In his recent message on “Multiplying the Impact of Your Life,” Pastor Rick unveiled the newest vision for Saddleback Church. The vision, called 10 x 10, centers around three goals we’re aiming to achieve by the end of 2010:

1. 10,000 more changed lives resulting in 10,000 more baptisms at Saddleback
2. 10,000 more small groups formed across Southern California
3. 10 new Saddleback congregations across the region

The emphasis of the plan is not just on the numbers, however, but on fulfilling the Great Commandment by learning to love. Pastor Rick says, “If you’re going to make an impact, you have to do it in love, do it with love, and love has to be the goal and the motivation of your life.” The 10 x 10 movement will be fueled by 40 months of reaching out in love. During these months, beginning in September and concluding in December of 2010, the church will practically demonstrate God’s love by meeting the needs of those around us.

Here are five suggestions from Pastor Rick for reaching out and putting Christ’s love into practice:

• Offer physical assistance. Take meals to a sick friend or neighbor.
• Offer emotional support. Ask someone if you can pray for him or her.
• Offer loving hospitality. Invite those who don’t yet know Jesus into your home and include them in activities you already love to do.
• Offer generous affirmation. Look for ways to affirm those around you, such as sending encouraging cards.
• Offer the meaning and purpose of life. Host a small group in your home or workplace, or give out copies of The Invitation CD.

In simple ways like these, we can impact those in our sphere of influence by meeting the basic needs of life, just as Jesus met the needs of those with whom he came in contact.

By stepping out in faith to tackle this God-sized vision together, our hope is that God will multiply the impact of our efforts to reach others and demonstrate his power. While the church could be complacent with how far we have come, instead we are being called to embrace how far we can go to reach people for Jesus.

Pastor Rick says, “This church became great not because of unusual people, but because of ordinary people who were willing to take risks in faith, who were willing to sacrifice, who were willing to think of others, not just themselves, and who were willing to reach out in love and meet needs.”

The 10 x 10 vision kicks into gear this September with a new 40 Days of Purpose campaign, and there are steps everyone can take now to prepare:

• Get baptized to express your faith publicly (if you haven’t already done so).
• Begin praying for friends and neighbors who are not believers and plan fun times with them this summer.
• Attend the newly updated Class 401.
• Host a Labor Day block party for neighbors who do not attend Saddleback.
• Use what you already enjoy doing to start a new outreach.
• Pass out The Invitation CD to friends.
• Sign up to host a new six-week 40 Days of Purpose small group.