The New Testament attests to a wonderful mystery: God has chosen to use churches – ordinary gatherings of ordinary people – in the most extraordinary work of bearing the transforming power of the gospel into the world. We have been called to a mighty work!

And yet our churches today find themselves in a challenging situation. Our world has changed! The setting in which we do our ministries is different from the one in which most of our churches were formed, and for which most of our churches are equipped and structured. We find ourselves asking the same questions: “What is the future of our church?”; “How can we survive?”; “Is there hope for us to regain the vitality we once knew?”

Take heart! God has not only chosen to use churches in the extraordinary work of bearing the transforming power of the Gospel into the ever-changing world, He has also promised to empower us for that work through the Holy Spirit. In the words of E. Stanley Ott, “Wherever you find yourself as a church, know this for sure: God has an exciting, life-building vision for the whole church and for your congregation. Ask for the faith to believe it, the grace to see it, and the courage to act on it.”

PBA has valuable program resources available to help your congregation realize its calling in new and vital ways. Click here for more information.

E. Stanley Ott, Twelve Dynamic Shifts for Transforming Your Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s, 2002, p. 4.)