Setting the Vision

I preached on the text, without a vision the people perish (Prov 29,18). Interestingly, the LXX has a slightly different take, without an interpreter/exegete, the people are lawless. So I set the vision for the church for 2016. Having established a solid pulpit ministry and praise and worship this year with restoration of cell groups meeting from house to house, I set my heart on discipling church members through regular discipleship classes. I plan to get that going by February 2016. The second focus for 2016 is evangelism and outreach. We have been rather successful in reaching out local communtities with 4 or 5 active cell groups in villages but I challenged the church to go farther, to another District, perhaps one that is within 2 or 3 hours' drive.
An elder has been charged to set up a committee and we will pray through the first 3 months and outreach proper should begin in the 2nd quarter of 2016. We have also decided to call an assistant pastor who will take care of the several cell groups and at least one with pastoral oversight should become a local church within a couple of years. He will also teach new converts and baptism classes. If he can speak English well, we may well get our English service started by 2017 or 2018. I have to gather a group of youths who are interested to speak English and bold enough to venture where we have not been before.  We have started our Christmas season in earnest and the first Xmas was celebrated last Saturday in Badukan village.