PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY
The purpose of the church is to worship the triune God,
proclaim the Scriptures, and equip believers for life and ministry.
End Result
The church is to fulfill its God-ordained purpose, producing maturing disciples of Jesus Christ. A disciple is a believer; a maturing disciple is one who walks with God, living in the Holy Spirit’s power, obeying the Word, contributing to the work of the church, and impacting the world around them.
Equipping and Those Who Equip
1. Maturing disciples grow in: a) the use of their gifts, b) reaching out to unbelievers and c) serving others.
2. Evangelism is the starting point and an indispensable component to all disciple-making.
3. Non-staff (lay) leaders are to fulfill #1 (above) and equip others to live in the power of the Holy Spirit by teaching the Scriptures, correcting, rebuking and encouraging others to fulfill #1 also.
4. Elected leaders, as individuals, fulfill the responsibilities of a lay leader (# 3 above). As a board, they guard the values and philosophy of the church, oversee the ministry of the church and provide accountability to the pastors.
5. Pastoral staff members fulfill #3 (above), equip lay leaders to fulfill # 3 (above), and complete other duties as outlined in the governing documents.
6. All spiritual gifts are equally important in building a healthy, disciple-making church.
7. Committee members and other leaders are identified by, and serve at the discretion of, the elders and/or pastoral staff upon consideration of character, giftedness, skills, qualifications and experience.
8. All leaders involved in church ministries regularly take part in on-going leader training.
Church Ministries
9. The purpose of every activity of a church is to make and grow disciples. Ministry events, activities, budgets and staff must be routinely and carefully evaluated by their effectiveness in making and growing disciples. Ineffective events, activities, budgets and staff responsibilities must be modified or discontinued.
10. Committees, teams and/or volunteers are responsible for the organization of volunteers and expenditures of delegated monies for the purpose of accomplishing those tasks and duties as designated by the pastors in order to fulfill the church’s purpose for a specific period of time or for a specific segment of the body.
11. Intimacy and accountability are best developed in smaller groups. Small groups should be offered, as well as other ministries, at multiple commitment levels to foster intentional and/or sequential growth for disciples. Reasonable accountability is an indispensable element in making disciples.
12. Multiple and varied approaches are to be used in evangelism.
13. The primary function of the worship service is God-honoring worship, including the clear proclamation, explanation, exhortation and application of the Scriptures.
14. Bible education classes are to be useful for Spirit-powered living by: a) instructing from the Word, b) caring for others, c) serving others, d) receiving new people into the body and e) fellowshipping with one another.
15. The day-to-day management of all ministries is to be delegated through the staff to designated ministry leaders. A conscious effort must be made to minimize the number of policy makers and maximize the number of persons in ministry.
16. Disciples are strongly encouraged to attend worship services, participate in accountability with other maturing disciples, financially support the ministry of the church and reach out to the lost around them.
15. Ministry that takes place outside of the worship service is as important as the ministry in the worship service.
The purpose of the church is to worship the triune God,
proclaim the Scriptures, and equip believers for life and ministry.
End Result
The church is to fulfill its God-ordained purpose, producing maturing disciples of Jesus Christ. A disciple is a believer; a maturing disciple is one who walks with God, living in the Holy Spirit’s power, obeying the Word, contributing to the work of the church, and impacting the world around them.
Equipping and Those Who Equip
1. Maturing disciples grow in: a) the use of their gifts, b) reaching out to unbelievers and c) serving others.
2. Evangelism is the starting point and an indispensable component to all disciple-making.
3. Non-staff (lay) leaders are to fulfill #1 (above) and equip others to live in the power of the Holy Spirit by teaching the Scriptures, correcting, rebuking and encouraging others to fulfill #1 also.
4. Elected leaders, as individuals, fulfill the responsibilities of a lay leader (# 3 above). As a board, they guard the values and philosophy of the church, oversee the ministry of the church and provide accountability to the pastors.
5. Pastoral staff members fulfill #3 (above), equip lay leaders to fulfill # 3 (above), and complete other duties as outlined in the governing documents.
6. All spiritual gifts are equally important in building a healthy, disciple-making church.
7. Committee members and other leaders are identified by, and serve at the discretion of, the elders and/or pastoral staff upon consideration of character, giftedness, skills, qualifications and experience.
8. All leaders involved in church ministries regularly take part in on-going leader training.
Church Ministries
9. The purpose of every activity of a church is to make and grow disciples. Ministry events, activities, budgets and staff must be routinely and carefully evaluated by their effectiveness in making and growing disciples. Ineffective events, activities, budgets and staff responsibilities must be modified or discontinued.
10. Committees, teams and/or volunteers are responsible for the organization of volunteers and expenditures of delegated monies for the purpose of accomplishing those tasks and duties as designated by the pastors in order to fulfill the church’s purpose for a specific period of time or for a specific segment of the body.
11. Intimacy and accountability are best developed in smaller groups. Small groups should be offered, as well as other ministries, at multiple commitment levels to foster intentional and/or sequential growth for disciples. Reasonable accountability is an indispensable element in making disciples.
12. Multiple and varied approaches are to be used in evangelism.
13. The primary function of the worship service is God-honoring worship, including the clear proclamation, explanation, exhortation and application of the Scriptures.
14. Bible education classes are to be useful for Spirit-powered living by: a) instructing from the Word, b) caring for others, c) serving others, d) receiving new people into the body and e) fellowshipping with one another.
15. The day-to-day management of all ministries is to be delegated through the staff to designated ministry leaders. A conscious effort must be made to minimize the number of policy makers and maximize the number of persons in ministry.
16. Disciples are strongly encouraged to attend worship services, participate in accountability with other maturing disciples, financially support the ministry of the church and reach out to the lost around them.
15. Ministry that takes place outside of the worship service is as important as the ministry in the worship service.