 who have inquired, here is the CORE Vision.
The CORE Church of Troy
Mission and Purpose: To know God and to make Him known in the hearts of people living in the heart of the city.
Vision: How will we make Christ known? As a community of faith united in the bond of the Holy Spirit.
A Connecting community - connecting with God and with other people for the purpose of connecting other people with God
An Offering community - Offering our lives to God as living sacrifices so that we may know His plan and purpose for our lives
A Reaching community - Reaching up to God. Reaching out to our neighbors. Reaching into the community, with His love, mercy, compassion, grace, peace, hope, strength, etc. thereby making Christ known in both word and in deed.
An Empowering community - in the unity and power of the Holy Spirit, as we make Christ known in the hearts and lives of His creation, we will be empowered from on high to make a difference in our communities and our world
Our shared dream...to see His kingdom come and his will be done...in our community, our city, our state, our country, our world...as it is in heaven...as Christ lives and dwells in the hearts of His people and changes their lives, from the inside out.
Our core truth and guiding principle: What is the one thing we will live for and even die for?
Jesus Christ is the core of everything we are and do. He is the reason for our existence, the essential meaning and truth that we can build our lives upon. When Jesus Christ lives in the hearts of His people they will have His strength in their inner being. They will begin to know the full measure of His love and will reach out to their neighbors with His love (Eph. 3:14-19).
