PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

The vision statement of the church is:
"To enable believers to worship God, grow in Christlikeness,
and fulfill their ministries so the body can reach people for Christ."

All ministries are evaluated and considered on the basis of how well they help the church fulfill this vision.  The church is focusing on believers, but with the ultimate goal of leading people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

I.  It is the desire of the pastors to work alongside other gifted leaders in ministry, both lay leaders and pastoral staff.  They will serve in their own areas of special ministry, having both the responsibility and the authority to make it happen.  Accountability will  be through the lines designated in the church by-laws.

II.  All pastoral staff seek to be team players, relating well to other associates in ministry as well as to those under their guidance.  Staff primarily seek to be enablers rather than doers; although they must be capable doers of ministry themselves, they expect to enable others to do ministry in the areas of their responsibility.  For example, pastoral staff in the youth area will not be expected to have youth group activities in their home every weekend as long as they are on staff; they will be expected to work alongside others in developing and running youth group activities that meet needs.

III.  Concerning evangelism, there are 4 aspects to our current philosophy:

1.)  Evangelism is most effective when done on a personal level; most people report having received Christ through the influence of a relative, friend, or neighbor.  Personal evangelism will be the major emphasis, although large group activities will be planned to aid people in their personal witnessing.

2.)  Evangelism is a process, with a spiritual journey that involves a span of time, various sources of information, challenge and modeling.  We will seek to be sensitive to people who are at various points in the process as we plan worship, fellowship and small group activities.

3.)  The entire body of Christ can have its part in the process of evangelism.  Not everyone is gifted as an evangelist who sees people come to Christ in direct response to their witness.  However, all believers are to be witnesses and have their part in the process, including prayer, friendships with non-believers, and verbal sharing as Christ enables.

4.)  Finally, the ultimate purpose for which Christ left the church on earth is to win the lost to Him.  Therefore, all we do needs to have evangelism as its ultimate goal.  While the focus of this local church is on believers, enabling them to worship God, grow in Christlikeness, and fulfill their ministries, it is for the end result of having the unbeliever come to new life in Jesus Christ.