Advancing the Kingdom
Purpose…
Our Purpose is to glorify God.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9
Vision…
Our Vision is to be a community of true disciples.
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14
Mission…
Our Mission is to advance the kingdom of God.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Mission Paths to accomplish our purpose…
Worship
“Glory to God in the Highest” (Lk 2:14)
God is the Maker and Master of all that is. Because God is primary, worship is our first priority and fundamental path in undertaking our mission. God’s worthiness is the reason for worship; our redemption in Christ is the reason we can come before God in worship; the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is the power for acceptable worship, and the means by which we are transformed in worship.
Because salvation is accomplished by the power of God, we look to worship as the fire for discipleship. Our transformation is very much a secondary purpose behind the glory of God, but is it a natural result of glorifying God.
Spiritual Growth
“A New Creation” (2 Cor 5:17)
The gospel is the offer of new life in Jesus Christ. This new life means the forgiveness of sins, adoption as a child of God, and the promise of resurrected eternal life when God makes all things new. But the newness that comes in Christ begins now. Those who trust Jesus have a spiritual life in Him. Spiritual Growth means life in the Spirit, growing in likeness to our Redeemer.
We cultivate this spiritual life by individual and communal practices of prayer and praise, by devotional reading of the Bible and together applying it to our lives, by the pursuit of holiness - living by the Spirit. We want our homes and our church to be gardens of spiritual life in the midst of a fallen world.
Evangelism
“The light of the Gospel” (2 Cor 4:4)
The risen Lord commanded His disciples to go and multiply, showing the light of the gospel to those lost in darkness and sin, so that they too could be saved and come into a thriving relationship with God. God calls every believer to be a messenger of the good news.
We want to be faithful to this sacred commission. We support missionaries and organizations that carry the gospel to places near and far. We also pray for and share the gospel message with neighbors and coworkers, friends and strangers, so they too may hear, believe, and receive the gift of eternal life.
Doctrine
“The Truth will Set You Free” (Jn 8:32)
God is true, and His Word is true. He has spoken so that we can know Him, and can know the truth. As God’s people in a world darkened by sin and deceit, it is essential that we pursue a form grasp upon the truth, grounded in God’s revelation.
Doctrine is not a dusty, stodgy, lifeless heap of claims out of touch with the real world. Doctrine is the life-giving teaching of the church in faithfulness to our living Lord.
As a path of mission, doctrine means that we pursue the discipleship of the mind, continually growing in our knowledge of God, His world, and how to live faithfully before Him. It is the commitment to shape our thinking in a way that gives glory to God.
Community
“Let us love one another” (1 Jn 4:7)
Though we are saved as individuals, we are saved into the people of God - the family of the church. Community is at the heart of our identity. In a world that is starved for genuine, deep relationships, the church should be a place that shows how the love of God crosses boundaries and unites different people into God’s family.
Our calling is to love all people with the love of Christ, and to shows that love especially in the life of the church. We want authentic community in our gatherings and relationships, forming the context for discipleship as we journey through this life together, to the glory of God.
Service
“Let us do good to everyone” (Gal 6:10)
God has generously poured out His blessings upon us, and we want to be a blessing to others. In service to the church family and the broader community, we have the opportunity to show God’s love in tangible ways.
Our gifts, our resources, our time and abilities and energy all come from God and are to be used for His glory. When we help those in need, we are living into the transformation that God has done in our lives.
In service, our diverse gifts and personalities converge to help others and glorify God.
Our Ministry Values…
Christ’s command to make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20) requires us to have an intentional plan to help people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and develop an ability to lead others towards spiritual maturity.
We affirm the truth that God loves us, desires an intimate relationship with us, and cares about the eternal destiny of the soul of every person; indeed, He desires that no one should perish, but that everyone come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9; see also John 5:24; Matthew 25:40; Galatians 3:28).
Therefore, because all people matter to God, all people matter to us as we strive to help them know, love and serve Jesus Christ. Everything we do must reflect this conviction.
The purposes of evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry align with what we as a church embrace as our core values. At Grace, we strive for all our ministries to be:
•Biblical Truth - Recognizing God’s perfect Word as the authority for life and faith.
•Servant leadership - Leading with humility and living with integrity.
•Passionate Worship - Loving and honoring God both individually and collectively.
•Authentic Relationships - Cultivating a family of love, mercy, and grace.
•Family - Affirming God’s biblical design and equipping of each family.
•Spiritual Formation - Training and equipping each believer into a disciple of Christ.
•Prayer – Embracing prayer as a lifestyle to pray often in small and large gatherings.
•Stewardship – Being good stewards with the gifts that God has entrusted to us.
•Missional Intent - Taking Jesus into places where we live, work, play, and beyond