Why Are We Doing a Word of the Lord Process?
As we prepare for 2025, we want to enter into a special season of seeking the Lord for the upcoming year for five important reasons:
1. Spirit-led Direction
In Revelation 2.7, Jesus said, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” While this verse has many implications, one important one is that Jesus wanted His churches to have a posture of listening to and being led by the Spirit. As we engage in this process each year, it helps us to live in this heart posture as a people.
2. It Builds Unity
This process helps us to walk together in the unity that comes from a shared vision.
3. It Builds Faith
As we look back at how God has led us in the past, it builds our faith for the future.
4. It Builds Focus
This process helps to build our focus and spend our best energies on what God is calling us to rather than drowning in a sea of good opportunities or the tyranny of the urgent.
5. Course Correction
As we humble ourselves and seek Him, this process can help us course correct in places we could be drifting from His calling on our lives.
How are we going about this process?
We have three parts to our discernment process:
Discerning Revelation
Discerning Interpretation
Discerning Application
1. Discerning Revelation // September 2024
As we seek to discern what the Spirit is speaking, we want to enter into a season of special prayer and listening during September 2024.
During the month of September, we want to invite our family of churches to share anything you sense the Lord speaking to our community for the year ahead using this form.
In addition to the submission form, we will be facilitating Zoom calls in September for our pastors and team leaders to share on behalf of their churches and teams.
2. Discerning Interpretation // October & November 2024
The Antioch Oversight Team will meet in October and early November to weigh what has been shared and to seek the Lord together.
We will work to distill this into a simple word or phrase as well as a one-page explanation to share with the Movement about where we believe the Spirit is leading us for the year ahead.
Our hope is to share this at our November Team Leader Gathering.
3. Discerning Application // November 2024-January 2025
Movement-wide Application: The Antioch Oversight Team will work to discern any movement-wide application (for example, united time of prayer and fasting or united outreach) and share those things with the Movement as a whole.
Region, Church, and Team Specific: Each region, church and church planting team is charged with discerning specific application as it relates to their sphere of influence.