Vision, Mission and Values Overview

Kingdom Concept: 

We glorify God and make disciples by loving people  

while encouraging a transforming life in Christ. 

 

Missional Mandate: 

Inviting people into a growing relationship with Christ. 

 

Action Statement:

… Inviting Your World to Experience God's Grace 

 

Values:

 

Growth – To live a life increasingly characterized by faith, hope, and love. 

Demonstrated by a greater dependence on Christ, increased confidence in God, and a sacrificial love towards God and others.   

  • Scripture references:  

  • 2 Peter 3:18 – But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

  • Ephesians 4:15 – Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

  • Philippians 1:9-11 – And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. 

 

Relationship – To build genuine and meaningful relationships with God and others.  

Demonstrated by loving God through obedience and loving others through intentional missional interaction. 

  • Scripture references: 
    • Zechariah 7:9 – This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another."

    • 1 John 3:11 – This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 

    • Galatians 6:2 – Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

 

Authenticity – The absence of pretense - To live lives where our actions match our words, free from hypocrisy or deceit. 

Demonstrated by honesty, integrity and transparency in all aspects of life. 

  • Scripture references: 
    • Proverbs 15:4 – The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

    • 1 Thessalonians 2:10 – You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers.

    • Ephesians 4:29 – Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

    • 1 Peter 2:1 – Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 

 

Community – To extend ourselves beyond personal relationships into broader interactive community – the body of Christ, united by the gospel. 

Demonstrated by committing to the spiritual community of Grace Bible Church, accepting others as they are and caring for each other with genuine love and compassion. 

  • Scripture references:  

  • Romans 12:27 – Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 

  • 1 Peter 3:8 – Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.  

  • Colossians 3:15 – Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 

 

Expression – To communicate the life-changing gospel through word and deed as individuals and as a church.   

Demonstrated by believers effectively expressing the transforming love of God by actively serving others and speaking truth in love. 

  • Scripture references: 

  • Acts 4:20 – For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.

  • 1 Peter 2:12 – Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

  • Ephesians 2:4 – Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

  • Psalm 82:3 – Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

 

Growth + Relationship + Authenticity + Community + Expression = GRACE.

 

Marks of Discipleship/Maturity: 

The primary assignment that Jesus gave to the Church is to make disciples.  But how do we know when we have accomplished that?  Grace Bible Church uses the following guidelines to assess discipleship, which we believe is the core of personal spiritual maturity: 

  • A desire to be more Christ-like 

  • While none of us are fully Christ-like, meaning we still sin, we believe that all true believers have a genuine desire to please God, and are disappointed when we fail to do so. 

  • Active participation in the church body 

  • As the different parts of our physical body must work together for us to be effective, so we believe that all Christians should be actively working together for the good of all.  This will typically include attendance at worship services, and intentional connection with other believers in small groups and/or service ministries.   

  • Willingness to give sacrificially of our time, talent and treasures 

  • Sacrifice is a central element of the Christian faith, as we are to follow the example set by Christ.  We do so by giving generously of: 

  • Our time – making room in our schedules to pursue spiritual disciplines such as serving God and others. 

  • Our talents – using our spiritual gifts and our natural abilities to advance the kingdom of God 

  • Our treasures – supporting the ministries of the local church through sacrificial financial generosity  

  • The intentional development of other disciples 

  • Realizing that we are called to encourage and help each other as we journey together, mature believers should be intentional about embracing opportunities to mentor and disciple newer believers.     

 

Our Growth Path:  

The first of our core values as a church is spiritual growth, which develops through multiple areas of our faith.  With that in mind, we believe all Christians should be active in the following three areas of life:  

  • WORSHIP – While worship of God is ultimately a lifestyle, in this context it refers to a commitment to gather together with the people of God in corporate worship, typically in weekend worship services. 

  • CONNECT – We believe we grow best in relationship with others.  To that end, we offer multiple opportunities to connect with other believers through small groups, Bible Studies, and fellowship gatherings.   

  • SERVE – The Bible is clear that all Christ-followers are to be servants, expressing the love of Christ by caring for others in meaningful ways. 

This concept is represented by our Growth Path graphic, which indicates that these three principles should be continually and dynamically present in the life of every believer. 

 

 

 

 

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