Mission and Philosophy
Grace Bible Church is committed to being a biblically based ministry that the Lord can use to produce committed disciples of Jesus Christ. It is our desire for people to believe on Jesus Christ for eternal life, to willingly love and follow Him as their Lord, and clearly communicate the gospel of free grace.
Our purpose as a local church of believers is to worship God, to grow in His grace & knowledge and to train individual believers in understanding the Word of God so that they might go on to spiritual maturity, reach the lost with the Good News of Jesus Christ, and be a testimony to the world. We recognize that the local New Testament church according to the Scriptures consisted of believers who met together for worship, prayer, fellowship, instruction, and edification.
Worship
1 Chronicles 16.29 says, "Give unto Jehovah God the glory due unto His name: bring an offering and come before Him, worship Jehovah in the beauty of holiness."
Our worship should reflect God"s holiness. This principle is our guide to the style of worship we adopt. The values, tastes, and "felt-needs" of the popular culture (ie; the unsaved) are not to determine our style of worship.
Fellowship
Worship on the Lord"s Day (Sunday, various youth activities, Men"s Meetings, Women"s Meetings, Small Group Studies, Supper Clubs, and other opportunities contribute to meeting our needs for Christian fellowship.
Instruction & Edification
"Assembling together of the saints" on the first day of the week, Sunday, was for the purpose of being built up in the faith, of giving attendance to the "reading [of the Scriptures], to exhortation [the charge to continue in God"s Truth], to doctrine [the teaching of all the counsel of God]" -- 1 Timothy 4.13
Our teaching should be faithful to God"s Word (the Holy Bible), even if it is unpopular in the estimation of the popular culture. Ephesians 4.11-12 clearly shows that God gave individual leaders of the local church (pastors & teachers) special gifts for a particular purpose--" For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." The local church is not a man-made organization that should seek to conform to the World in order to reach the lost. The goal of Scriptural teaching is to be exegetically accurate while being practical and relevant.
Things We Seek to Avoid in Ministry
[1] Comparing ourselves with other ministries for the purpose of evaluating our effectiveness or "success" as it relates to what is often called "dynamic church growth."
[2] Frantic, compulsive busyness that feeds the ego but starves the inner man. Such activity is "...nothing more than a cheap anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life."
[3] The superficiality of being successful -- the consuming drive to appear successful. Falling into this trap leads to adopting the philosophy that the "end justifies the means." God considers our faithfulness to His cause more important than our personal success. 1 Corinthians 4.1-2
[4] The desire to boast about ourselves. Jeremiah 9:23,24
The goal & vision God has given Grace Bible Church is not found in buildings or even in programs. Our goal is to prepare and equip believers in the Lord Jesus Christ for the ministry that we each are responsible and accountable for to God.
Our difficulty in doing this faithfully without becoming enamoured and distracted by the latest Christian "fad or movement" is sometimes our greatest challenge. These "fads & movements" come & go, but the work of God"s church continues: worship, prayer, teaching, instructing, and edification.
Acts 20:20-31
Our purpose as a local church of believers is to worship God, to grow in His grace & knowledge and to train individual believers in understanding the Word of God so that they might go on to spiritual maturity, reach the lost with the Good News of Jesus Christ, and be a testimony to the world. We recognize that the local New Testament church according to the Scriptures consisted of believers who met together for worship, prayer, fellowship, instruction, and edification.
Worship
1 Chronicles 16.29 says, "Give unto Jehovah God the glory due unto His name: bring an offering and come before Him, worship Jehovah in the beauty of holiness."
Our worship should reflect God"s holiness. This principle is our guide to the style of worship we adopt. The values, tastes, and "felt-needs" of the popular culture (ie; the unsaved) are not to determine our style of worship.
Fellowship
Worship on the Lord"s Day (Sunday, various youth activities, Men"s Meetings, Women"s Meetings, Small Group Studies, Supper Clubs, and other opportunities contribute to meeting our needs for Christian fellowship.
Instruction & Edification
"Assembling together of the saints" on the first day of the week, Sunday, was for the purpose of being built up in the faith, of giving attendance to the "reading [of the Scriptures], to exhortation [the charge to continue in God"s Truth], to doctrine [the teaching of all the counsel of God]" -- 1 Timothy 4.13
Our teaching should be faithful to God"s Word (the Holy Bible), even if it is unpopular in the estimation of the popular culture. Ephesians 4.11-12 clearly shows that God gave individual leaders of the local church (pastors & teachers) special gifts for a particular purpose--" For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." The local church is not a man-made organization that should seek to conform to the World in order to reach the lost. The goal of Scriptural teaching is to be exegetically accurate while being practical and relevant.
Things We Seek to Avoid in Ministry
[1] Comparing ourselves with other ministries for the purpose of evaluating our effectiveness or "success" as it relates to what is often called "dynamic church growth."
[2] Frantic, compulsive busyness that feeds the ego but starves the inner man. Such activity is "...nothing more than a cheap anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life."
[3] The superficiality of being successful -- the consuming drive to appear successful. Falling into this trap leads to adopting the philosophy that the "end justifies the means." God considers our faithfulness to His cause more important than our personal success. 1 Corinthians 4.1-2
[4] The desire to boast about ourselves. Jeremiah 9:23,24
The goal & vision God has given Grace Bible Church is not found in buildings or even in programs. Our goal is to prepare and equip believers in the Lord Jesus Christ for the ministry that we each are responsible and accountable for to God.
Our difficulty in doing this faithfully without becoming enamoured and distracted by the latest Christian "fad or movement" is sometimes our greatest challenge. These "fads & movements" come & go, but the work of God"s church continues: worship, prayer, teaching, instructing, and edification.
Acts 20:20-31