Every Person...Matters to God!

Every person matters to God! Everyone is created on purpose and for a purpose. That purpose includes knowing God through Jesus Christ and following Him. God desires that all men be saved and come to maturity! That means everyone!

By Pastor Mark Kremer

Everyone who comes through our doors on a weekend!  Everyone in our city and region!  Everyone in the world!  And God has called us as His followers to do everything we can to fulfill His purpose of presenting every person complete in Christ. 

Our mission is being accomplished every week in the lives of hundreds of people through the ministries of LBC.  In fact, you will be excited to know that some of the individuals who you identified as needing Jesus by writing their names on the flags in the fence around the new auditorium have already received Christ.

This motivates and drives everything we do at LBC.  Our entire ministry is focused on this mission.  The mission is what has compelled us to expand our facility so we can minister to the people God is drawing to Himself through you!!  But while we’re anticipating what God will do in the future, we cannot neglect the core of our ministry that happens week after week in and through this body.  Ministry to every age group, every physical, emotional and spiritual condition.

Some might think we are crazy, but at the same time we are undertaking our building project, we have also stepped out by faith to grow this ministry in a number of significant ways so we can bring our entire LBC family of more than 5,000 men, women and children to completion in Christ. 

We have added new staff to ensure that we are doing all we can to disciple and equip everyone for life and ministry.  New leadership staff for Youth, Children, Campus Operations, Counseling Resources and our Adult Seasons of Life has been added in the past year or so.  Our staff and leaders are the greatest resource of this ministry and we are blessed to have an amazing group of men and women who are giving their best to fulfill the mission.  Having effective staff leadership is a major part of our General Fund investment in the mission.

We have seen the need for pastors and leaders and have stepped out to become an equipping center through our brand new Christian Leadership College.  This ministry will become self-supporting in the not-too-distant future, but this year we have invested considerable dollars from our General Fund to launch this new ministry effectively.  What will the kingdom impact of this be in the years to come?  How many churches will be planted, how many businesses transformed, how many students reached, how many additional leaders will be building the “Unstoppable Church” in 10 years because of this new effort?  Only God knows, but the impact will be significant!

We have seen the need in other parts of our city and made two major advances this year to reach parts of our city that we could not effectively reach from here.  In September we planted North Pointe Community Church in North Lincoln and in October, Abiding Grace Community Church in the most urban part of our city.  We have invested significant financial resources from our General Fund and sent more than 250 of our own people to build these new churches.  And God is growing them both in amazing ways.

And finally, what about the global outreach of this place?  Our Missions giving supports forty-five missionary families serving all over the world, plus a number of short-term mission teams.  Add to that our investment of more than $175,000 this year alone to plant 300 church-planting churches in India.  Many new churches in India have formed this year and those believers are being equipped to share their lives and the message of Christ with their families and neighbors.  God is transforming lives around the world and we have the privilege of being partners in that work through our missions fund and India project fund.  Indeed, the mission is the same around the world as it is here.

All of this requires a great deal of both financial and people resources.  God has always supplied what has been needed to accomplish the mission, but there is no question that we are being stretched to trust God for the resources to accomplish this mission.  In fact, the steps of faith we have taken included sending both people and money away from our home base to plant churches. 

These steps of faith leave us with a great challenge as we near the end of our fiscal year (July 31).  In the next two months we need to pay for all our normal ministry expenses for these months PLUS make up a $275,000 shortfall that currently exists in our General and Missions funds.  This extra $275,000 is a result of our outreach into our community and world.  While the staff and leaders seek to do everything we can to be extra frugal during these next two months and beyond, we need your help.

Giving to meet our normal ministry needs plus $275,000 is a significant year-end challenge.  Would YOU consider the mission God has given us and ask God what your part should be in meeting this need and making sure we have all the bills paid as we enter a new ministry year on August 1?  The year ahead holds great opportunities for impacting thousands of lives here in Lincoln and around the world.  Let’s link arms, pray, do our part and watch God build His Unstoppable Church.