Our Vision (How we do it)

Our Vision (How we do it)

A vision for a new church is not an invention or primarily about human creativity. We are not free to create a church in any way we choose. Our task is much more glorious than that. Our church has been in the mind of the Lord since before creation. Its purpose has been declared in His Word and we are called—exhilarated and sobered—to work under His direction and for His glory. How we pursue our mission together is by having a vision to do three simple things:

A Church that…Praises God.

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To be grounded in God’s Word, empowered by God’s Spirit and centered on God’s gospel is to have this as our glorious goal—to live passionately for the glory of God, ever growing in our relationship with God and reflecting his righteousness in our lives. We want to be a church that does not assume this vertical dimension of our calling, this most important mission. As Jesus said, our calling is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (). Or as Paul said we “count all as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.” (). Practically, this means that our Sunday gathering will always prioritize worshiping the Lord in songs that describe who God is and what He has done in salvation and that express a heart of awe, affection, and gratefulness toward Him. And since all of our lives are intended to be offered as worship to the Lord, our sermons will have an aim toward real growth in our knowledge of God and real transformation of our character into the image of our Savior.

A Church that…Pursues One Another in God-centered relationships.

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“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (). The church is not a building but a body of people, gathered together by Jesus to care for one another and to partner together in worshiping God and sharing the gospel with the world. Our community life is not an optional extra but a fundamental part of our mission together. We are called, first to God, and then, to one another. To be a member of our church is to commit to integrating one’s life with the other members, encouraging one another by the Word, serving one another practically, giving generously to one another, showing hospitality to one another, confessing our sin to one another, exhorting one another toward godliness, guarding the integrity of the church’s witness, and most importantly, celebrating the grace of God at work in our lives.

A primary vehicle for this loving community involvement will be our small group structure, designed to focus our efforts of care and fellowship on a particular group of people in the church.

A Church that… Proclaims the hope of the Gospel to the World

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“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” () Our calling as individuals and as a church is to bear witness to the salvation of Jesus Christ and to the certainty of his return in judgment at the end of the age. We represent a kingdom that is not of this world, calling people to turn away from the idolatries of this age to the eternal life offered in Christ. We do not exist only to worship God in private or to love our fellow church members—we are called to the mission of sharing the gospel with our neighbors, our co-workers, our family, our friends, the towns of Roselawn/Demotte, the greater region of NWI, and the ultimately to the nations. Practically, this means that we will pursue consistent relationships with unbelievers for the purpose of loving them and sharing the gospel with them. We will seek to encourage and equip one another through regular reminders and teaching about our evangelistic task.