During the last two years or so, we’ve been rallying around the cry “Focus on Jesus and follow His plan.” This January, we’ve announced and embarked upon a Conference-wide effort to make and grow disciples of Jesus. We are offering training opportunities and materials for our General Conference members, congregations, and districts. January-March, we’re emphasizing personal evangelism. April-June, we will emphasize small group evangelism and ministry. July-September, we will encourage our congregations to be “Welcoming Churches” — places where new converts to Christ find a welcoming and safe place to be nurtured to maturity in Christ.
During the last quarter of 2022, we will review and renew our commitment to each of these points of emphasis, and more.
Despite the excitement about our focus on sharing the gospel and making disciples, I’m occasionally asked, “What happened to TVR (Transforming Vision into Reality)? Have we dropped that for something new?” We spent a full four years talking TVR. We hung the TVR posters in our churches. Some still drink coffee out of TVR mugs. Has all of that now been replaced by “Focus on Jesus and Follow His Plan”?
Absolutely not! While some of the TVR materials have become outdated, TVR is still alive and well and relevant. In fact, our current emphasis throughout the General Conference is upon two of the TVR values/points: Engaged in Witness and Committed to Discipleship. Our current efforts are not disconnected from our past efforts. Rather, having built a TVR foundation, we are now beginning to build on it by addressing the TVR values intentionally and specifically. As we commit ourselves to evangelism and to making disciples, as we focus on Jesus and follow His plan, we absolutely are turning vision into reality.
— Loren Stacy
GC President
