01 Vision Sundays and Our Vision for the Sunday Gathering

“Our Vision for the Sunday Gathering”

January 4th, 2026

Proverbs 29:18

Justin Marbury

“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Proverbs 29:18

We have never had a “Vision Sunday.” Not once in our 12 New Years of existence. I’m not saying that we’ve never looked back and looked forward. I’m not saying that we haven’t talked about the future or what might be up ahead. But nothing like what we’re going to do today.

The reason we have not had a “Vision Sunday” is that as leadership we have been very hesitant to “proclaim a vision.” Why the hesitancy? I believe that it was a “check” from the Holy Spirit. Looking back on it now I see two important reasons for this check by the Holy Spirit:

The Holy Spirit knew that we had a misunderstanding of what the vision should be focused on. We had the idea that vision was about what the church should do rather than who the church should become. The vision, you see, relates to who we are becoming: the kind of church that we are to be and what we believe God is wanting us to focus on in that work for the foreseeable future. It’s about maturity in being not growth in doing.

This is what Proverbs 29:18 is getting at: The prophetic vision keeps a people rooted and grounded in the law of God which then produces the fruit of God…the NT calls this the fruit of the Spirit. “Blessed is he.” This is the good life. That the law would be written on the heart is the ultimate purpose for the prophetic vision. That the righteousness of God would come down from heaven and be present in the hearts and lives of His people. 

Notice the Proverbs doesn’t say that for lack of prophetic vision the people won’t know what to do. The problem is that they won’t know who they are to be and who they are to become. As it was for Israel, so it is for us as disciples of Christ. As it was for God’s people then, so it is for His Church now: 

We need a vision of who we are and who we are becoming.

The other reason for a hesitancy to proclaim the vision was that…

Once God began to reveal this misunderstanding about what the prophetic vision is, then we could begin to develop a vision for who we, as a church, should become. And the development of this vision has taken time. It’s been a process. One that is unique to us for reasons I will get into today.

An Illustration from the world of maps

How many of us have been canoeing or have gone on a hike that was long enough and unfamiliar enough that you needed a map?

This was a question that I could’ve asked about driving a long distance before the advent of GPS navigation and the disappearance of road maps. But if you remember using road maps or still use them, then you could think of my illustration in terms of a road map.

Whether it’s a canoe trip, a hike, or a drive, a map is critical. But how valuable is a map if

It’s a map for the wrong geographical region?

How valuable is a map if you don’t know where you are or what your destination is supposed to be?

Another way to look at our challenges with casting vision is that we didn’t have the right map, didn’t know where we were, and didn’t have the right destination. We were using a map that could tell us how to get from Nashville to Miami while we’re in Norway. And once we finally got the right map, we had to figure out where we were and where we were supposed to go.

These past two years I’ve gone on canoe trips that my old friend York has planned. And the most important thing that he’s done is that he has chosen our destination. The Alligash and the Moose River. This particular drop-in point, that particular take-out point. These camp sites. This many miles each day along that route.

What York has provided is the Vision. The points on the map where we will intend to go, make plans to go, and then go. But all of this would be pretty useless if on the first day of our trip on the Moose River he pulled out a map of the Allagash Water way.

So…we’ve have never had a Vision Sunday because we didn’t have the correct understanding of what the vision should be about(the right map) AND once God revealed this, that was just the beginning of getting back on track…of seeing where we were and where we needed to go(the right destination).

If this is to vague and esoteric for you, hang in there with me, it will get very practical soon.

Connecting all of this process to our timeline as a church.

The other really important thing that we need to understand is how we, as elders, became aware that we didn’t have the right map or the right destination. We need to see that this revelation and transformation began in 2020. Sorry, I’m bringing up the pandemic. There’s no way around it because God used it to open our eyes and reform our understanding of the vision for who we are and who we are to become. 

God’s Purposes in Pandemic

God used the pandemic to reveal, refocus, and reform the body of Christ. We can be certain of this for one undeniable reason: The pandemic was arguably the most wide-spread trial in human history. And as is the case with all trials, God has a purpose and that purpose is laid out in James chapter “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4. 

Two principles that are tied to this revelation in James (They are confirmed in other Scriptures as well). 1) In general, God intends trials to strengthen faith and mature believers. 2) There is a process initiated by trials that has a goal - completeness. For the Western Church, the Pandemic was a trial of unprecedented scope. This, it seemed to me back then, was the best lens through which to view the pandemic. The question I then asked myself back in 2020 is what are the elements of this process initiated by trials. How would God use the pandemic in the body of Christ to strengthen it and mature it? 

The answer to that question became a three part series, “God’s Purposes in Pandemic: Reveal, Refocus, Reform.”

