Super Bowl Sunday! Imagine getting to help lead a team onto the field for this game – what kind of a coach would you be? Are you a no-nonsense inspirational leader (Vince Lombardi)? Do you have an infectious love for what you’re doing and those around you (John Madden)? Are you just a grump who prefers to wear sweats (Bill Belichick)?

No matter the coaching style, the one thing all teams must have is a strategy. We know that our goal (how we define “winning”) is “connecting people to life in Jesus.” Our strategy details how we go about achieving our goal. Here at the Church, we’ve broken this down into three components:

• lifeWorship – Whether in person or online, each we get the opportunity to worship together – as a team. And extending an invitation has never been easier thanks to our streaming capabilities. And if 9:00 AM on Sunday doesn’t work in a particular week, don’t forget we have past sermons available on our website (www.livelifetogether.com/video).
• lifeGroup – From our website: “At the Church we really do ‘live life together.’ In lifeGroup, we meet weekly in each other’s homes to share a meal and share our lives as we grow in Jesus. Our connection to other people is at the heart of our Christian experience. Authentic connections happen most effectively in smaller groups where there is opportunity for dialogue and relationships, and our primary place for these authentic connections is lifeGroup.” If you haven’t given LifeGroup a shot (ever or in a while), now is a great time to start. A new year can bring new habits! To learn more, contact Amy Meyer at [email protected].
• lifeServe – Great teams don’t just show up on Sunday – they’ve been practicing. God gives all of us gifts: talents, interests, time, finances, etc. We have the chance to gratefully give back and serve communities both near and far. We spoke a lot about generosity last year, but serving never goes out of fashion. Remember that Jesus didn’t just talk for an hour or two once a week – he actively practiced what he was preaching.

Our strategic pillars don’t operate in isolation – they work together and often can overlap in service of our goal:

• Our services operate with the assistance of many fine volunteers
• lifeGroups occasionally choose to serve together
• Looking for more learning than just the traditional “church service”? NeighboringLife.com and our rotating 2*22 sessions provide a chance to dig in and apply our knowledge.
• The list goes on!

The possibilities are endless when these three items work in harmony. Whether you’re watching the big game or not (I get it, go Packers), think about how this strategy guides us in our walk with Christ – together.