Spring Creek Baptist Church has been in existence for 140 years. This congregation has gone through a relocation and five name changes before landing in our current location with our current name. There is a rich heritage here. A beautiful legacy. That does not mean there have not been some very hard times as well.
For the past 21 months I have prayed over and over again to know God's unique vision for Spring Creek. I read a statement today that gave me food for thought. The statement written by Will Mancini in his book Church Unique is, "Visionary leadership is the art of protecting the past as we champion the future."
In an age where so many different churches copy cat what other successful churches are doing, I hold a different core conviction. I believe every body of believers has a unique thumbprint from God. Each fellowship has a different cultural context and a very unique purpose and plan from God. It is the job of each congregation to prayerfully discern that unique vision.
For us at Spring Creek, that means walking that fine line of protecting our past and championing our future. We are a country church. I have heard that phrase used about us hundreds of times. I have even heard people say at nauseum. " We are a small country church." Spring Creek will always be a country church. Even though the landscape is filling up with housing development after housing development. we are surrounded by farm land. We are located half a dozen miles outside the city of Weatherford. Jeans and boots are more common here than slacks and loafers. The people are not pretentious. They are hard working. Servant minded. Loving and friendly. It is an honor to serve among them. All of that is part of our legacy, our past.
At the same time we protect the past, we must champion the future. Within five miles of this location there are 7,000 people under the age of 17. Why is that significant? 94% of people who get saved do so before they reach 18 years of age. If Spring Creek is going to seriously engage in evangelism, we must direct a large part of our focus to children and teenagers. That is championing the future.
The challenge is to do both. To honor, preserve, and protect the past. To remember those who came before us. Those who labored and sacrificed so we could be in the position we are in. Those people championed the future. Our present. They voted to relocate the facilities on one of the busiest roads in Parker County. That was foresight. Vision. Championing the future. We are benefiting from it today.
Now we must do the same knowing one day some will come after us. They will enjoy and build on our legacy of faith. People's dedication, labor, sacrifice will be remembered for years to come. Those who are the very heart and soul of this body. The nucleus that has held this together through many years and many storms.
I am blessed to have a small connection with the past. 31 years ago Breda and I cut our ministry teeth here. They loved and embraced us back then. Now we are back championing the future. We are once again loved and we have already met so many new people who have endeared themselves to us. It is a blessing to serve here. While I may not know the full unique vision God has for Spring Creek I do know it has been and will continue to be a fascinating journey.
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