“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
Jesus could not have been any clearer. Jesus’ disciples are recruited to participate in his mission. Transformed followers of Jesus multiply. This is why one of our core values at Chapel Pointe is to engage in kingdom expansion. It is our joy and call to participate with him in the work that he is doing. This is why God has called Chapel Pointe to Lansing, Michigan, and he is moving at our Holt campus. At Chapel Pointe’s Holt campus, we are training followers of Jesus to go out into the world knowing that they have been sent by the authority of Jesus. If we have been sent by Jesus, that means that we are called to think and act like missionaries so that God’s kingdom can expand through us wherever we are.
It all starts with transformation in the hearts of God’s people.
God’s Work of Renewal
Oftentimes, before the kingdom can truly expand, God’s people have to be renewed. At Chapel Pointe we often talk about the reality that many of the churches in North America are plateaued or declining. That means there must be transformation in the hearts of God’s people before there will be growth again in the church. God’s kingdom expands in the hearts of his people before it expands out into the world. And we have begun to see that at our Holt campus.
Our Holt campus was formerly known as Cedar Street Church, and it was a church that had declined and plateaued over the course of the past several years. Chapel Pointe was initially contacted to provide some coaching for the leaders at Cedar Street, but this eventually turned into an opportunity to replant this church as a Chapel Pointe campus. And that is what has happened. And God has been renewing this church so that we can see the kingdom of God expand in the Lansing area.
Renewal Through Serving
Our church has been renewed through serving together. They have been galvanized around our vision to multiply transformed followers, and they see how they help accomplish that vision through serving. We have focused all of our efforts on Sunday morning toward helping people experience God’s palpable presence. Our teams recognize how this is what they get to do, from greeting new guests to teaching kids to helping in production. As we serve together, God works through us to make his presence known to others.
Renewal Through Evangelism
Our church is also being renewed in its concern for the lost. God is turning our eyes away from ourselves toward the community around us. I recently had a conversation with one of our people who was on a prayer walk for her neighborhood, and her prayer was, “God, give me a bigger vision of what you could do in the lives of my neighbors through me.” Too often, our vision for what God wants to do is limited to what we think we can accomplish.
But it is not about what we can accomplish. It’s about what God can accomplish through us.
God’s New Work
When the kingdom expands in our hearts, it inevitably overflows into our lives and communities. God has strategically positioned us to expand his kingdom in the Lansing area. Our state capitol is only 12 miles away. Michigan State University and Lansing Community College are both less than a 20-minute drive from the church. Within the city of Holt itself, there are eight different demographic populations, ranging from single young adults to families to retired, all spanning varying socioeconomic statuses. The harvest is plentiful in Lansing. That means that to live and work and serve here is to live on mission. God desires that transformed followers of Jesus multiply. That is the new work that God wants to do here.
People Living On Mission
We see this missional call manifested in a variety of ways. For example, one family is moving from Hudsonville to Holt in order to serve our Holt campus. They heard about the opportunity to reach those far from God in Lansing, and they answered the call of God. So, they are uprooting their lives to move to Holt in order to live on mission. We also have a worship leader who is moving from our Hudsonville campus to live and work full-time at our Holt campus. He has been trained and developed by Chapel Pointe in order to be sent out, and so he also is moving to engage in this new endeavor.
But this new work is also happening through those who have lived here for years. As God continues to increase people’s compassion for the lost, they are answering God’s call to reach the lost. We did a Living on Mission training at the beginning of the summer, and one of the key points was that all missional endeavors begin with prayer. Now, many of our people are regularly praying for their neighbors. That alone is a big win. But when our prayers align with God’s desires, he answers those prayers. One of our people hosted a neighborhood event to get to know her neighbors. The following week, two of her neighbors sought her out to ask her to pray for them.
All missional endeavors begin with prayer.
Partner with Us
God is moving at our Holt campus! He is renewing his people so that he can do a new work in the lives of those who do not yet know him. Jesus has sent us, and we are answering that call. For more information on Chapel Pointe Holt, visit our Holt page.
