Imagine in 100 years time – assuming that Jesus has not yet returned! What would be the legacy of our life and witness today? What might be the number of people who can trace their roots of faith and discipleship back to The Countess Free Church? Prayerfully imagining the answers to these kind of questions gives us our 100 Year Vision.
They are numbered in their thousands
A vision where in 100 years time more than 1,000 Christian disciples are …
- radically given over to following Jesus
- sharing their faith wherever they are
- drawing people to a rich spiritual life
- connecting with other disciples
- forming local expressions of church
This is not about one big single church. Instead it is churches in a variety of expressions and local places, each one:
- Faithful to Christ and the good news found in Him
- Maintaining deep rhythms of spirituality
- Missional in nature, reaching out to the community around them
- Standing against the injustices of their day, demonstrated with practical outreach initiatives
- Formed by their members, baptising new believers
Most likely the 1,000+ by this time will be scattered well beyond Ely (perhaps even around the world), but each with the desire to ‘see Kingdom Life’ manifest wherever they are, and roots that can be traced back to the Countess Free Church in Ely. Collectively these 1,000+ individuals might have a mission footprint that has a potential influence of 10,000s of people.
Our 100 year vision is not about the ‘size of church in Ely’. It is about a spiritual movement that extends beyond ourselves and beyond our current cultural landscape.