Transforming Ordinary People into Extraordinary Followers of Christ

Extraordinary Relationships – “The Extraordinary Challenge” Part 1

Our vision is to transform ordinary people into extraordinary followers of Jesus Christ; we do this by building relationships (Matthew 22:27, 39). God wants us to love our neighbors in the same way and with the same commitment with which we love ourselves, and to participate in God’s plan to reconcile a lost humanity to Himself. God asks his forgiven children to engage with our friends and neighbors and share with them how they too can receive God’s forgiveness through faith in Christ (Matthew 28:18–20). God has called us to build redemptive relationships. We must live by biblical priorities because that is what ultimately will be evaluated. TCC’s “The Next Initiative” is our declaration of what we are trusting God to accomplish in His power and for His glory over the next two years. It reflects our commitment to building redemptive relationships with ou neighbors and around the world. To achieve it will require sacrificial serving and giving. I promise you it is worthy of our full engagement. We must build our “Next Generation Discipleship Center”, improve our current ministries, expand our missions efforts locally and globally, and mobilize resources for multi-site expansion.

Every local church has a responsibility to reach the next generation. This demands that we be flexible in how we make disciples. We’ve been doing this for over twenty years—while never sacrificing biblical truth. TCC has proven to be a safe place where people can be real about our struggles, where we can ask our “tough faith questions”. We also do a great job ministering to kids, thanks to our incredible staff and many dedicated volunteers. We have intentionally designed TCC to attract young families. Young children become teens, and the teen years are a confusing, pivotal time. Teens make decisions that often set their spiritual course for years to come, and so it is critical that we invest in their spiritual development. Failing to accurately transmit Biblical truth to the next generation can be devastating (Judges 2:10-11). If our teens are going to rise above our culture and impact it for Christ, we must counteract the rise of relativism, of religious skepticism, and the “chameleon complex”. The world says that truth is situational and cultural; it chafes against Jesus’ exclusive claims, and our students have a tendency to present themselves differently, depending on the peer group they happen to be interacting with. The solution is to give our students historical evidence to back up the exclusive truth claims of Christianity, to help them develop personal convictions concerning what is right and wrong, and to equip them to take a stand for Christ, no matter who they’re with. We gather them in small groups where they can interact with one another face to face, helping them develop the social skills our culture is failing to nurture.

God has blessed us with a lot of students, but right now, we have zero room for growth. Our student center is often uncomfortably full—it feels claustrophobic. There is no space to connect with guests and their parents. Our present student facility does not provide an environment for ministry the way we like to do it. W can do better. We must do better. The spiritual health of the next generation depends upon it. Our “Next Gen Discipleship Center” will not be about bricks and mortar, but about creating a compelling environment where redemptive relationships are formed and biblical discipleship takes place. Right now, if all our teens decided to invite a friend, we would have no place to put them. Our present facilities provide no room for growth. Our Next Generation Discipleship Center will be highly functional, yet with a “cool” factor. It will give us room to grow, and is designed to promote authentic worship and seamlessly blend small group conversations with dynamic, life-changing large group teaching. It will provide a new and welcoming café space that can be enjoyed
throughout the week and additional ministry space for Bible studies, counseling, etc.

It will cost us $1.6 million—and we can afford it! Yes, it will require that all of us give above and beyond what we are giving right now. We plan to pay off our short-term, low-interest, construction loan in two years and significantly decrease our long term debt. We will be using what is called a “One Fund Approach” to accomplish all this. Rather than having a separate building fund, we want to link all four components of our Extraordinary Challenge into one fund representing the entire vision for TCC ministry (ie, build our Next Generation Discipleship Center AND strengthen our current ministries AND expand our outreach both locally and globally AND mobilize resources for multi-site ministry).

The projected cost of ALL of that, over the next two years, is 3.9 million dollars. There is no question that this will stretch us. It will require 100 % participation from all who consider TCC their church home, and that all of us increase our giving over the next two years. But the sacrifices we all make will be worth it. Our sacrifices will result in eternal destinies being reversed and lives transformed. April 6th will be our commitment Sunday, so please begin asking God what He would have you commit toward our next two years. I want to ask you to join Susan and me in giving generously and sacrificially. The next generation is depending upon us.

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