About Growing Faith
Growing Faith Church has adopted the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as its Statement of Faith.
OUR STRATEGY: REACH, UNITE, EQUIP, SEND
REACH
In order to REACH the lost, we will serve the community and work for its overall good, modeling the ministry and character of Jesus (Mark 10:43-45). We desire to be incarnational instead of attractional. We will seek to establish and maintain relationships with unchurched people by showing them hospitality as we welcome them into our homes and share our lives with them (Mark 2:16-17). Our lives will show them the joy, power, and beauty of the gospel as we also proclaim the truth of what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross (Matt. 5:16). Our hospitality will also be reflected in how we welcome non-believers into our Sunday gathering each week and follow up with them after their visit (Heb. 13:2).
UNITE
As unbelievers are saved by the gospel and become members of our church, we will strive to UNITE them into our community of faith (Eph. 4:1-6). We will worship together, rejoicing with those in our family who rejoice, and weeping with those who weep (Rom. 12:15-16). Our love for one another will be a powerful witness to the unbelievers in our community (John 13:34-35). Our meetings should be marked by joy and celebration while we look forward to meeting regularly around a table for food and friendship (Isa. 25:6-8). We will strive to meet outside of the Sunday gathering in homes and smaller groups for study, fellowship, and support, welcoming unbelievers into these spaces as well so that they see lives lived in the gospel (Acts 2:42-47).
EQUIP
Part of Jesus’ commission to the church was to teach those that are baptized “to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). As the lost are brought to faith, we will press in to EQUIP them with the knowledge and skills they need to grow into mature disciples (Eph. 4:11-13). We will learn to use the gifts that God has given to us for his greater purposes (1 Cor. 12:4-31). We will share the stories of what God is doing in our lives to encourage one another as we walk in Christ (Heb. 10:24-25). One of our top priorities will be to raise our children and young people up with the knowledge of the Lord (Deut. 6:6-7).
SEND
Finally, we should be a church that works to SEND believers out to share the good news of the gospel with more and more people in more and more places (John 20:21). We have an obligation to reach others with the good news even if it means sacrifice for our church (Rom. 1:14-15). Inside our church family, we will seek to send people into the ministry areas they will thrive in (Rom. 12:4-8). Then we will seek a culture of multiplication in every ministry, causing us to turn outward to bring the lost to Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1-2). We will strive to call out and develop leaders so that this multiplication can continue (Acts 13:2-3). And we will send these leaders out locally, nationally, and internationally to plant outside ministries and churches to spread the gospel to the world (Rom. 10:14-17).
It is important to state explicitly that evangelism is at the core of our mission and will be seen in each of these four main directives. We do not wish to simply be a church where people who were already believers simply choose to meet in a new location. Instead, we want our purpose to be reaching those who are far away from God and reconciling them to him through the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-21).
Our Values
Radical Hospitality (Reach)
We will seek to be hospitable to our community, opening our homes and hearts to pursue, establish, and maintain relationships with the goal of demonstrating and sharing the gospel. Hospitality should be a defining characteristic of all of our church family gatherings as well, as we welcome the stranger and the unbeliever the same way that Jesus would.
Gospel Clarity (Equip)
All of Scripture tells the story of the Gospel, God's plan to redeem His people. We will not only look for ways to communicate the stories of Scripture, but we will make time to share the stories of all that God is doing in our lives and in our midst. These stories will build up and encourage God’s church and will demonstrate his faithfulness and power to the lost around us.
Authentic Community (Unite)
In today’s culture, people are increasingly lonely and cut off from meaningful relationships with others. As a church, we will strive to be a family of believers known for their love and unity with one another. As we live life in community according to the guidance of Scripture, we will demonstrate the beauty and the value of the gospel and create a community that will be attractive to the world.
Determined Multiplication (Send)
Our goal is not to build a bigger church with bigger ministries. Our goal is to multiply every good thing by identifying and developing leaders to send out and create new churches and new ministries. The goal of multiplication will ensure that our community remains focused outward on winning the lost to Christ, rather than inward on maintenance and preference.
