Vision Sunday: Come, Belong, Declare

Video

Service Sheet Outline & Questions

Come, Belong, Declare (1 Peter 2:4–12)
Vision Sunday | 2 August 2026
 

As we come to Jesus, our living cornerstone, he builds us together as his people and sends us to declare his praises.

Introduction
Our hope for Richmond Church is not found in working harder or preserving activities, but in trusting Christ to build a faithful, fruitful church.

1. Come to Jesus: secure foundations (vv. 4–6)
Jesus is the risen and dependable cornerstone, so we must keep coming to him in faith and let Christ and his word set the line for every part of church life. At Richmond, this means clarifying our doctrine, governance and ministry purposes, while being willing to continue, reshape or stop activities according to their faithfulness, fruitfulness, sustainability and care.

2. Be built together: growing belonging (vv. 5, 9–10)
By grace, God has made believers his people, calling us to visible and committed belonging through shared worship, care, baptism, membership, communion and service. At Richmond, this means making the path from attendance to belonging clearer, strengthening ordinary hospitality and cross-generational relationships, and helping people to be known, cared for and involved in the life of the church.

3. Declare his praises: evangelistic urgency (vv. 9–12)
Having called us out of darkness through Christ, God sends us to proclaim the gospel and live holy, loving lives among those who do not yet know him. At Richmond, this means prayerfully testing realistic opportunities for witness in S13 and beyond, strengthening outward mission, and helping each Christian take simple steps such as praying, inviting, serving and speaking about Jesus.

Conclusion
Because Christ is alive and is building his church, we can pray and work beyond mere survival: securing our foundations around Christ, growing in real belonging and pursuing evangelistic urgency together.

Possible 2030 Vision
By God's grace, may Richmond become a prayerful, vibrant, all-age church of 100 active disciples, sharing the gospel in S13 and beyond, helping people grow as disciples, and one day helping revitalise another struggling church.

Questions to think about...

1. Come: Where do I need to depend afresh on Jesus?

2. Belong: What would help me become more meaningfully known and involved?

3. Declare: Who might God be calling me to pray for or speak to about Jesus?

Manuscript

Vision 2026–2030, Week 1 — 1 Peter 2:4–12 — Martin Ludbrook — 2 August 2026

Focus Spot: Come to Jesus, be built together, declare his praises

Introduction

One question often comes up on any journey:

Are we there yet?

But you cannot answer that unless you first ask:

Where are we going?

That is a good question for Richmond Church too.

So this morning we are asking:

What kind of church is Jesus building?

But we start answering that with:

How does Jesus build his church?

1. Come to Jesus

Look down at 1 Peter 2:4 (NIV84)

[4] As you come to him, the living Stone...

Hold up the big round stone.

This is a real stone.

It is heavy.
It is solid.
It feels strong.

But it is not alive.

And it is not much use as a cornerstone, because it is round.

A cornerstone sets the line for the whole building.

Jesus is different.

He is the living Stone.

He is solid, secure, and alive.

Stay in 1 Peter 2:4 (NIV84)

[4] ...rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him...

People rejected Jesus.

They crucified him.

But God raised him from death.

So the church does not begin with us trying harder.

It begins with coming to Jesus.

2. Be built together

Hold up the pile of blocks.

Here is a pile of blocks.

They are all in the same place.

But they are not a house.

Look down at 1 Peter 2:5 (NIV84)

[5] you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house...

They are near each other, but they are not built together.

That is Peter's point.

Jesus does not only save separate people and leave them separate.

He builds a people.

Church is not only a place I come to.

It is a people I belong to.

Peter says it even more clearly in 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV84)

[9] But you are a chosen people... a people belonging to God... [10] Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.

That means belonging matters.

It matters that people are known.
It matters that people are cared for.
It matters that younger and older Christians help one another.

And it shows itself in shared worship, care, baptism, membership, communion, and service.

3. Declare his praises

Look down at 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV84)

[9] ...that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Hold up the megaphone.

A megaphone helps make something heard.

Peter says God has called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.

And why has he done that?

So that we may declare his praises.

