Vision

The idea of vision is linked closely to faith.  It is rooted in faith; without faith, there can be no vision, for "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  (Hebrews 11:1)  The vision of Real Life Community Church finds its life in precisely that: the certainty that God will bring to life the dream he has begun in this work.

Our vision is what we believe it will look like when we are living out our purpose, demonstrating our core doctrines, according to our central values. This is what we expect to see when Real Life is reflecting the reality of Christ through relationships.

The vision of Real Life Community Church is to impact western Michiana with the good news of Jesus Christ.   We will be a purpose-driven, disciple-making church, which places a strong emphasis on drawing the people of our communities to the amazing love of Christ.  This vision comprises several expectations:

We expect to connect people with Christ.
This is central to our purpose aspect of relationships that attract.  The River Valley area is filled with people who need Jesus.  Many of our neighbors, family members, co-workers, and friends are living and dying without a saving relationship with Christ.  They need his love and grace; we are committed to sharing it with them. They will be attracted to him when they see his love reflected in us through relationships that serve.

We expect to connect people with people.
We live in a disconnected society, filled with hurting, lonely people.  People crave connection through relationships.  Our purpose addresses this reality through relationships that connect, following the pattern of ministry demonstrated by Jesus.  Before people can understand the love of God, whom they cannot see, they will respond to real love in the lives of Christians, whom they can see. Relationships that serve demonstrate that love in a way that makes people desire such a connection.

We expect real faith in the real world.
It has often been said of Christians that we are too "heavenly minded" to be any earthly good. Real Life Community Church expects to deal in reality as it is, not as we wish it were or as we would like to pretend it is.  Sometimes reality in a sinful, fallen world is grim, gritty, and ugly.  We do not shy away from it, for the ultimate reality, the reality of God's love in Christ, has overcome the world. (John 16:33) Our real-world faith shows up best in relationships that serve. 

We expect to stand out by authentic Christian living.
Those who are in Christ are changed by the relationship, and holy living is the natural result of the presence of God's Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian. Because of this, we expect those around us to see that Real Life Community Church is drastically different from the surrounding society and to recognize that this is the work of Christ.

We expect dynamic, intimate worship.
It is easy to merely sing songs without really entering into worship.  We will strive to constantly go beyond musical performance to worship in spirit and in truth, engaging heart, soul, and mind with relationships that celebrate God.  We will utilize the most effective musical styles, instruments, facilities, and technology at our disposal to foster an environment in which our worship interacts with the heart of God.  In this we must never lose sight of the fact that true worship is more than music; it is a lifestyle of grateful service to the King.

We expect to grow larger.
As we live out our purpose, the Lord will add souls to his Kingdom.  We will grow, not by transfer of Christians from other churches, but by the conversion of new believers through relationships that attract.  We expect that this growth will result in the planting of new churches, which in turn will grow and plant other churches.

We expect to grow deeper.
Relationships that reflect God’s love must involve helping others to become more Christ-like: relationships that guide.  A major part of the vision of Real Life Community Church is to bring the realities of God to bear on the realities of life, resulting in meaningful discipleship.  We will foster this growth through expository preaching, interactive studies in small group settings, and a systematic Christian growth curriculum for members.