Our Vision for Ministry

We believe that knowing, loving and serving Jesus Christ is the only way to please God. The Bible calls a person who knows, loves and serves Jesus Christ a disciple or follower of Jesus.  Christ’s command to "make disciples" (Matthew 28:18-20) is to the church today, and He plans to accomplish it by means of the ministry of the church.

Our vision, then, for the ministries of Grace Baptist Church is to have each person in our church keenly aware of and using their unique blend of spiritual gifts to help people become fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ - "Every Christian a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ".

A fully devoted disciple of Jesus Christ:

• Worships -  a disciple is a born-again Christian, loves God, maintains personal worship times and participates in corporate worship; a disciple exhibits a deep devotion to God in all aspects of life.

• Studies the Bible and is "Word-Centered" -  a disciple regularly sets time aside to study the Word, is able to use basic study tools and understands and can communicate important doctrinal truths; a disciple demonstrates a commitment to a lifetime of learning from the Word of God.

• Is sensitive to the Holy Spirit - a disciple regularly admits sin to God and others, quickly turns away from sin when it is recognized, and listens and responds to the promptings of the Holy Spirit; a disciple regularly and consciously responds to the quiet direction of the Holy Spirit.

• Serves others -  a disciple is alert to the needs of people outside their circle of friends, will adjust schedules to help someone, keeps commitments, and practices good financial and time management in order to create opportunities for ministry and giving; a disciple sacrifices personal comfort, time and possessions to serve others.

• Pursues and maintains healthy, Biblical relationships - a disciple works to maintain healthy family relationships, is ethical in business dealings, maintains moral purity, and avoids activities that might appear to be sinful; a disciple consistently demonstrates that people are more important that things or selfish activities by keeping family, community, church and business relationships in conformity to Biblical guidelines.

• Multiplies ministry - a disciple helps others to become fully devoted disciples of Christ and reproduces their ministry in others by appropriately equipping them for ministry; a disciple is committed to befriending lost people, exposing them to the gospel of Christ and encouraging them to receive Jesus so that they can become "multipliers" in the lives of others.

• Maintains accountability - a disciple is teachable, a team player, seeks accountability from those under their care, and finds those to whom they may be accountable for spiritual safety; a disciple values a team approach to life and ministry while maintaining accountability in significant relationships.

Our Philosophy of Ministry

Christ’s command to "make disciples" (Matt. 28:18-20) requires us to have an intentional plan to help people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and develop an ability to lead others to Christ and to spiritual maturity.  We affirm the truth that God loves us, desires an
intimate relationship with us, and cares about the eternal destiny of the soul of every person; indeed, He desires that no one should perish, but that everyone come to repentance (II Peter 3:9; see also
John 5:24; Matthew 25:40; Galatians 3:28).  Therefore, because all people matter to God, all people matter to us as we strive to help them know, love and serve Jesus Christ.  Everything we do must reflect this conviction.

The purposes of evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry align with what we as a church embrace as our core values. We value:

• The centrality of the Word of God - The Bible is the focus and authority for all that we do.

• Godly, servant leadership - All leaders model the use of their spiritual gifts by personal involvement in ministry.

• Community and relationships - People are more important than material things or selfish activities, and we seek to establish fellowship and relationships that are in conformity to Biblical guidelines.

• Family -  We boldly affirm the biblical design of the family built upon a marriage relationship established and nurtured in the way God intended it, and desire to promote the health, growth and equipping of each family.

• Life-long learning and growth - Training and equipping helps each person to develop self and develop others.

• A "grace orientation" to life - We seek the mind and attitude of Christ and strive to treat people as Jesus would.

• World-wide impact - Empowered by the Holy Spirit, our desire is to impact the world as Christ’s witnesses by preparing and going ourselves, by equipping and sending others, and by committing our prayerful and material support.