The reason I bring this up is because it’s important to recognize that the pandemic initiated a process of reform for us that continues to the present day. We didn’t arbitrarily begin a random process of changes based on the whims of our own leadership. We have been intentionally participating in the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work of revealing, refocusing, and reforming us as a local body.

It is this process of revealing, refocusing, and reforming that gives content to the vision and guides our maturity.

How does this process work?

As we look back on the previous 5 years of this process, there are many areas where God revealed things that were out of character for the body of Christ. Those revelations produced a concerted effort to refocus at the theological, doctrinal, and core value level. This, then, produced areas where reform of our structures and practices was necessary. 

The Reveal, Refocus, and Reform process is not always smooth 

But this process was not always smooth. It has been often clunky and unclear because the revealing step may provide sudden clarity about what NOT to do. But it doesn’t necessarily provide immediate clarity on what TO DO. I think that the reason for this is that the revelation about what NOT TO DO comes in the first phase of the process but the revelation about what TO DO comes in the last phase, the reform phase. The nature of this separation between reveal and reform is at least part of the reason why the process is at times confusing.

The Map and the Destination is Becoming Clear

Ok, let me restate all of this again. As elders, we believe that God has been taking Calvary Wolfeboro, for the last 5 years, through a process of reveal, refocus, and reform. While we have had clarity about certain things along the way, it has been a journey of faith through uncertainty in many ways for all of us. And while God will most likely still reveal other areas where reform is needed, we find ourselves at a point in our growth where we can begin to communicate the vision in ways that we haven’t been able to before. In other words, the map, our place on it, and where God wants us to go, are clear enough to communicate.

This will be a significant part of what we believe God wants to do in 2026: To communicate and propagate the new and still developing vision of who we are as a local body.

For today, I want to give one facet of this vision. One aspect of the reform that God has been carrying out. There are quite a few other areas of reform. This is an important one. A very relevant one.

The Sunday Gathering: Reveal, Refocus, Reform

The Sunday gathering. If you were are part of this church in 2020 then you remember the incredible sweetness that emerged as a result of the body of Christ being able to gather together under the tent that summer. In the midst of lockdowns and social distancing, masks and mandates, believers from all over the area joined us for our Sunday Gathering. It was clear, as it is to this day, that the Sunday Gathering is not going away. As it has been for almost 2000 years, so it will continue until the Lord returns. God gathered His church then and He is still gathering His church today. But while God was strengthening the resolve of the gathered He was simultaneously beginning the process of revealing, refocusing, and reforming this beautiful gathering of the saints. He began opening our eyes to the reality that the Sunday gathering had developed, over time and unintentionally, some significant departures and distortions of the original design. 5 years later, and much wrestling in prayer and discussion, there are 6 areas that we, as elders, believe the Holy Spirit has guided us to reform. Among these and not necessarily in a particular order are:

1. Consumerism

Reveal

Our Sunday gathering was too passive and non-participatory (not like what we read about in 1 Corinthians 14). Too few people were actively involved.

Refocus

This kind of gathering appeals to a consumeristic mindset that is not in line with the nature of the body of Christ where many parts are to be actively involved in any particular thing that the body does. The Sunday gathering is the responsibility of the entire body, not just some of us.

Reform

Build into the Sunday gathering opportunities for many to participate and engage. Response time at the end of the messages. Celebration Sundays at the end of each month.

Everyone takes a part in facilitating/hosting/staffing the Sunday Gathering. This area of reform is still, very much a work in progress.

A word on overcorrection both real and perceived.

With each of these I also want to make mention of overcorrections, real or perceived, that are related.

Overcorrection: That all consuming is inherently bad. It’s not. This may be a perception that emerges as we push back against consumerism in the ecclesia - the corporate gathering of CW. This gathering of the saints is designed by God to be participatory not passive. 

2. Word and Spirit

Reveal

Our Sunday gathering was heavy on the spiritual gift of teaching but lite on the other corporate spiritual gifts like words of wisdom, words of knowledge, and exhortation.

Refocus

This imbalance is the result of a division in the Body of Christ between the “word-centered” and “spirit-centered” camps. These two camps have historically isolated from each other into separate churches.

Reform

Simplify the preaching of the Word. More power, less polish.

Encourage the other corporate gifts to be happening during response time and Celebration Sundays.

Work to foster unity between those who tend toward either side of the spectrum.

The people God has brought to CW since 2020 have been a supernatural source of this reform. The Holy Spirit has balanced the scales in our body between those who tend toward word-centered and those who tend toward spirit-centered. And now we’re all coming together into a spirit/word-centered gathering.

Overcorrection: That the hard work of Bible study as a part of the preparation for preaching is not that important. Allowing things to be said and done that aren’t “biblical.” Subjective experience over the objective truth of God’s word. These are definite possibilities.

