Dear Parents and Friends of CCS,
May this issue of Parent News find you experiencing the grace and goodness of God!
Last week we completed our look at the foundational pillars upon which daily life and work at CCS are built:
A Solidly Biblical Theological Foundation, rooted in the Word, Spirit and Gospel of God
A Vital Shalom Community, where people strive to live intentionally together in peace, safety, wholeness, hope and joy.
A Dynamic Resurrection Culture, built on the concept of “practicing resurrection”. A Resurrection Culture defines how we employees should work with each other as Corps i.e. Faculty & Staff, and how our graduates will work redemptively and incarnationally in the real world as salt and light, as “sacred agents” who are in love with Jesus.
These three pillars from the ground bass upon which the “music” of ministry is created every day.
So who writes the music? Glad you asked!
The short answer is…God! And this leads us to the issue of vision, a “preferred picture” of the future that is so necessary to gauge whether our daily work is actually leading us to realize God’s will for us.
Vision is a much-misunderstood concept, and honestly there is a fair amount of mystery to the process of casting vision for a ministry.
For our purposes, though, we can take a brief look at a few aspects of vision casting in a Biblically-based ministry. In order to access a gospel centered vision, we must:
Walk with God every day, spending time in His word and asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate the mind with understanding and to ignite the heart with the love of God and His people.
This is the foundational piece, without which the rest can become simply an exercise in futility.
Ask God to reveal His specific vision for the work (or family, college, major, career, etc.), trusting that He loves you and wants the best for you as He defines it.
It’s important to remember a this point that He would never lead you to work outside of the fences of His word.
This step really begins with dying to our own desires, submitting to His perspective on whatever you’re doing, and agreeing to follow His path no matter what.
Once your own agenda is moved to the background, His can emerge much more clearly.
“Knead” the vision on your own, reflecting silently before the LORD and learning to listen to His “still, small voice” more closely. In this step you’re using the gifts and talents you have to hone and tune the vision to fit tactically into your particular milieu.
Complete the vision in community, fostering buy-in through a dynamic spirit of trust and collaboration. A vision that is from God is never about you, but about furthering the Kingdom for the benefit of others.
Implement the vision strategically, inviting others to joyfully join the journey.
If the vision is indeed representative of your “Commander’s Intent”, you will find it will require His constant help to carry out. And be prepared for course correction by the Holy Spirit, which will inevitably require you to be humble and teachable.
I’ve had the privilege of casting vision in a number of ministry organizations and each time it is somewhat different - because each context is different.
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all vision.
God has been sharing His vision continually for Community Christian School over the last 46 years, beginning in 1977 with our founders, and He is doing it again in our day!
This spring we are rolling out what we’re calling CCS@50!, a vision that builds on the groundwork laid by the Master Plan of 2019.
The CCS@50! Vision is a series of snapshots of CCS up through our big 50th Anniversary Celebration, scheduled for 2027-28. Much more on the 50th Anniversary in the days to come.
Next week I’ll begin sharing the details of the CCS@50! Vision via a solo vlog that will be available on our website.
Look for more info on our social media platforms over the next few days.
I am so grateful that the CCS Board of Trustees has unanimously and enthusiastically voted in support of this vision. I look forward to working with them and the amazing team at CCS to begin to walk it out, in God’s strength and grace.
In the end, it is our prayer that CCS@50! will be another step toward furthering God’s agenda for gospel-centered teaching and learning at CCS, and that it will bring great glory to His holy and matchless name as we move step by step toward being a truly extraordinary school.
May God cover us with His glory, even as the “waters cover the sea”, and may He be seen as the Perfectly Marvelous One by all who cross our path this week.
For CCS and the Kingdom,
Tom