We’ve all seen them, the catchy ads for the new improved version of a product. And if the ad is compelling enough, it might catch our attention and we may give a product that has fallen out favor a second chance. Mission accomplished, right? Well, to a degree, but if we try that “new and improved” product and it is just the same old thing in a different package…Well, in the words of my fourteen-year old, “major fail”.
We are starting over.
On March 11, 2012, we are becoming the Greater Birmingham Disciples of Christ (GBDC). On that day, the GBDC will have our inaugural service, new logo and all. That’s great, and I’m sure it will make for an exciting event but at the end of the day, the issue comes down to what’s going to be different going forward. The answer: everything. We know this because we are making a vow to God to be all in and whenever His people willingly offer themselves (Judges 5:2); God steps in and performs powerful transformation.
Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
As we live out Romans 12:1-2 and empty ourselves, God is writing on our hearts a new vision and direction. We want to share with you the vision that
He has given us so far…
• We Are Going Back to the Beginning (Mark 7:1-8) and embracing a spirit of restoration. Every conviction and methodology is being examined as we look at each one and ask the questions: Is it Biblical? Is it effective? Our vow is to be, “Out of the box but inside the book”. This means that we are shattering the box of tradition and are open to anything and everything that will help us to be our best but we will never go outside of the Bible. We will follow the word of God above all.
• We Are Taking Our Mission Statement Seriously Inspired by (Mt 28:18-20), our mission statement is, “To Love the Saved and Save the Lost”. This is why we are here. We will be a family devoted to proclaiming the gospel to all of Birmingham, Alabama, and the world in our lifetimes. We will pursue any means necessary, witnessing publicly and house to house (Acts 20:20), including small groups, personal evangelism, individual studies, door knocking, church plantings, billboards, direct mailing, newspapers, radio, TV, Twitter, Facebook, internet programming…anything and everything!
• We are Serious About the One Another Scriptures (Proverbs 18:24): Prayer partners, discipling partners, P.I.G.s (Partners in the Gospel), close spiritual friendships, small groups, or one on one, whatever you want to call it, however you want to do it, we’re all in.
• We Are Truly Non-denominational (Ephesians 4:4-6): It is our conviction that it’s not about who’s right but what’s right. God doesn’t deal with brand names. A person is either a true disciple of Christ or he/she is not. We accept every true disciple as our brother or sister and we will partner with any like-minded group of disciples to evangelize the world.
• We Will Be Grace Driven (Ephesians 2:8-10): Our motivation will be inside out not outside in!
• We Will Live By Faith Not Fear (Matthew 14:22-33): People ask the question, “What happens if you fail?” Failure is not an option. We’re on Christ’s team and we already know the result: We win. Will we make mistakes? Absolutely. We will make big, bold, messy mistakes and when we do, we will dust ourselves off, inquire God, and try again. By faith we will walk on water but you cannot walk on water if you are afraid to get out of the boat.
On Sunday morning March 11, 2012 at 10AM, there will be the beginning of something new. Yes, there will be a new name and a new logo but it is so much more than that. The spirit of God has taken hold of us and He is not letting go. He is transforming us from the inside out and He is just getting started. The best is yet to come.
Please pray for us. To see more of our plans, click here >>>
Sincerely,
Frank B. Davis, Demond Hawthorne, Tony Turner, and Sam McDonald
(The GBDC Leadership Team)