Not keep quiet about Jesus.

Not keep the good news to ourselves.

But make him known.

That means the church does not exist only for itself.

Jesus builds a people who know him and make him known.

And he calls us to live holy, loving lives among people who do not yet know him.

Conclusion

So what kind of church is Jesus building?

One that:

• comes to Jesus
• is built together
• declares his praises

That is the picture.

And in the next talk we are going to ask:

What would it look like for that picture to take clearer shape here at Richmond?

Bible Talk: What this looks like at Richmond

1 Peter 2:4-12

Let me begin with an honest question.

Church family, when you think about Richmond Church and its future, what do you feel?

• excited?
• hopeful?
• worried?
• tired?

Perhaps you think there are already more things to do than people to do them.

Perhaps you wonder whether this will be another appeal to work harder, attend more meetings, and squeeze one more thing into an already crowded week.

Some of us are carrying heavy things.

And our church has weaknesses too:

• We feel small12
• Some volunteers are stretched.
• Some ministries have become fragile.
• At times the diary can suggest a more settled and fruitful life than is really there.

And yet there is much to thank God for.

He has sustained Richmond Church.
He has gathered us around his word.
He has brought new people among us.
He has prompted service, prayer, generosity, welcome, and care.

So we are not beginning by saying, “Look what we have achieved.”

We are saying, “Look how kind God has been to weak people like us.”

We do not want to be a church with an impressive list of activities but little spiritual fruit.

Jesus once came to a fig tree covered in leaves but found no fruit.3

But neither do we want to settle for mere survival.

We have just heard Peter's three movements:

• come to Jesus
• be built together
• declare his praises

Now the local question is:

What would it look like for that picture to take clearer shape here at Richmond?

This is not about dreaming up our ideal church.

Jesus gives his church its mission.
We do not invent it.

What we are asking is:

How do we play our part in it here?

Each focus of the next year comes from one of those things Peter has said.

Come to Jesus:

1. Secure foundations

If Jesus is the cornerstone, then securing our foundations does not mean preserving everything familiar.

Jesus is the cornerstone.
Our programmes are not.

So some things may continue.
Some may change.
Some may stop.
Some new things may be tested.

That is not because the past was worthless.
It is because Christ, not habit, must set the line.

So these are the kinds of questions we need to ask:

• does this help people come to Christ?
• does this help people grow as his disciples?
• is there a clear gospel purpose?
• has God provided suitable people to carry it?
• can we do it faithfully and sustainably?
• have we thought properly about safety and care?
• when will we review whether it is bearing the intended fruit?

At Richmond, some things are already agreed or already in progress:

• clearer governance and legal structure
• clarified doctrinal distinctives
• closer review of ministries for purpose, sustainability, and care

So some of the work ahead is not dramatic or glamorous.

It is governance.
It is doctrine.
It is safeguarding.
It is finance.
It is administration.
It is asking whether ministries are genuinely serving Christ's purposes now.

For example, the Church Secretary role has remained vacant for well over a year, and that has added real pressure to governance and administration.

And some things are still being tested and discussed:

• how some midweek patterns should develop
• what may need reshaping or simplifying
• which outward opportunities are realistic and fruitful for us now

That means we are not announcing a finished new church week today.

We are naming a direction of travel and asking what is actually viable.

Picture a church where tired, guilty, self-reliant people keep coming to the living Christ.

You would feel less pressure to pretend, and more of the steadiness that comes from resting in Christ.

Picture a church where Scripture, rather than habit, sets the line.

You would see clearer purpose, humbler decisions, and greater peace about letting Jesus, not habit, set the line.

And picture a church where activities are changed when they no longer serve Christ's purposes.

Wouldn't there be less anxious busyness and more freedom and joy to pursue what is truly fruitful?

So here, church family, I am asking you to let Christ, not habit, set the line.

I am asking you to care more about fruitfulness than familiarity.

I am asking you not to panic when change is needed, and not to cling to something simply because it is known.

And let me make that concrete.

I am asking you to help secure our foundations by reading, thinking about, praying about, and contributing to the work of clarifying our doctrinal distinctives.

