It is Finished
I don’t know what John Adams and Ben Franklin and John Hancock felt like when they were crafting the Declaration of Independence. Did they realize the significance of the paper to which they were ascribing their signature? How about Lincoln with the Gettysburg Address? I’m sure he knew it was important–but did he realize it would shape a nation for centuries?
Perhaps the analogy is extreme, but that is how I feel now that we’ve come to the end of our Vision process for Granger Community Church. For two years we have been working on this. For 12 months we have been inviting the staff, leaders, congregation and community to help shape it. For 6 months, we have been distributing drafts to get feedback. For weeks we have been agonizing over every single word.
And today, it is finished.
It is the one-page Vision that will define us as a church for the next five-years. It will shape our decisions, our staffing, and our community impact. It feels weighty…like we just laid the groundwork for a tsunami of love and grace that will sweep through our region and the world.
The opening lines of the Vision sum it up:
The differences at Granger Community Church in the next five years will be greater than the changes of the past twenty-five combined. GCC is not just an institution or location; we are a movement of people who understand that we are Jesus’ plan to transform and heal communities.
We accept the challenge and we are raising the bar.
Posted by Tim Stevens | 10 comments










dmbaldwin
Those of us that follow your lead in many areas will be cheering you on and learning from these new bold moves by Granger! Thank you for being out there on the edge and leading us all.
We are praying for you all!
Blessings,
Dave
Buddy King
This is exciting.. I feel like I'm witnessing a moment of epic growth and change.. Congratulations to the team for all your work and care in designing this Vision – lives are and will change for the better.. the much, much better!
David Arnold
Amazing…can't wait to be a part of it and witness the change GCC will be making to this world we are all a part of! Huge vision on a single page takes great leaders and visionaries to create, so fortunate to have such individuals!
GordonG
I'm so pleased to hear that you've used a one-page format for your Vision process summary. Too many churches and Christian non-profits develop large unwieldy documents that in the long run make little difference to their ministry. Any chance of getting a copy of the whole page?
Shalom
jeffandwendy
As one who follows you from the other side of the country because I learn a lot from what you do, I would appreciate it if you would blog more about what your team has created. How is it different than who you are? What do you find is the most revolutionary thing about it? How do you hope it will change your systems? What is your strategy for implementation? I know some of that you might not be able to share publicly, but please share as much as you can. Thanks!
Also, we are poor and don't have the ability to travel to conferences, so I was overwhelmingly excited to find you guys had put the Both/And conference online. Thank you so much. It was incredibly challenging. I learned a ton from it that applies to my context and ministry life. Please pass a thank you onto whoever was responsible.
You guys are great. Can't wait to hear more.
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Bruno
Tim, we can't wait to see it… As already mentioned on here, it takes a great COHESIVE team to come up with a One-pager Vision Statement.. We are excited and scared for where God is going to lead our body next! But me and my family are definitely up for the High Call!
Dan Baisden
Hi Tim –
I am very excited to see the vision God and your team has crafted for the future of Granger Community Church. Thanks for all you do! Thanks for your inspiration on my life and helping me thru the process of resetting my path and becoming an Executive Pastor.
Keep up the great work!
Dan Baisden
gluesticktheology.wordpress.com
Gene Simonalle
Tim, I am reading and beginning to learn about VISION. I am curious, what was the process GCC used to find their vision? What was the journey like?
Ranee
Assumptions and regrets… took my breath away