OUR FOUNDATIONS
GOSPEL-FOCUSED: This is our inspiration.
We were once all sinners unable to experience relationship with a holy God and subject to a just sentence of death. The gospel, or good news, is that God became flesh in Jesus Christ to rescue us by living the perfect sinless life that we could not and paying the death penalty in our place on the cross, restoring our relationship to God if we place our faith in Him. We are not saved by the gospel and then left to try to be “good” in our own power, but we are transformed to be increasingly like Christ as we understand this awesome gospel more and more throughout our life. The gospel is the driving force behind all that we do. (Rom. 1:16-17; Rom. 8:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 2:8-10)
BIBLE-CENTERED: This is our authority.
The Bible is not just a collection of words about God but is the very Word of God given to humanity to reveal to us who God is. As God’s Word, the Bible is without error, completely true, and sufficient to teach us how to experience salvation, trust God, and live how he desires us to live. It is the highest authority and supreme standard for life and practice. We will strive to conform everything that we do and say to the clear teachings of Scripture. (Ps. 19:7-11; Matt. 24:35; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12-13; 2 Pet. 1:19-21)
CHRIST-IMITATING: This is our example.
Although He was God, Jesus became a human and lived a life of service to others. His life was marked by His great love for those around Him as He healed the sick, shared meals with the outcast, wept with those who were grieving, and crossed racial and gender divides. We desire to bless our surrounding community in such a way that those we serve see the love and goodness of Christ in us. We want to show hospitality to all, including those who do not yet know Christ. Our aim is to tangibly demonstrate how the gospel changes lives for the better in order to attract non-believers to place their faith in Jesus. (Mark 10:45; John 13:12-15; Eph. 4:32; Heb. 13:2)
PRAYER-SATURATED: This is our power.
Even Jesus during his earthly ministry would often get away by Himself to spend time in prayer with the Father. If prayer was a source of strength and power for Jesus, how much more should our church accept God’s invitation to ask him for whatever we need in the name of Jesus! We must make sure that everything we do is ordained by the Father or we will be wasting our time in futile pursuits. We will accomplish nothing apart from Him and so we must seek His guidance in every step. What a blessing to be able to cast our cares on Him because He cares so much for us. (John 14:12-14; Acts 4:23-31; Eph. 6:17-18; 1 Tim. 2:1; 1 John 5:14-15)
FAMILY-FORMING: This is our connection.
Believers are sons and daughters of God, fellow heirs with Christ, and brothers and sisters to each other. Our church should be a place of authentic community where we live out God’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves, sharing stories about how God is present and working as often as we can. We will strive to maintain unity with one another in Christ as we bear one another’s burdens. Our family will come together frequently to worship God while we rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. The lost will know that we follow Christ because of our deep love for one another. (Ps. 133:1; John 13:35; Acts 4:32; Rom. 15:5-6; Phil. 2:1-4)
DISCIPLE-MAKING: This is our purpose.
The mission of the church was given to it by Jesus. We are to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth and baptize those who place their faith in Him. But that is only the beginning. Jesus commands all of his disciples to make disciples, teaching them to observe all of His commands. Our church’s focus is on sharing the good news to win people to Christ, teaching and helping them to grow into mature disciples of Christ, and then sending them out to serve and to share Christ’s good news with others. (Matt. 28:18-20; Eph. 4:13-15; Col. 1:28-29; Heb. 6:1-3)
KINGDOM-ADVANCING: This is our objective.
Our world is in open rebellion against its rightful ruler and king, Jesus Christ. We exist to expand the kingdom of God not by force or conquering might, but by loving and serving in the King’s name and announcing the good news of His reign. We must pursue the lost in a culture that no longer knows or understands the gospel and views Christianity with suspicion or skepticism. This objective requires us to maintain a multiplication mindset in all that we do, seeking to be a movement instead of an institution. We desire to reproduce believers, multiply ministries, send out missionaries, and plant new churches as we help God’s kingdom expand to the ends of the earth. (Matt. 13:31-33; Luke 4:43; Acts 1:8; Acts 28:30-31; 2 Tim. 2:2)