We did something similar before with the Basis of Faith.

So when these documents come to you, will you take them seriously?

Will you read them, test them, and pray about them?

Will you consider coming to Life Group Central in August 2026 to talk about them?

And then, if you are a church member, will you be ready, in due course, to approve and adopt them as our church's doctrinal distinctives?

And for the things that are not yet settled, I am asking you not to stand back critically, but to think, pray, and contribute as we work out what is genuinely viable, sustainable, and faithful.

Be built together:

2. Growing belonging

If Christ builds a people, then belonging is not an optional extra.

Christians are meant to be known.
They are meant to receive care and give care.
They are meant to share life, not merely occupy the same room.

At Richmond, that means wanting:

• a clearer path from attendance to belonging
• warmer ordinary welcome
• people known across generations
• deeper, more visible, more ordinary church family life

Some of that is about church membership.

Membership is not a bureaucratic hurdle.
It is a visible expression of recognised belonging.

It is one way the church says:

These are my people. This is where I belong.

And it also changes our posture.

I do not come merely to get something out of church.
I am part of a family on mission together.

As I belong, I begin to ask:

How can I encourage, build up and support my brothers and sisters in the life of discipleship?

That matters because twenty-first century life can be brutal.
Many people are tired, over-busy, and stretched.

So if we are going to grow belonging, we will need to help one another deliberately.

That may include:

• clearer welcome and next steps
• better ways of helping people move towards membership
• helping newer people become known
• helping younger people move into the main life of the church
• making room for prayer, conversation, hospitality, and support

That may also mean things like a clearer welcome lunch or welcome session, a membership course, or something like a rolling New Life group.

Not because programmes create belonging by themselves, but because they may help real people move from attendance towards being known, cared for, and joined in.

Imagine a church where people do not remain anonymous for years.

You would see fewer people hovering on the edge and more people quietly becoming known.

Imagine a church where, when someone is struggling, they move towards the church rather than disappearing from it.

You would see burdens shared earlier, prayer offered there and then, and fewer people carrying hard things alone.

Imagine children, young people, adults, and older members growing together as one family.

You would feel the joy and strength of being a genuinely all-age church.

So here, church family, I am asking you to move towards belonging, not remain on the edge.

I am asking you to help others become known.

I am asking you to make room, share life, and help Richmond feel more like a real family.

I am asking some of you to take practical steps yourselves.

If Richmond is your church home, will you think and pray seriously about membership rather than leaving that question open-ended?

If you are someone who tends to slip away quickly, will you stay for conversation and help someone else feel less alone?

If any of the ideas mentioned4 sound helpful to you, will you tell us?

Will you not only evaluate those ideas, but consider whether you could help make them work?

And if you are a church member, I am asking you to be in and commit to your Life Group, and to be honest there.

Not because Life Groups are some kind of Christian Fight Club.

But because they should be places of word, prayer, care, and honest discipleship, not just another meeting to attend while staying hidden.

So I am asking you not only to turn up, but to be real, to ask for prayer, and to help make your Life Group a place where others can be known and supported too.

And when someone asks for prayer, let the first response be prayer.

Not interrogation.
Not instant therapy.

Prayer.

And if you are already settled here, will you help newer or quieter people move from attendance towards being known, supported, and joined in?

Will your posture say, “Welcome”?

Will it say, “Of course you can sit with me”?

Will you smile, make room, and help someone feel at home?

Some of these things really might be that simple.

And some of that would be very ordinary.

From September, at least one child is expected to move up from Sunday Club into church.

Could you help them adjust?
Could you sit with them, notice them, encourage them, and help them learn how to listen well to a sermon and take part in gathered worship?

That too is part of belonging.

Declare his praises:

3. Evangelistic urgency

If God has made us his people so that we may declare his praises, then the church does not exist only for itself.

We want to be a people who know Christ and make him known.

That means word and life.

It means speaking of Jesus.
It means living differently.
It means praying for people by name.
It means taking small, real steps of witness.

At Richmond, that means caring about S13 and beyond.

