We just completed our annual consistory retreat celebrating the leaders God has called to serve Cedar Hills. Our guest speaker, Dave Bartlett, raised our awareness of the two key callings we have as Elders, Deacons, and staff. We are called to grow and lead.

Our first priority as leaders is grow spiritually as we follow Jesus. We grow in our walk with God in the same ways we expect the congregation to grow. Our next priority is to lead as people surrendered to God’s plans for the congregation. It is God’s
church not ours, and so we lead with our hands open ready to receive from God. Leaders lead by surrendering to God’s leadership.

God has been leading us to grow a ministry to make disciples who make disciples in the everyday stuff of life. (Matthew 28:18-20) This means that we want every disciple to follow Jesus 168 hours every week. In 2018 we believe that God is calling us to grow disciples who make disciples by developing missional communities. Missional communities are committed to look out to those we live with every day—family members, co-workers, neighbors, classmates—and love them in intentional ways.

Missional communities are not an activity or program added to our already full lives, they are communities who take Jesus everywhere they go. Please pray for the Consistory and staff as we grow and lead! Pray for the vision of missional communities as we explore and discover God’s leading in the next year.

Cedar Hills Consistory