Every church needs to answer the question, why are we here? The answer to this question guides everything we do.
Our Vision (A picture of the future)
Our Vision: God’s glory, God’s kingdom, God’s will – on earth as it is in heaven.
When His disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He said,
“Pray in this manner. Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done. on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
This tells us a few things. First, the kingdom can’t come without prayer. This statement was made in the context of prayer. Second, God wants earth to look like heaven in three ways: His glory, His kingdom, His will, or desire. It’s a radical statement, but can it really happen?
We believe it can.
Think about it: if earth looks more and more like heaven, doesn’t that change everything? Isn’t that revival?
In short, our mission is revival.
What is Revival?
- A growing awareness of the King and His kingdom (A relationship with the King and surrender/obedience to His rule and reign)
- Renewal and awakening of the church (God will not abandon His people, there is always a remnant)
- Discipleship of all nations/peoples (the lost are saved, the saved are healed, the healed are discipled, and the discipled are unleashed)
- Re-formation of society – where society and culture come under the influence of the kingdom of God regardless of their relationship with Him. (1)
- Renaissance – expressing beauty and creativity in the culture to bring glory to God. (2)
Our Mission (WHY We Exist)
Our mission springs from our vision. We say it like this:
We exist to bring heaven to earth by encountering and loving God, living for the good of others, and making disciples of all nations.
Our Three C’s (the Method)
We embrace a very simple and Biblical way of bringing heaven to earth. We call it our Three C’s. It’s our unique way of doing things. Each one has both a personal application and a communal application. This is WHAT we do.
(Communion with God) We are a house and people of prayer. Jesus said, “For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7, Matt. 21:13). God’s house is to be a house of prayer, therefore we will seek to build a culture of prayer both personally and as a community. The New Testament defines believers – both alone and together as His temple. He says we are living stones being built into a place for God to dwell (see John 4:21-24, 1 Cor. 6:3 and 1 Peter 2:5). Our mantra is: Everything we do is birthed in prayer, bathed in prayer, and advanced through prayer.
- Personal – embrace personal spiritual disciplines including fasting, worship, prayer, Scripture reading and application, Sabbath, and silence and solitude.
- Together – worship and pray together as a community outside of our weekly church gathering.
(Community with others) We are the church, a body, a family. The church is not a building, but a family meant to carry out God’s kingdom work. We are connected to one another and take care of each other. That’s why the Bible calls us a body. When one part suffers, we all suffer, and when one part rejoices, we all rejoice. That’s why there are 150 “one another’s” in the Bible. The Church itself is not the kingdom, but a womb for the kingdom of God (the King and His rule and reign).
- Personal – be in deep relationship with 1-2 other believers. One of the ways we practice that is through Life Transformation Groups
- Together – be a contributing part of the body of Christ with your time, talents, and treasures. This involves contributing to a weekly micro church gathering, serving the body of Christ with your gifts and talents, and committing regular tithes and offerings to the church.
(Co-mission) We are on mission with Jesus. We exist for a purpose. Some call it missio dei. It’s Latin for “mission of God.” Our God is a “sending God, a missionary God who called His people, the church, to be agents of His love and glory” (Ed Stetzer). Just as Jesus was sent by God (John 20:21) to establish His kingdom, we too are sent into the world around us to be His kingdom ambassadors and fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and peoples.
- Personal – be a disciple who makes disciples in your personal spheres of influence.
- Together – serve and bless our city together through community outreach.
Values (Culture)
Our values establish our culture of the kingdom and support our mission. They come out of our Three C’s. They are the things that make our environment conducive to bringing heaven to earth. More to come…
Footnotes
(1) – From Paul Manwarring at https://paulmanwaring.com/2016/05/20/revival-reformation-renaissance/
(20 Paul Manwarring same article