It means asking what outward steps are realistic and fruitful for us now.

And there are other outward questions still to be settled in due course, including the mission-partner gap that is due to come back for decision in October 2026.

Some of those may be modest and repeatable rather than large and impressive.

That is why ideas like Download from September and Hot Drinks on the Drive matter.

Not because they are magic answers.

But because, if they are viable, they may help us:

• serve older young people more faithfully
• make the church more visible and approachable
• create warmer, more natural points of contact
• test small outward-facing steps responsibly

In the case of Download, the question is whether the present Upload team might be willing to move across, so that older young people who have asked for more teaching can be served well from September.

In the case of Hot Drinks on the Drive, the point is not to create a huge programme, but to test one simple, visible, low-pressure contact point with parents, passers-by, and local people.

But if anything like that is to happen, it will need more than enthusiasm.

It will need people.
It will need clear aims.
It will need role clarity.
It will need safeguarding.
It will need practical preparation.
And it will need review.

That is true of newer outward ideas.
And it is true of internal church life as well.

We do not want to keep launching or preserving things casually and hoping they somehow work.

We are not trying to launch things casually and hope for the best.

So here, church family, I am asking you to grasp again the mercy that has reached you and rescued you.

I am asking you to pray for someone by name.

I am asking you to look for one realistic way to move towards them with the love and truth of Christ.

That may be a conversation.
That may be hospitality.
That may be reading the Bible with them.
That may be helping practically.
But I am asking you not to leave gospel urgency as a general idea.

Can you picture yourself doing that?

Praying for one person by name.

Inviting one neighbour for coffee.

Opening the Bible with one person for a few weeks.

Making room at the table for one more person.

And that same spirit should shape how we think about things like Download from September and Hot Drinks on the Drive.

Not just, “Does that sound attractive?”

But, “Would that really help us serve people and make Christ known?”

“Would I help make that viable if I could?”

“And if I could not do that particular thing myself, could I lighten the load of someone who could, so that they were freer to do it?”

Conclusion

So what are we asking of you?

As we move forward, I am going to ask some things of you.

I am going to ask you, above all, to do one thing:

Come to Christ, take your place among his people, and ask what faithful part he is calling you to play.

And that will mean things like:

• to love Jesus
• to pray
• to take your place in the shared life of the church
• to ask where you can serve, as the Lord gives you strength

That may be in something already established.
It may be in something quieter and less visible.
It may be in helping make one of these newer possibilities viable.

And sometimes I am going to ask you to go with the way we do things here, not because it is the only faithful way a church could do them, but because a church family needs some shared patterns if it is to live and serve together well.

I know life can already feel busy, tiring, and demanding.
I am not trying to make your life harder or take from you what you do not have to give.

And if regular Sunday serving is difficult because of shift work or family circumstances, that does not mean there is no place for you.

Serving does not always have to look like a Sunday rota.

I am trying to help us become, by God's grace, a healthier, more joined, more useful, and, God willing, more fruitful church.

So please do not wait only to be asked.

A good next step for some of us may simply be to say:

Here I am. What faithful part are you calling me to play?

What I'm about to say is not a promise from God.
It is a prayerful horizon to seek and seek the Lord about:

By God's grace, may Richmond become a prayerful, vibrant, all-age church of 100 active disciples, sharing the gospel in S13 and beyond, helping people grow as disciples, and one day helping revitalise another struggling church.

Wouldn't it be worth praying for that?

And wouldn't you want to take your place in it?

Booklets are a selection of ways you could live this out and respond to the immediate needs we have.

Notes

1. The Evangelical Alliance reported in May 2025 that, in its survey, the smallest quarter of churches had fewer than 47 adults and children, while the largest quarter had more than 165. Source: eauk.org ↩
2. The National Centre for Social Research reported on 18 May 2026 that only 5% of all British adults now attend a Christian service weekly, which confirms the wider UK context is one of relatively low church participation. Source: natcen.ac.uk ↩
3. Matthew 21:18-19 ↩
4. Clearer welcome steps, a welcome lunch, a membership course, or something like a rolling New Life group. ↩