Safety has become one of the highest and most cherished virtues in our culture today. When we were kids, we rode bikes without helmets, drank water out of the ditch, didn’t go to the doctor unless we had a fever for more than two days, didn’t ride in car seats (and rode in the “back shelf” of the back window), had real BB gun fights and played tackle football without equipment every chance we had. All of that (and more) and we all seemed to turn out alright.

This same obsession with safety has also crept into our churches. God has really been speaking to me recently about the sin of safety. We can no longer afford to play it safe when it comes to reaching out to those who don’t know Christ. We must train and equip those under our care to deliberately reach out to those around them, and at the same time be prepared for the heat we will experience as we take ground for the Kingdom of God.

So what are we doing new at VALLEY Christian Church to respond to break the back of the sin of safety? We’re gearing up now, behind the scenes, for a twenty week push (offensive insurgence) into our community. The prayer, planning and preparation going on right now is unprecedented in the life of our church family. We have steadily grown through the years by reaching the unchurched around us (17% growth in 2011), but we’re going to push out even harder than ever over the next few months. We are confident that as we rid ourselves from the sin of safety God will meet us in the highways and byways of our community as we go to those who do not know Him rather than expecting them to come to us.

So, how much is safety hindering your life and ministry today? How can you (or your church) rid yourself from the sin of safety in order to reach out to and connect with those who don’t know Christ?