Vision, Values, and Mission
We are disciples of jesus who multiply disciples together.
A disciple is a follower.
Discipleship is being with Jesus to become like Jesus so we can live for Jesus.
discipleship is relational: BEING WITH JESUS
We are loved by God.
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Discipleship is first and foremost relational in nature. Jesus came to reconcile us to God, granting us rest for our souls. As St. Augustine said,
“Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you."
If we are made for a relationship with our Creator, being with Jesus is not just a means to an end, it is an end in itself. Yet, this ‘being with Jesus’ is not something we do only on our own but with God’s people. In reconciling us to God, Jesus has welcomed us into a new, reconciling community called the family of God. Regardless of our biological family backgrounds, our culture, class, country, or color, God is our Father, and soas brothers and sisters, we belong to him and one another.
Genesis 1:26-31, 2:15-17, 3:1-24; Psalm 8; Matt. 11:28; John 1:1-18; Ephesians 1:3-14, 2:8-22; Colossians 1:15-20, 3:9-10; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 3:1-3, 5:1-3
DISCIPLESHIP IS FORMATIONAL: BECOMING LIKE JESUS
We are being changed by God’s love.
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We don’t naturally have the capacity to love Jesus. But because he loved us first, we now can and do love him. By his power, we can and do love people. Not perfectly as he does, but we’re growing in love.
Disciples are in a process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others. The primary agent in our transformation is the Holy Spirit who uses four primary means to shape us: His Empowerment, Enduring Suffering With Jesus, Enduring Temptation With Jesus, and A Way of Life With God. The more we become like Jesus, the more whole we become, and the more we live for Jesus everyday.
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Luke 3:21-22, 4:14-21; Romans 8:1-11; Galatians 5:16-26; Philippians 2:1-11; Hebrews 2:8b-10, 18, 4:14-16, 5:7-9; Ephesians 6:10-18a; John 15:1-17; Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3:1-17; Ephesians 4:1-32; 2 Peter 1:3-11, 3:14-18
DISCIPLESHIP IS MISSIONAL: LIVING FOR JESUS
Living for Jesus is loving him and loving others.
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God is uniquely at work in our lives by His Holy Spirit’s empowerment. The twists and turns of ordinary life provide opportunities for us to become aware of how he is at work and cooperate with him, perhaps in the context of spiritual warfare or a season of seeking his guidance on a life choice.
Enduring Suffering with Jesus is a natural result of living for his upside down kingdom in a world full of sin and brokenness. While we don’t pursue suffering as Christians, we are promised it will come. When it does, we seek to cooperate with God as he uses our suffering to make us more like Jesus.
Enduring Temptation with Jesus is depending on him as we wage war on our enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
A Way of Life With God is our phrase for building a holistic life of devotion, expressed in a personal plan for growth—until every sphere and relationship is brought under his lordship. Included in this plan are 10 Practices for loving Jesus and people (in 5 pairs):
• Solitude and Fellowship • Prayer and Scripture • Work and Rest • Giving and Receiving • Fasting and Feasting
These will be taught in a 12-week series called Being Human (Winter 2025).
Psalm 139:1-24; Matthew 14:13; Mark 1:35 Luke 4:42-44; Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:42-47; 1 John 1:1-10; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 19; Psalm 16:7-11; Matthew 6:5-13; John 17; Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 11:28-12:8; John 5:16-17; Colossians 3:17, 23-24; Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Matthew 4:11, 6:1-4, 19-34; Mark 14:3-9; Romans 11:34-35; Isaiah 58:1-12; Matthew 6:16-18, 9:14-17; 1 Corinthians 7:5, 10:31; Revelation 19:6-10
INVITATION
If you are beginning to explore who Jesus is or what Trinity is about, we hope you will join us on this journey of following him together! Take your next step.