Have you ever wondered "What is Trinity"? Read on as Pastor Gerald Tan, Lead Pastor of Trinity Christian Centre, shares how God laid Trinity 3.0: A New Chapter on his heart and what it means for the church, for you, and me.
By Pastor Gerald Tan
In April 2021, I was earmarked to be the next Lead Pastor of Trinity Christian Centre. As the leadership succession plans kicked in, I was urged to seek God for what He has in store for Trinity, what He wants Trinity to be in the days ahead.
Not too long later during the second wave of the circuit breaker in Singapore while we were still in the midst of COVID-19, I took a three-day personal retreat and God began to speak to me about where the Lord's taking us as a church.
Hearing From God
As the Lord began to show me and place certain things upon my heart,
I started to ask Him, “God, is it really that simple?”
The Lord said, “These are the things that I desire.”
And so the retreat ended with these things burning in my heart and deep in my spirit. I thought to myself, this sounds too simple to be what God wants to take a church like Trinity into. But I pondered them in my heart, I waited upon Him and I prayed. Throughout 2022, I began to see glimpses and semblances of what God was doing in our midst. Especially toward the second half of 2022, there was an alignment with the things God laid on my heart.
In January 2023, I shared with the leadership team what God had placed in my heart and spirit about where Trinity was going and where we were headed toward. There was a strong resonance in the team, agreeing and affirming what God is doing and saying.
... and now for us to step forward into that next phase, into the next level, of what God is going to do in Trinity.
In February 2023, during our pastors summit, I brought the whole team of pastors and ministers together to pray and seek the Lord, worship Him, and receive His word and dialogue. As I shared where the Lord was leading us, each pastor was stirred in our spirits with a resonance in our hearts. There was a collective excitement and recognition of a new vision birthed for a time such as this.
It is clear that over the past 18 years, under the leadership of Pastor Naomi Dowdy (Trinity 1.0) and Pastor Dominic Yeo (Trinity 2.0), our vision and values have led us to this point and it has brought that growth, momentum, and breakthroughs and experiences year after year to this point. We have been blessed. And because of that, we are able to build on what God has done, and now for us to step forward into that next phase, into the next level, of what God is going to do in Trinity – Trinity 3.0.
Trinity 3.0: What God Desires For Trinity
“These are the things that I desire.”
Love God
Love church
Love souls
Each of these being:
The Great Commandment
Matthew 22:37-38
The New Commandment
John 13:34-35
The Great Commission
Matthew 28:19-20
“God, is it really so simple?”
As I ended the retreat and continued to ponder, they became:
Love God passionately
Love church zealously
Love souls relentlessly
It is not just about loving God, loving church and loving souls. The adverbs that follow describe the degree and intensity we are to keep growing in and pushing our limits, breaking the boundaries we may have consciously or subconsciously created. Are we burning for God, for the church and souls? How far are we willing to go? How much of our lives demonstrate this kind of love?
Are we burning for God, for the church and souls?
Loving church isn’t just about the larger church; it is about loving Trinity, this very church that God has placed us in. Whether we were born, raised, invited, or saved here - God is speaking to us about settling down, being rooted, planted and discipled, thriving and building this house of God. God is speaking to us about loving one another, the new command that Jesus gave His disciples in John 13 "Love each other as I have loved you."
This loving church isn’t about just the body in general, but fellow Trinitarians who worship with us, serve with us, and build Trinity together. We are Trinitarians who will love Trinity zealously, not just in our giving, but in our speech, hearts and actions, in our behaviour toward one another, truly creating that place of belonging for one another, and for those who will come into this house.
... creating that place of belonging for one another and for those who will come into this house.
As we are discipled to love God passionately, love church zealously, and love souls relentlessly, Trinity will always be a church where anybody and everybody can encounter God, experience life and impact our world.
In Trinity, we have been and want to continue to encounter God, see miracles, signs and wonders, the manifestation of God’s power and glory in all our services, every age group ministry and our everyday lives. We will experience life abundantly in church, fostering strong relationships in our Connect Groups as we live our lives for God.
We will see families receive healing and restoration, and individuals become life-giving vessels in our communities. As a church, from laity to pastors and ministers, we are discipled and raised to make a difference in our nations, seeing souls saved, testifying, blessing, proclaiming, bringing transformation, and speaking life everywhere we go.
What God desires for Trinity:
THIS IS TRINITY.
Stepping in 2024, we are continuing a legacy. This is what Trinity is going to be. This will be what we will embrace. This is what we are. This is what we will do. This is what we will be. Let us rise up and build the Trinity that God desires.
What next?
Get our stories first! Subscribe on Telegram @Trinitarian.Online