God’s Vision for Northern Arizona

As a congregation begins to labor together, biblical wisdom demands that a blueprint for that work be put together. What are we working toward? Or, perhaps better, what is it that God desires to do through us?

This second question suggests the beginning of our answer – What is God’s plan? What is God’s Vision? Aligning our vision for Northern Arizona with God’s vision puts us on a sure footing for determining “What are we working toward?”.

How shall we determine God’s vision for Northern Arizona? The answer is, of course, from the Scriptures. That Scriptural vision sees, in broadest scope what God has done, is doing, and will do throughout history and throughout the world. This great plan and work of God is what God’s people of Northern Arizona enter into as a part.

This grandest scale is described in Scripture from various perspectives—

God among His people

Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

Revelation 21:3

The King in the midst of His Kingdom

At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 3:17

God and His special people related by covenant.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Jeremiah 31:33

From this data, we conclude that God’s vision can be summarized as:

God Among His People

A Vision Statement is what a congregation should be aiming at, what it hopes to see. The Vision, God among His People, shows two parties. The first is God, and the second is the blessed people among whom He dwells.

Let’s examine this vision by looking more closely at these two parties, God and His People, as well as some reasons why this vision statement is helpful.