From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:16).A “corporate vision” is intended to be a statement of what is held in common.
It defines identity and purpose.
In brevity and simplicity, it answers
Who we are, Why we exist, What we value, and
Where we’re going.For the first time that any of us can remember in our century-old history, we formulated a Bethel Vision in 2013. In part, it was built on the concept of each part of the local Body contributing for the good of the whole and the glory of God. We called it
Every Supporting Ligament (ESL), based on Ephesians 4:16 (above).
Our next vision builds on that foundation. We call it DEUS, the Latin term for God.
PreambleAs part of the universal Body of Christ, Bethel reflects the glory of God as we preach and live out the Gospel.
Like the church of the New Testament, we are devoted to Bible teaching, fellowship, worship, particularly at the Lord’s Supper, and prayer (Acts 2:42).
Our purpose is to see the Holy Spirit use Bethel as a factory and repair shop, making disciples of Christ and directing them toward spiritual maturity and service.
VisionThis will be achieved under the sovereign authority of the Tri-une God, as we actively engage in a 4-part plan of
Diet, Exercise, Unity and Synergy (DEUS):
Diet – maintaining a deliberate diet of Bible reading, study, memorization, meditation, and applying its principles to our lives, marriages, families and faith community (Acts 17:11; Ephesians 4:13; 2Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12).
Exercise – discovering and developing our spiritual gifts and exercising them to support and serve others (Romans 12:6-8; 1Corinthians 12:1-11; Ephesians 4:11,12; 1Peter 4:10,11).
Unity – making every effort to maintain the spiritual unity the Lord has created (John 13:34, 17:23; Romans 12:18; Ephesians 4:3).
Sanctification – through the synergy of local church fellowship
(koinonia), recognizing that our working and serving together in local Body life is essential in our individual development to be more like Jesus (Romans 12:3-6; 1Corinthians 12:12-26; Ephesians 4:12-16; 1Timothy 3:14-16; 1Peter 4:10,11).
~ graphic by Cristina Romano, freeimages.com