3. Men and Women

Reveal

Our Sunday gathering lacked the participation of women and the opportunity for women to use their gifts in the teaching time.

Refocus

This is one of the consequences of the conflation of pastor and elder. Scripture teaches that formal spiritual leadership in the church is to be male. But it does not teach that women are to be any less involved in the corporate gathering as men. It doesn’t teach that women are not among those gifted as equippers to the body as a whole (women AND men)

Reform

While establishing the preaching from the pulpit as men only, we encourage women to share from their corporate gifts during the response time as well as Celebration Sundays.

overcorrection: undermining the spiritual leadership that God has intended the men of the church and in the home to have. 

4. Communion-centered, each other-facing

Reveal

Our Sunday gathering was too stage-centered.

Refocus

Jesus and one another should be the focus of our Sunday gatherings. Corporate singing and mutual edification are the values that should guide us here. The gathering of the church should not be individualistic in nature but collective.

Reform

Communion at the end of every gathering.

Change the arrangement of the chairs to be focused on the communion table rather than on the stage.

Turn the eyes of the church onto one another’s faces rather than the back of each other’s heads. Encourage looking at each other during worship rather than always closing our eyes. When we worship as a congregation, this is not like worshipping in your car, shower, or alone in the woods.

A time for special prayer. (healing, commissioning). The laying on of hands. Anointing with oil.

Informal announcements from the gathered church.

…continue to have baby dedications and baptisms.

overcorrection: Stifle personal and individual expression. Become legalistic and rigid and eliminate a stage altogether.

5. Congregational Singing

Reveal

The worship leadership on the stage is too much of a performance, at times even a distraction away from the congregational praise of God.

Refocus

For the Sunday gathering, the responsibility for the worship leadership on stage is to facilitate the singing of the congregation. To provide the music, teach the songs, and keep the congregation singing in unity.

Reform

The worship leader sings or speaks into the mic only when necessary to teach and guide the congregation. Minimizes elements that are performative.

The congregation is the backup singers and the choir.

The music should be loud enough to hear but not to overpower the singing of the congregation.

overcorrection: Never having a choir, never having someone perform a song. There is a proper place for these in the Gathering.

6. Equipping and Encouraging

Reveal

The Weekly gathering had become too much of the focus as the totality of what it means to be the church. Too much of the focus of what it means to serve in the church.

Refocus

The Sunday gathering is not “the ministry of the church.” It is a primary gathering for the equipping and encouraging for the ministry of the church. We come together on Sundays to build up and encourage one another so that we can go out into the world for another week and be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. It’s like the locker room or the practice field.

Reform

Sunday attendance not the measure of faithfulness.

“Have a great week of worship.”

overcorrection:

In regard to the Sunday Gathering, in the process of understanding what was wrong and refocusing our hearts on the right beliefs and values, we emphasized consistently that the Sunday gathering was not what it should be. That it was not the be all end all. We downplayed its importance as a general corrective in response to the realizations we were coming to see in the reveal and refocus phases. But because we hadn’t gone through the whole process, because we were working our way to the final resting place of reform, we were all left with a vague sense but no clear picture of what the Sunday Gathering is and it’s importance. My point is that this is a necessary and natural part of the process. It’s uncomfortable, it’s confusing at times, but it’s good. It forces us to experience the process together. 

But, it also may have left us feeling like the Sunday gathering isn’t that important. That maybe involvement in the Sunday gathering isn’t that important as we seek to get engaged in the mission of the church. 

As elders, we believe that the Sunday Gathering is critically important. 

As elders, we believe that the Sunday gathering necessarily requires and includes the church’s involvement in: safety/security, parking, greeters, ushers, hospitality, audio/video, worship leadership, preaching, communion, and Calvary Kids.

Conclusion

This is the vision for the Sunday Gathering. It’s one important area of reform that God has been carrying out in Calvary Wolfeboro. We need to continue to move the Sunday Gathering into to its proper place. In the process, we all need to take ownership of it as the vital weekly anchor point it is for CW. We need to prioritize gathering together AND we need to prioritize serving in some capacity. We need to take ownership of the responsibility that is all of ours who consider CW our spiritual family.

This is because the Sunday gathering requires a lot of human resources. If we believe it is important, and we do. If we believe that it necessarily includes all the components that it does, and we do. Then we have to accept that it is going to take all of us to share the load. And we will. Because that’s what family’s do. That’s who the body of Christ is. That’s who we are.

“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Proverbs 29:18

There is blessing here. Blessing in receiving the vision from your elders. Blessing in taking it to heart. And blessing in walking in out by faith in surrender, submission, and service. This is because the fruit of reform is revival. Reveal, refocus, reform, revive! We are seeing this happen in small but significant ways. The more we enter in to this reformed vision of our gathering the more fruit of revival we will see.