Acts 2 Journey
Jesus declared that He would build His Church and that the gates of hell would not prevail over it. (Mt 16:18) With confidence in these words, we recently launched the Acts 2 Journey in the Minnesota District with 17 participating churches. The first two retreats were held at Lake Geneva Christian Center. They have been powerful and inspiring! Alton Garrison, the author of the Acts 2 Journey program and its companion book, “The Spirit-Empowered Church,” led each teaching session, including pastor and spouse sessions on Friday nights and all-day Saturday sessions with vision teams from each church.
The main concept from the first retreat was the fact that Jesus builds His Church with the Spirit and with strategy – both prayer and planning are necessary for a healthy and growing church. As a Pentecostal fellowship, we understand how the Holy Spirit works among us, helping our local churches to develop and maintain proper health. Yet, we must admit that dependence upon the Holy Spirit does not mean a lack of planning.
The main concept from the second retreat was understanding that a church’s core values must have corresponding attitudes and behaviors, validating what the church says is important. When core values have been identified, it then rests on the church leaders to model matching attitudes and behaviors for the rest of the congregation. This is mission-critical because the power of the Holy Spirit transforms lives when people see and feel the values we declare.
We are thrilled that the Acts 2 Journey has come to Minnesota! The potential of the local church is limitless when pastors, church leaders, and congregational members work together to discern the specific vision and values the Holy Spirit reveals.
