The original vision for Littlestown Chapel as part of Outreach for Christ, was for it to be the first of many new congregations. As we have revisited the vision for the church and seek by God’s grace to reach from our surrounding area 1030 people with the gospel by the year 2030, the time has come for us to plant another congregation. Lord willing, that new congregation will begin holding worship services in Hanover in early 2023 under the leadership of Pastor Josh Stratton who is leading the team to launch the Hanover campus.
The Board of Elders has adopted the church planting strategy of “one church, two locations.” This means that the new church in Hanover will have the same constitution, leadership structure, philosophy of ministry, and disciple-making model as the Littlestown location.
Because of this strategy of “one church, two locations,” it is necessary to change the name of our church. It doesn’t make sense for the new congregation in Hanover—or any other churches we would plant—to use “Littlestown” in their name. Therefore, the Board of Elders is proposing that we change the name of our church to “The Chapel,” with each campus adding their location to their name. So, our church would be named, “The Chapel – Littlestown,” while the church plant would be called, “The Chapel – Hanover.”
Changing the name of the church is simple enough, but it does require amending our church constitution. The elders propose that Article 1 of the constitution be amended to read, “We, the members of this church, which shall be called THE CHAPEL, accept the Bible as the final rule of faith, action, and organization. Realizing that a written system of organization is in the best interest of our service to the Lord, we adopt the following constitution.”
The Board of Elders is calling for an in-person Special Congregational Meeting to vote on this amendment to our constitution on Sunday, August 28, after the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Adoption of any amendment requires a majority vote in favor by three-quarters of the members present.
If you have questions about the proposed amendment and name change, the special congregational meeting, or the church plant endeavor, please contact me, Pastor Josh, or any other elders. Thank you for your faithful giving and participation in the life of the Chapel, and for your prayerful consideration of this matter. I look forward to seeing you at the August 28 Special Congregational Meeting.