can we do this together?

  At our recent Home Missions Team meeting we gave unanimous approval to a church planting and renewal proposal.  We hope to present the plan to the churches of our region for approval at our spring Classis meeting. If it is embraced by our area Christian Reformed churches it could have a far reaching impact on our region.
 
  The plan calls for our Classis to:
             Unite in prayer around the goal of reaching people for Christ in obedience to the Great Commission. Our hope would be that in ten years we will have more disciples of Jesus in our churches than we currently have and that we will have established a growth trend in our Classis.
            Get the current Ottewell church plant launched, then plant five more churches in the next 15 years—an average of one every three years.
             Journey together as churches toward congregational health and missional effectiveness. Specifically this would involve 12 pastors and about 10 other representatives of each church taking a two-year journey together in connection with a program called Renewal Labs (which is offered by Calvin Seminary) through which they will gain instruction and mutually encourage one another toward the goal of congregational renewal.
 
  What makes this plan exciting to me is that I firmly believe God is in the driver seat. The convergence of people, ideas, and opportunities has all the hallmarks of being led and orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. I am hoping that God is about to unfold a movement that will see his people working together, with united hearts, to see His church strengthened and the Gospel      advanced.
                                                                                                                             —Pastor Tom

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