Today, the leaders of our churches will be gathering together to train and pray for the new season of ministry. I am excited about this year’s leadership summit. There is a sense of newness. We are bringing on one of the largest class of people who will be serving in our church as small group leaders and ministry team leaders for the first time, both on the Ann Arbor side as well as the Chicago side.
Also, we are at a new stage of our church, especially as we are preparing to move into our own permanent facility. We are also planning on starting a new church at the University of Texas, as well as a new site at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Lord willing, we are even planning on starting a church in an international city by 2009.
These are exciting times.
It is with this excitement that we are approaching this summit. But excitement alone cannot get us to where we need to be as a church for this coming year. There is a lot to cover in terms of the leadership materials. But more that just going over the materials, it is my prayer that people will catch a greater vision of what God is doing.
If we can get our hearts in the right place, then everything else will follow.
I am looking forward to training up the next generation of leaders in our church. It is our desire to see a leadership pipeline being produced in our churches. Then the greater joy will come when we are able to send people out to make ripples across the world.