PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

1. Captivated with the Glory of God...
2. Consumed with Resting in Grace...
3. Convinced to Live on Mission...

1. Make Followers…
2. Engage in the Joyful Rescue…
3. Renewal of Loving Relationships…
4. In our Community and Abroad…

Because Grace Community Church believes the Word of God is the only Means of truly bringing a Person to Salvation, found only in Jesus, we VALUE the NEED to SEE and APPROACH ALL of Life from a Gospel-Driven World and Life View.  This simply means taking the Gospel, as found in both the Old and New Testaments, and using it as a Lens or pair of glasses, by which to see ALL of Life.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 1 that he was eager to preach the Gospel both to non-Christians and to those who were already within the Community of Faith, as Followers of Jesus.  Paul was eager to do this, because in our sinfulness, GRACE leaks out of us and we NEED to be reminded of the Gospel over and over; It is the Gospel of Christ that truly changes people.

We believe that the whole Bible points towards the person of Jesus, the Christ.  Because Jesus is the focus of God’s Word, we VALUE the idea that we NEED to center our Worship service around Him, as contained in the Music we sing, our Prayers and Offerings, and perhaps most importantly, how we preach through the Scriptures.  We Matter greatly to the Father, but Jesus is the Point; Not us!

We also desire to follow the Apostle Paul’s example in contextualizing the Gospel to whomever we are speaking to…“for the benefit of our neighbor.”  Paul did not water down the Scriptures, but he did cater the message to those whom he was engaging.  In our desire to be “culturally mindful,” we are not saying, in any way, that we want to be “woke” or “relevant.”  We simply want to honor the culture we live in and present the true Gospel message via a means that is mindful to those entering into our building.  Ways in which we attempt to be culturally Mindful:

➢ Music we sing in Worship…
➢ Roles of Women in the Church…
➢ Use of Technology in Worship…
➢ Use of “non-tribal” Vocabulary and Language from the Pulpit…

Jesus has saved His children to Worship and glorify Him, but He has also saved us to SERVE Him and our Neighbors!  We greatly VALUE the NEED for every Follower of Christ to figure out what their gifts are and then use those gifts/talents both within the Body of Christ and out in the Community God has placed us within.  Some may serve regularly and weekly while others may serve monthly or quarterly, but we VALUE the idea of Every Person Engaged, honoring the One who gave us our gifts and talents.

Whether God has uniquely wired you to be an Introvert or Extrovert, He has called you (us) into Fellowship with Himself and then that Fellowship extends throughout the Body of Christ.  In this Fellowship, God’s Grace has freed us from isolation and a lone wolf spirit.  And in place of that old nature, Jesus is making us into New Creations, that NEED and VALUE One Another.  Christ’s LOVE and JOY should contagiously spill out of us as we live and do life together….NOT because we are trying to manifest the Fruit of the Spirit, but rather, He (Jesus) should flow out of us naturally, as we commune and fellowship with Him and then One Another.

When experienced in its’ fullness, there is nothing like being a part of the Body of Christ and the Fellowship of the Saints.  This sweetness must drive us OUT of the Walls of the Church and into our Communities to winsomely interact with those who desperately need meet the Grace of Jesus.  We are jealous to be a part of a Church whose heart bleeds for hurting and lost souls of our community.

Because of who we are in, in Christ, we must See Everyone as Image Bearers with the Father’s Stamp of Human Dignity on them…..ALL humans, Believers and Un-Believers are created in God’s Image.

Because of His great love for us, who we are in Christ, is so much more important than what we do for Him.  Focusing on One’s Identity in Christ (Gospel Being) is the FUEL by which we worship and serve our Risen King.  In other words, “Doing FLOWS from Being.”

Jesus loved us enough to bring us into His Family without changing us, but He also LOVES us enough to NOT leave us where we’re at; He will complete the work He started.  He is molding us into the Image of His Son more and more.

In Christ, we have been set FREE...from both the Penalty of Sin and Power of Sin.  We have been Set FREE for a life of Abundance and Service to our great King. We are NOT our Own, but have been Bought at a Price!  Free to live under the Law of Obligations, but also FREE to Obey the Law…because we want to!