A Purpose Driven Church

By Pastor Larry Bennett

Every church is driven, directed by something. Something is at the core of what they do. Tradition, programs, activities, personalities, issues, or even buildings are often the controlling force in a church. Whatever drives a church produces the fruit or results of that church's ministry.

We at The Chapel in North Canton believe that in order for a church to be healthy it must not be built upon the items mentioned above but must instead become a "purpose-driven" church. That is, it must seek to build the church upon the foundations that Jesus Christ in His Word declared to be the foundations of a strong, healthy church.

Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church, believes the Bible presents five foundations that enable a local church to be healthy. He has developed these foundations into a five-part strategy that he believes will enable a church to become a purpose-driven church. That five-part strategy involves a church becoming:

• Warmer through fellowship
• Deeper through discipleship
• Stronger through worship
• Broader through ministry
• Larger through evangelism

This five-part purpose-driven strategy has proven to be successful in churches around our country. I believe it can help us to become a church even stronger than we already are, while also developing the spiritual lives of Chapel attenders.

Some of the five-part strategies we already have in place here at The Chapel. Others we need to strengthen or develop. With that in mind, this fall we will begin to develop The Chapel into a purpose-driven church. The first step in this process will be for our small groups to study what it means to be purpose-driven as a church and as an individual believer. From there, we will develop a step-by-step process of discipleship that every attender can be a part of.

The end result, I believe, will be a healthy, growing church and stronger spiritual lives. I encourage you to be a part of this new and exciting adventure. Opportunities await for you to be involved in this purpose-driven church / life process. Sign up now at the Home Group display in the church lobby or call the church office for more information at (330) 494-3419.

“What on Earth Am I Here For?”
CHAPEL HOME GROUPS will answer that question

Begin a spiritual journey that will enable you to answer life’s most important question: What on earth am I here for? To start, you need to set aside only 6 weeks, and sign up to join a weekly Home Group meeting in your area. You start your journey with...

Book 1: Beginning Life Together - 
God’s Purposes for Your Life

Book 1 is introductory and touches on all five aspects of the purpose-driven life. We recommend everyone take Book 1 first, before moving on to sign up for any of the other five books, which may be taken in any order you choose. The other five studies are:

• Connecting with God’s Family - Fellowship

• Growing to be like Christ - Discipleship

• Surrendering Your Life for God’s Pleasure - Worship

• Developing Your SHAPE to Serve Others - Ministry

• Sharing Your Life Mission Every Day - Evangelism

Each individual believer was created by God for a purpose, so if you have ever wondered why God put you on this planet, this study is for you. The Home Groups are divided geographically so no one should have to travel very far from home to join one. Please view the choices at the main display in the lobby and sign up soon, before your area study is full. Home Groups will start meeting the week of September 21, 2003.