“As we try to understand our time, as well as our unique circumstances and opportunities, we believe it would be strategic to strengthen a significant beachhead for Christ’s kingdom by expanding our building and making it more useful for our mission.”

Winston Churchill might have been the lone voice calling for the world to recognize the danger of Hitler’s rising power in Germany in the 1930s. He saw an impending danger and knew that if a heroic stand wasn’t made against him, the world would suffer. He titled the first book of his six-volume chronicling of World War II The Gathering Storm.

If there was a gathering storm over Europe in the 1930s, there is a gathering storm over the church of America in the 2020s. The war is not like Churchill’s; ours is a spiritual war. Paul urged Timothy to “wage the good warfare,” and reminded the Corinthians that “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” This is the context where we find ourselves today. What does it look like to be faithful in this context?

The statistics don’t look good. In 2019, 4,500 churches closed, and only 3,000 were planted. This was before the pandemic years, where the number of closing churches skyrocketed and the number of churches planted plummeted.

And, to our great distress, so many churches today have abandoned a faithful commitment to Scripture. Preaching has been replaced by politics; shepherding replaced by best business practices, counseling replaced by therapy, and gospel replaced with Jesus-flavored self-help.

As a result of these things, the vast majority of churches are making no significant advance. The churches that reach new people, train new leaders, start new works, and birth new churches are too few.

Where will we find new preachers to stand tall and herald God’s Word? Where will Christ-like shepherds learn to gently care and counsel Christ’s flock? Where will leaders be developed to discern the way forward rather than retreat? Where will robust theological training take place to raise the next generation of theologians?

We have an answer to all those questions. Without equivocation, it is the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church must increasingly shine as the hope of the world. She presents a sanity the world has forgotten; a hope the world doesn’t know; she is a supernatural community from another world sent to reach the nations with the life changing message of Jesus Christ.

Christ’s church is not in retreat. It is advancing. When Christ said he would build his church, he wasn’t making a wish. It was a prophetic word, a promise from God, a declaration of an absolute certainty. Christ died for his church. Christ rules his church. Christ equips his church. Christ appoints leaders for the church. Christ dwells amidst his church and advances his church. And one day, he promises to return for his church. The church must rise up in faith and advance.

By God’s grace, Grace Rancho wants to be in the thick of the fight. While this spiritual battle rages, we desire to be good soldiers for Jesus Christ.

It was said of the men of Issachar that they “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chron. 12:32). As we try to understand our time, as well as our unique circumstances and opportunities, we believe it would be strategic to strengthen a significant beachhead for Christ’s kingdom by expanding our building and making it more useful for our mission.