Discerning God’s Direction
Our leadership team spent intentional time connecting together as families, encouraging one another, and discussing the Scriptures that shape the values of our church.
God works in ways beyond our imagination. One woman recently visited our church after having a dream about Jesus. Another mom from a Buddhist background began asking questions about Christianity during our indoor kid soccer club. Another family unexpectedly joined us on Easter and connected deeply with a message that felt just for them. A college student walked into our gathering after a service looking for community and conversation. Each of these stories reminds us that God is already at work in people’s lives, drawing people to Himself through our church, and we get to participate through prayer, hospitality, conversation, and love.
We’re grateful for what God has done in our church. What started as a small gathering of 10 people in the fall of 2020 has grown into a community of 80 adults and 28 kids learning to love God, love the church, and love their neighbors more fully. It has been a joy to watch God build something so beautiful over time. It also feels like a sacred responsibility to prayerfully consider where God may be leading us next because what it took to start our church is not the same as what it will take to establish our church.
As God grows our church, so does the importance of staying aligned with His purpose for us. Because of this, our leadership team began a year-long strategic planning process in May 2025 that focused on prayer, listening, and discernment together as a church family. More than 90 percent of our church participated through interviews and conversations about spiritual growth, relationships, hopes, concerns, and the future of Anthem Church. Again and again, we heard the same themes emerge: our church feels like a loving faith family where people are welcomed, cared for, and are growing spiritually. At the same time, we also heard a shared desire to continue growing while remaining deeply relational together. People expressed a heart to grow by reaching the younger generation, serving our foreign-born neighbors, deepening our faith, developing leaders, and building a church where people from many different backgrounds encounter the love and truth of Jesus.
Our church is coming together this weekend for our annual retreat to align ourselves more fully with God’s purpose for us. We’ll take time to reflect on how God has been shaping each of us for ministry. We’ll also consider how our gifts, abilities, and relationships can work together to strengthen and build up the church as we move toward God’s purpose for us. We believe God has been preparing our church for this moment, and that He will continue leading us forward in unity as a church family committed to His mission.
Join us in prayer as we respond to God’s guidance. At the retreat, we’ll invite the church into four weeks of guided prayer and fasting leading up to our Anthem Family Meeting on Friday, June 5. At that gathering, we’ll share more specific action plans from our strategic planning process while also creating space for questions, prayer, and a church-wide response as we step forward together in unity and dependence on God. From the beginning, this strategic planning process has centered on prayerfully seeking God’s direction together, which is why we deeply value your prayers.
Above all, God has reminded us that the church ultimately belongs to Him. He is the one who draws people to Himself, transforms lives, and forms His people into a spiritual family. We cannot manufacture that work, but we can listen, pray, love well, and faithfully follow where He leads. As we look ahead to the years to come, we do so with humility, gratitude, and hope. We believe God is still at work, and we are grateful to be part of what He is doing together. We would love for you to pray with us that God would continue guiding and shaping Anthem Church into a community that reflects the love, truth, and mission of Jesus.