Purpose Statement

Discipleship

The following statement carefully defines our purpose as a church. It accurately reflects much Biblical teaching about the nature and purpose of our shared life and ministry:

“God has called us to make disciples of Jesus Christ who respond to his Gospel by committing ourselves to loving God, one another and the world in Christ’s name.”

Notice a couple things about our God-given purpose:

God calls us to a life of committed love that is in response to His prior love (I John 4:19). We don’t obey God in order that He might accept us, nervously serving so we might get on “God’s good side”. As Christians, we obey because we have believed the Gospel – the Good News that we are already accepted by the grace of God through faith in Christ (Eph. 1:5-6). We seek to obey God joyfully to reflect the life of Jesus in and through us (John 14:21; 15:8-11).

A disciple is someone who is becoming like their Master (Luke 6:40; John 13:1-15). As our Master, Jesus lived a life of loving service. We commit to do the same. Guided by the Bible, and in response to the Gospel, we are led to make three commitments:

· Loving God — the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38)
· Loving One Another — the second greatest (Matthew 22:39), and
· Loving the World in Christ’s Name (Matthew 28:19)

We summarize these commitments by saying that God calls us to…

Reach Up, Reach In and Reach Out.

This website will spell out in greater detail how we carry out the above purpose and commitments. It is a clear and simple blueprint for “following Jesus and walking his way”. “Simple,” of course, does not mean easy! Life is not always simple and rarely is it easy. That is why we need to be in community with God and with one another. There is much strength, wisdom, and blessing to be gained when we come out of our isolation and become a part of a local congregation. By engaging the three commitments we are challenged to grow as His disciples. Much of what God calls an individual Christian to do, can only be done as we serve together as co-laborers with Christ.

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