Our Mission

What We Seek to Accomplish

We are seeking God's leadership in an effort to become the church God would have us to be at this time and place. To understand this statement better, it may be helpful to break it up into its elements:

"Seeking God's leadership" means we aspire to follow God's direction rather than depend on current trends, corporate strategies, cultural pressures, or church history. We welcome the information and direction these may provide, but we choose to be dependent upon God's word and Holy Spirit for inspiration and guidance. We believe churches built by God are more genuine than churches built by people, so we aim to serve God's purposes, rather than asking God to serve ours.

"The church God would have us to be" means God has a specific intent for the church that is beautiful and divine. The church is often confused with organized religion, but religion is merely the human structure that seeks to facilitate the presence and growth of the church. The church itself is part of a spiritual kingdom, made up of those who have chosen to follow and serve Jesus Christ. It is a fellowship of believers, willfully submitting to God's authority in all matters, united by a common power and common purpose.

"At this time and place" means that, although God and His message are unchanging, the church in any given location must seek to communicate God's message in a manner that is relevant, meaningful, and uncompromising. True relevance comes not from adapting ourselves to any particular cultural or religious model, but from seeking God's will above our own in each unique situation.

We don't' have all the answers, but we do know that God has given the church a mission-to build up believers and to share a message of hope with the world.

More specifically, we believe our mission is encapsulated in this command which Jesus himself gave to his followers:

"Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

Honoring this mission means we must first BE disciples. This is our foremost privilege and obligation as believers. Jesus taught that in order to be his disciples we must deny ourselves (live for something greater than ourselves), take up our cross (take on the same burden of love for others that Christ took on for us), and follow Him (go where he would go and do what he would do).

When we answer the call to discipleship, we experience spiritual renewal, as God's Spirit begins replacing our sinfulness with His own goodness. We grow in love for God and for each other. Through His willing disciples, God can make a positive difference in the world around us.

Taking part in this life leads us to discover our true purpose-the true meaning of our existence. We come to enjoy a vital and powerful relationship with God that restores peace and hope to our lives. Our prior selfishness is overcome with love. It is because of these joyful experiences that we are willing and able to welcome others into a life of discipleship. It is our prayer that our lives will serve as witness to the goodness and love that God has for humanity.

We strive to BE disciples first, then to MAKE disciples.