“To lead people into a deeper relationship with God.”

LifePoint Church.
Our Mission Statement:“To lead people into a deeper relationship with God.”
Loving God with all their heart and their neighbor as themselves, 
Introducing people to Jesus,
Familiarize and identify new believers with others in the body of Christ, and
Educate people to live a Christ-like life.
The teaching is relevant and applicable to everyday life. Pastor John shares God's word that helps you to know God in a more real and intimate way. 

Soon we vote on whether or not to join our church with brothers and sisters in a larger church or stay and carry on…either way is stepping out on faith.  After passing through the directors, it now goes through the members.  Prayer is key, and so is faith. If you haven't been praying already, you need to begin.
Change is hard.
The American evangelical church is in a rather desperate condition. You’ve heard that America is a “Christian” nation and that Christianity is the dominant religion.
Maybe it’s the popular religion, but less people are attending than we think!
So churches absolutely must change and adapt if they will remain relevant to the culture.
I realize many Christian leaders don’t like that terminology, so let me state that the Word of God, the gospel,  Jesus and the church as Jesus intended it to be have always been, are now, and will always be relevant without our help. But we often hold onto "churchy" traditions and thoughts that severely limit our ability to communicate with the young generation, an influx of immigrants, and a culture being shaped by its technology and entertainment more than its religious and historical roots.  
People care more about LaBron James' instagram posts than the Holy Bible.
In other words, if Satan’s goal is to blind the minds of those who don’t know Christ to the gospel, we often help by handing out blinders such as racism, ethnocentrism, traditionalism and political power struggles driven by fear and selfishness.
But if God’s desire to enlarge His family matters …
if people who are lost forever without the gospel matter …
and if the church of the future matters …
we will embrace the pain of change for the win of seeing more people meeting Jesus.

Looking at the landscape of stable or slightly declining existing churches that are fighting hard to stay afloat in this rapidly changing culture, there are some common factors that must be addressed:

1. Are we really all about Jesus?

Is He the head? Does He have pre-eminence? Are we clear with people that it is to Jesus, and not to a consumer-oriented experience that we are inviting them? Attraction is good. Jesus was attractive. But are we honest about to Whom we are inviting people?  I believe we are.

2. Will we hold tightly to our Biblical Theology?

Will biblical inerrancy, which has survived a tough struggle in some circles, continue to thrive among evangelical leaders? Will we be faithful to the word of Him who is the one and only Way, Truth and Life?

I believe our leaders have held tightly.

3. Will we embrace people from other cultures and backgrounds?

Will we finally put to death the idea of the “white church,” “black church,” “hispanic church,” etc.? Can we value our cultural heritage without the competitive idea that my culture is better than your culture?  Whatever happened to worshipping together?  Isn’t that Christ’s intention?  I believe we have embraced that.

4. Will we create a safe place for people to deal with their hurts, habits and hang-ups in the light of the gospel?

Can we ever assure people that we won’t use their past against them and handcuff them to their shame?  We are all broken people serving a healing God.  We are definitely there.

5. Can we grow up and get over our demand for our own way of doing things?

Will we be able to adapt our communication to the language of humanity instead of church-ese? Will we welcome newcomers with love and wisdom, and listen and learn from them rather than leaving the responsibility of adaptation to them?  Will we be able to worship the same God throughout the changes?  Some people hate change in any form.  Don't rest on your laurels.  Grow up and get over it. To quote Pastor John, "There has to be a change."

6. Will we take risks?

Spend money, change names, reconstitute, re-launch, and venture into new mission fields by faith rather than remaining safe and comfortable? Not all of these apply to everyone, of course, but will we take the necessary risks?
More than ever, we need to keep our passion for Jesus, His truth. His church. New churches, new mission fields, unreached people, uninvolved believers, unforgiven sinners, the least, the last and the lost.  Pretty much everything else can be left behind.
I don’t have all the answers, neither do you, but we stay rooted in our faith and prayer as this decision comes upon us. And keep in mind are we reaching the lost the way we should, and can we reach more if we decide to merge.  Your preferences aside, think about the kingdom.  As I see it, we have three options: 1.) Make it work; 2.) Merge with another church; or, 3.) Close the door - which brings no glory to the kingdom!
We have key people who cannot be compensated as they should or at all because many aren’t being faithful.  It’s time to make a decision.  Not only for the decision aforementioned, but will we as the body of Christ do what He commanded and be faithful to God and our church in our time, prayers, as well as our tithes. I don’t think there is a lack of sharing talent, as we have that in abundance.  This is a call for prayer as the members make their decision.  We need a change.  Whether that change is the name on the door, or the Name of the one we serve in our hearts and lives and our families.  Being a Christian is a lifestyle, not a label.
God Bless you. 

“Behold, how good and pleasant it when brothers dwell in unity!” Ps. 133:1