A document such as this becomes dated almost before the ink dries.  In a sense, it is only a picture – a picture that is anchored in, and perhaps limited by past realities; a picture that draws its substance from the present; but a picture that attempts to be three dimensional, with the desired focus being the future.  Such a focus is of necessity blurred as of this writing, because only God can “…make known the end from the beginning…”[Is. 46:10].  Yet it is precisely this reality that spurs the attempt to chart a course for the Church of Tukwila.  God does know what lies ahead and continues to call His children to cooperate with Him and help shape the future for His glory.  How else can we, the followers of Jesus Christ, seek to obey His commands without intentionally applying ourselves to their completion?  For example, Paul and Barnabas were sent out by the Church at Antioch for the work to which God had called them.  Without question, there were some specific steps that were developed for the undertaking of their missionary enterprise.  Also without question, they did not fully grasp what lay around the corner as they took those steps and therefore needed to make modifications as they went along.  The critical point is that it was the Holy Spirit of God that clearly led them into such adjustments [e.g. Acts 16:6ff].  

 It seems that the Holy Spirit is saying to the Churches of many cities that the hour has come for the various congregations in a given community to move away from a position of isolationism and into a greater manifestation of unity in faith and ministry.  This is not to deny the continuing need for individual congregations and ministries.  Rather, it is to affirm that if we are going to exhibit the Kingdom of God more faithfully in our community, with the resultant impact of people coming to faith in Christ and the community being influenced for righteousness, the various congregations need to be more organically linked.  Thus, we prepare this document with the desire that it be:

 …an instructive document.  There will be no incentive to change and seek God’s purpose for the Church of Tukwila without an understanding of the reasons why: biblically, historically, and functionally.

 …a workable document.  The steps suggested in this Strategic Plan will have varying degrees of fruitfulness and undoubtedly further steps will need to be taken as the Church of Tukwila grows.  As indicated, none of us can see the future.  However, we all belong to Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, and we can be confident that the Holy Spirit will continue to unfold the steps to be taken.  It is our desire that this document be a tool in the hands of the Lord to help stimulate the continued growth and effectiveness of the Church of Tukwila.

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