SERIOUS ABOUT SPIRITUAL GROWTH

​  SERIOUS ABOUT SPIRITUAL GROWTH
 
Bethel’s mission is: “Becoming like Christ and sharing Him with others.”  Our church’s pastors, elders, and deacons take this mission very seriously.  Recently, we made two commitments that show that “becoming like Christ” is a top priority for us. 
 
At last Saturday’s Council kickoff breakfast, we read our Council Covenant out loud. This is a document we worked hard on last year.  It essentially says that we will live with one another in a Christ-like way--we will live in the way we want the whole church to live together.
 
We read off statement after statement describing our commitment to becoming like Christ.  We detailed how we will show Christian love to one another, how we will talk to one another, how we will talk about one another, and how we will deal with differences among us.  Then we knelt and prayed, asking God to help us to love and serve the church he has entrusted to our care.
 
After recommitting to this covenant, we then discussed a way of encouraging one another to personal growth in Christ, as well as modeling growth for the congregation.  The plan includes three things:
 
 · At each of our meetings we will start with a personal devotion.  Instead of reading a devotional thought from a book, a council member will tell the story of his or her own life with the Lord.  It will be a personal testimony or a description of what the Lord has been teaching them lately.
 · Occasionally, we will break into small groups and ask one another how our walk with Christ is going.  We will encourage one another and hold one another accountable.
 · Each month, we will publish one council member’s story as a way of sharing our lives with the congregation.
 
Please pray for us that we can be faithful to these commitments and that all of us together will grow into the kind of church Christ wants us to be.—Pastor Tom
 

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