About Our Vision Statement

A good vision statement pulls people together, keeps them coordinated, helps them to be faithful stewards of who God has gifted them corporately to be, and how He has especially inspired them to minister in their time and place. Like a good sermon, it is an application of a timeless call, a helpful and encouraging interpretation of the particular way a local gathering is to carry out the universal calls to make disciples, break bread, pray, fellowship with one another, live out the teaching of the Apostles, collaborate in the miraculous power of the Spirit so that the Lord grows the fellowship of the saved (c.f. Matt 18:19-20; Acts 2:42-47).

Light of Christ has a unique calling, a unique communal identity and anointing, to fulfill the calls of worship and witness in her location, in our time. It grows out of who the Lord has gathered here, the gifts, the prayers, longings and inspirations He is giving us, within the context of the unique needs of the Southeast Wisconsin area.

Over the last six months, beginning with Lenten prayers that asked God to show us the harvest labor of love He had for us, we have received a number of words, which are incorporated into the draft vision and mission statements that we will be sharing with you during Advent. We are asking you to prayerfully consider these statements, whether they help you in your understanding of our call to faithful ministry. We invite suggestions— adds, changes or deletes— for improving upon these statements, so that we can adopt them in January at our annual meeting.

Articulating Our Vision— In Draft Form, With a Few Questions

So, what does Light of Christ look like, when she is fulfilling the truth of who she is called to be? As we have prayed and discerned, we believe that Light of Christ is most truly herself, faithful to Christ’s call upon her, when she is…

“Reflecting the Light of Christ’s love, hope and healing in the Southeastern Wisconsin area.”

Love is one of the things you experience when you come into LOC. You feel welcomed and embraced by the presence of God who is love. It’s hearing God say, “I love you right where you are, who you are in the midst of your struggle, as well as your victories.” But it’s also a love that doesn’t just leave you there in pain or sorrow, in discouragement…it actually gives you hope for the future and it moves you towards that hope. Ultimately, it’s a hope for healing and wholeness; when hope comes to fruition, which is a lot more than the healing of our wounds. It makes us agents of that love, hope and healing to others. When we’re being who we are, Christ’s light shines through us and this is what happens.

• Does this resonate with you? Do you recognize LOC in this? Does this sound like us?
• Is it meaningful? Do you understand what our purpose is at a high-level?
• What should be removed?
• What’s missing?
• What should be added?

Please share with me your answers to these questions as we continue to discern and refine our vision.