I have been living in Winchester for a little more than a year now, and I absolutely love it.

Coming from Houston, I love the slower pace of life here.

I love seeing all the farms and the history of our town.

It truly feels like home for our family.

As much as I love Winchester, I hear myself telling people, “Winchester is amazing. I love this place. However, it would be nice to have a Chick-fil-A.” (On a side note, I am pretty certain Chick-fil-A is my love language.)

I heard this same sentiment expressed a few months ago during the election cycle when people were pressing some of the candidates about building new housing developments to attract younger families or the possibility of bringing in new business to create more jobs.

Then there is the flipside of the conversation. I have definitely heard more than once Winchester needs to embrace our city’s history and tradition and push back on the “new.” We don’t need big chain restaurants. we need more ‘ma and pop’ type places. There isn’t a need for a new housing development because we should encourage, and maybe even incentivize, families to renovate the housing inside the bypass.

The point is, it is not uncommon to hear people say, “What Winchester needs is…..”

God pricked my heart a few weeks ago and reminded me what Winchester really needs are churches who boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. That our pulpits constantly come back to the message each and every one of us is broken. We all look to mend that brokenness in some shape or some fashion but no matter how many times we try to fix ourselves, we remain broken.

Every person in Winchester and Clark County is scarred and battered by the sin in their lives.

So, all of us are left needing to be rescued by a king who can do and be what we cannot, a king who can save us. That king is Jesus.

What Winchester needs are pastors who make it about Jesus rather than themselves. What a shame it would be if our churches were built on a personality rather than the person of Jesus.

I am so encouraged by the pastors in this area. They are constantly making it more about God and less about themselves.

Sure, in the coming years Winchester will need to make municipal and business decisions to plan for the future.

However, let us not forget our greatest need!

My prayer is the people of Winchester would be marked by a white-hot, burning passion for the risen Savior.

Above all else, Jesus.

Tony Stang is the pastor at First Baptist Church on Lexington Avenue.