The Power of We: A Word to Open Bible Churches

Adapted from President Michael Nortune’s message at National Convention 2025

In 1990, during a game against the Cavaliers, Michael Jordan scored a career-high sixty-nine points. Rookie teammate Stacey King came in late and hit a single free throw. After the game, as reporters were clamoring around Michael Jordan for questions and quotes, King quipped, “I will always remember this as the night that Michael Jordan and I combined to score seventy points.”

It’s a humorous line — but also a profound picture of what it means to be part of something greater than yourself. In the Kingdom of God, it’s not about who scores the most; it’s about showing up, stepping in, and doing your part. Even one point matters when the mission is shared.

This is the heart behind The Power of We, the theme of our 2025 Open Bible National Convention. And I believe what we experienced together this year in Orlando was more than a gathering. It was truly a divine appointment!

President Michael Nortune unveils the new Open Bible logo.

Some arrived full of vision and faith while others came a bit weary from the weight of ministry. But what united us was not our circumstances or season; it was our shared faith, our shared mission, and our shared future.

From the first moment we worshiped together, it was clear: God was doing something deep among us. He reminded us that we were never meant to lead alone. The Church isn’t built by individuals — it’s built by people united in purpose, empowered by the Spirit, and connected in community.

It’s the Acts 2 model.

“All the believers were together…
Each of them was filled…

All the believers devoted themselves…

All met together… they shared everything they had…”

Acts 2:1–4, 42–44

Over and over, we see a Church that didn’t just meet — it moved together. The Holy Spirit didn’t fill a bunch of individuals scattered across the city. He filled a room full of believers who were unified in their pursuit of God and His mission.

We are in a defining moment, a time when God is inviting us to lift our eyes to the harvest and step boldly into what we call the Mission to Multiply. We believe in a future where there are life-giving, disciple-making, Spirit-empowered Open Bible churches in every state and in one hundred nations around the world who possess a missional mindset, a multiplying priority, and a mobilizing commitment.

Every church, every pastor, every nation represented globally in Open Bible is a result of that decision. And now it’s our turn.

In Luke 5 Jesus told Peter to cast his nets after a night of fruitless fishing. This time, the nets were so full they began to break. Scripture tells us “They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them…” (Luke 5:7). Later it says, “James and John… were partners with Simon” (5:10).

Both Acts 2 and Luke 5:10 use the root word koinonia, meaning spiritual partnership. We see evidence of the disciples’ shared mission, shared identity, and shared sacrifice. That’s what Jesus built His Church on, and that’s what this movement, Open Bible, is built on.

In 1935, two revivalist groups, the Bible Standard Conference and the Open Bible Evangelistic Association, prayed and believed that together they could do more. As they joined their two growing movements together, they chose unity over independence, believing the mission was too important to accomplish alone.

We are the fruit of that decision. Every church, every pastor, every nation represented globally in Open Bible is a result of that decision. And now it’s our turn.

That’s why this year’s convention marked something historic. Our Executive Leadership Team (ELT) — The Regional Executive Directors, Global Missions Executive Directors and National President and Secretary/Treasurer — made a powerful decision: to lay down their individual logos and ministry-specific vision statements and embrace one unified identity.

We’re not just working near one another — we’re working with one another. We’re not separate voices, but one voice. We’re not serving competing visions, but one mission.

We’re not just working near one another — we’re working with one another. We’re not separate voices, but one voice. We’re not serving competing visions, but one mission: to globally make disciples, develop leaders, and multiply churches.

We even unveiled a new shared logo, not just as a design, but as a declaration: we are in this together. And it’s not just talk. It’s already happening.

Churches are being planted in creative ways. Ministries are being adopted and aligned. Schools of Ministry are raising up new leaders. INSTE is discipling new pastors. Open Bible Churches are being planted in new nations around the world.

As we look ahead, we need to continue to strengthen our existing churches, plant more churches nationally and globally, and develop younger leaders. We need to cultivate the next generation not just to inherit the work but to lead it forward.

The good news? We have everything we need.

As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1, “…Now you have every spiritual gift you need…. God has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. And He is faithful” (vs 7,9).

That’s the Power of We.
That’s the heart of Open Bible.
And that’s the hope for the road ahead.

So, let’s keep signaling across the water, joining our boats (churches) on mission together, and casting our nets together for a great harvest.

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Here are some highlights from the Power of We Convention. See more Here:

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