Our Purpose
Our purpose defines why we exist as a church and what we are to do. Our purpose is our mission.
Just before his ascension to heaven, Jesus gave his followers his purpose for redeeming a people for himself:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV, emphasis added).
The one imperative in this statement is to “make disciples.” This imperative drives all that we do at Grace. Every ministry, every gathering, every activity is connected to this overriding purpose.
Since we desire that our purpose to make disciples be motivating to everyone at Grace, we describe our purpose in a simple and memorable phrase:
Together, we:
Follow Jesus,
Grow disciples,
Show our world.
Our Process
Our process describes how we accomplish our purpose. Our process is our strategy. Our process is the pathway we employ to “make disciples.”
A disciple is anyone who, in response to the Holy Spirit’s conviction, has recognized and confessed their sin, turned to Jesus in repentance and faith, accepted his gift of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and desires to follow Jesus in complete and transformative obedience.
Together, we:
Follow Jesus
- Connecting to the Father through faith in Jesus
- Connecting to Jesus through prayer and his Word
- Connecting to the Triune God through the Spirit in worship
Grow disciples
- Equipping minds to think like Jesus
- Molding character to become like Jesus
- Transforming actions to behave like Jesus
Show our world
- Loving one another
- Loving our neighbors
- Loving all nations
Our Priorities
Our priorities define the way we do ministry and help us evaluate our spiritual health. Our priorities are our values.
- Scripture – We value the Bible, God’s Word, as the foundation for all we believe and do.
- This is why we insist on the inspiration and authority of Scripture and the centrality of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
- This is why we major on the truly central matters of the gospel and provide freedom in things that are secondary.
- This is why we typically preach verse-by-verse through whole books of the Bible in a way that connects with life.
- This is why we teach our kids and adults not only stories and lessons from God’s Word, but also its inspiration and fundamental authority in our lives.
- Grace – We value God’s grace. Without it, we can do nothing of eternal value. Grace frees us to follow Jesus with joy, rather than as a burdensome obligation.
- This is why we stress reliance on God’s grace in everything that we do, so that God will receive the glory for all that we accomplish.
- This is why as we proceed in faith, we trust God for the results of our ministry, rather than our own wisdom, skill, expertise, or efforts.
- Connection – We seek to welcome people from all walks of life into loving, Christ-centered relationships.
- This is why we work hard on the first impression that our facility and welcome teams provide.
- This is why we encourage our regular people to look for guests every Sunday and help them feel welcome and comfortable.
- This is why we try to move people quickly into relational connections and especially into small groups.
- This is why we incorporate, involve, and value singles as an integral part of our church family.
- Transformation – We pursue heart change through prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit.
- This is why our discipleship strategies explore matters of the heart, sin, and idolatry, rather than simply modifying behavior.
- This is why we encourage authentic sharing of struggles in small groups and between accountability partners.
- Participation – We strive to encourage and equip people to fulfill purposes in line with their gifting and the Lord’s guidance.
- This is why a key function of the elders is to define the purposes for our various ministries.
- This is why our ministry teams are led and operated by volunteer deacons, not staff members.
- This is why we provide opportunities for people to grow into their abilities, along with supportive coaching.
- Multiplication – We call for reproducing disciples who will multiply people, groups, ministries, and churches in obedience to the Great Commission.
- This is why every small group leader is encouraged to discover and invest in an apprentice.
- This is why we emphasize evangelism and cross-cultural missions both here and abroad.
- This is why we strive to equip our members to become ambassadors of Christ wherever they go.
- Compassion – We are committed to reaching out to people with the love of Jesus to make a real difference in our church, our city, and our world.
- This is why we encourage our small groups to provide practical care for one another, especially during life transitions or challenges.
- This is why we develop partnerships with other pastors, churches, and ministries in our area.
- This is why we emphasize personal and group initiatives to share the love of Christ in both word and deed.
- Families – We believe healthy families are the building blocks for our church and community
- This is why we regularly preach and teach about God’s view on marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman, and provide settings where couples can share their struggles and find help.
- This is why the priority of our children’s ministry is to encourage and equip parents to disciple their own children.
- This is why we design our programs and events to bring families together and only separate out ages when it accomplishes specific goals.
- This is why we place high importance on intergenerational relationships where our older members can mentor and support our younger folks.
- This is why we seek to offer places of healing and support for those in difficult family situations.
Our Perspective
Our perspective describes the manner and direction of our growth. It is a picture of the future that we are diligently pursuing as we focus on our purpose and process, consistent with our priorities.
Our perspective is our faith-fueled vision of what God will accomplish by His grace as we are faithful to making disciples.
We envision an expanding congregation that is corporately engaged in vibrant, Spirit-led, celebration of Jesus, being led by gifted and passionate worshipers, and being challenged by expository preaching that speaks to the issues of life.
We envision a robust congregation, filled with whole-hearted disciples, representing multiple generations, all excited about and growing in their relationship with Jesus.
We envision a physical campus serving as a gathering place and strategic hub for worshiping God, equipping believers, and engaging our community with the Gospel.
We envision the world around us being transformed both by engaging the nations that are flocking to our region, as well as by sending missionaries to those places where Jesus is not yet known.
Our People
The church is not a building or a program, rather it is a people. The people who compose the church are individuals called into it by their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In view of biblical teaching and experience, Grace is structured and conducts ministry according to this biblical pattern:
- Jesus Reflected: We desire to do everything under the authority of Jesus, by His grace, and for His glory alone.
- Elder Protected: Spiritually mature elders, nominated and affirmed by the membership, seek Jesus’ guidance to provide oversight, ensure doctrinal fidelity, and discern vision for the church.
- Staff Directed: Vocational pastors and staff give full time to shepherding, managing, and teaching; provide ministry support for the elders, deacons, and group leaders; and equip the members of the church for ministry.
- Deacon Effected: Spiritually gifted and mature ministry leaders are entrusted by the elders with a specific ministry area or task and decide the best course of action to take to accomplish their ministry tasks using teams of spiritually gifted people.
- Group Connected: Spiritually gifted and mature group leaders are commissioned by the elders to care for a voluntary, small group of disciples, guiding them toward spiritual maturity and service.
- Member Accepted: A loving, committed, body of disciples who joyfully embrace the purpose, process, priorities, and perspective of Grace by doing the work of ministry to one another, the community, and the world that surrounds us.
what we believe
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
The Bible
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian Living
We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
Christ’s Return
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.