200 years was never the goal

200 years! As I’ve mentioned our 200th Anniversary to different people over the last several months, I’ve often received the one-word response: “Wow!” It really is incredible that we stand in a long line of people—a 200-years-long line of people—who have been faithfully following Jesus right here at Mountain Creek. It’s incredible to look back at God’s faithfulness over the years, to consider the gospel witness that has gone out from this people into this community for two centuries, to remember those before us who have brought us to the place where we are today. But the greatest way that we celebrate 200 years, and the greatest way that we honor their legacy, and the greatest way that we magnify God together as we mark our bicentennial is to remember that 200 years was never the goal.

In 1824, those first families who began worshiping Jesus right here on the spot where I’m typing these words didn’t set out to create a place where people could worship Christ until 2024. When the members of Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Taylors helped to establish Mountain Creek Baptist Church, they didn’t do so with the mere goal that maybe the church house would be there for a couple of centuries. The goal was to create a place where people could worship God, where the Word would be taught, where disciples would be made, and from which the Kingdom could advance, and where all of this would happen until Jesus returns. As a people, we have not wavered from that, and, Lord willing, nor shall we.

As we celebrate 200 years, we’re not celebrating that we’ve reached the finish line. We’re not even sure that we’re at the halfway point yet. But we do know that we’re still in the race, which means the best way to celebrate 200 years of faithful ministry is to keep running forward.

As Mountain Creek Baptist Church enters our third century, we’re entering an exciting time in our church’s story. We’re soon sending a family back to the mission field, and even sooner we’ll be commissioning yet another missionary to take the gospel to the nations. We’re growing with children, youth, college students, and young professionals. More people are hearing the gospel and more people are joining with us to follow Jesus together. Even as we’re being strengthened, we’re helping to strengthen other churches in Kentucky and West Virginia and Boston. We’re working on renovations, not merely for the sake of refreshing our look, but to be sure that our facilities serve the mission. We’re looking at new worship service options to help us better serve those we’re already reaching and to make room for those who we’re asking God to help us reach in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. Our community is growing, with hundreds of houses being built in close proximity to our church campus—God is sending people to us, and we’re getting ourselves ready to go to them.

We stand on the shoulders of spiritual giants at Mountain Creek: faithful men and women who the world may not know, but who made an eternal difference right here for the Kingdom. It’s our privilege and honor to carry on their legacy by, like them, following Jesus together and inviting others to do the same.

The goal was never 200 years. The goal is always to Magnify God Together as Maturing, Ministering, and Multiplying Followers of Jesus. This weekend, let’s look back with grateful hearts, and let’s look forward with eager anticipation, asking God to do still more through his people at Mountain Creek.

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Bert Watts has served since December 2016 as the Senior Pastor at Mountain Creek Baptist Church, where he has been on staff since 2012.