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“INVITING OTHERS TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST”
| It is the role of every believer to proclaim the Good News of salvation and the role of the Holy Spirit convict and convert sinners. |
| From
our Ministry Platform “Core Beliefs” |
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...
–Jesus
As Christians, we have a great message of faith, hope, and love. We have a great
message to satisfy a world hungry and thirsty for God. We are Christ’s “witnesses.”
We have seen his power demonstrated among us. We have experienced his surprising love.
And we want others to know about it. We want to invite others to know what
we know.
There is a word to describe this ministry
of telling, encouraging, and inviting others to know what we know: evangelism. While
others have interpreted evangelism to mean heavy-handed, high pressure, programmatic
attempts to “force” one’s belief on another, we see this ministry
in another way. We see it as respected, honest, industrious, creative, innovative,
passionate, caring, intelligent, and fun people being transparent and intentional
with others about their faith. God uses such “witnesses” to reach the
heart of others.
We see the work of evangelism taking place in four locations:
(1) on the streets where believers engage seekers of God
at work, school,
or play;
(2) at the front door of the church as people are invited
to worship or to
socialize with believers;
(3) at the front of the church where people make a profession
of faith; and
then
(4) in the church hall to be in true friendship with other
believers.
The four locations can be thought of as stages or phases: (1) Reaching Out to Others, (2) Welcoming In, (3) Becoming a Believer/Member, and (4) Becoming a Disciple.
Reaching
Out To Others
A neighbor gets news of cancer and a Christian friend comes to pray for them…
A believer shares their heart for God with a person who feels “something is missing in my life”…
A man is devastated by his wife’s affair and a friend from work tells him about healing from God…
A woman whose financial struggles are great is invited to a seminar on God’s way of handling money…
A co-worker explains why his faith in Jesus Christ makes the thought of going to a strip club repulsive …
A student is heart-broken when her father abandons the family. Another student tells her about the Heavenly Father who never abandons his children…
Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
Jesus came to give sinners hope. Jesus came to reconcile lost, sinful people to God
so that they would experience eternal joy with God. Jesus expects the believers to
be his “agents” on this earth.
All people need a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit must awaken a heart for a person
to be saved. Yet the way the Spirit of God chooses to accomplish this work is through
ordinary people in genuine relationship with others. It is the role of every believer
to proclaim the message of salvation. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to convict
and convert sinners
With that, we have raised our awareness
of our work in reaching out in friendship to others. We have found that just as every
church begins preaching a message long before the sermon begins, the same is true
of an individual’s life. Through life choices and actions, they begin preaching
the message in their heart long before they speak. Our hope is to equip the people
of this church to “preach” to message of love and hope everywhere they
go and in everything they do.
The work of “reaching out” means getting the good message of our faith out to believers in the church, equipping and encouraging them to share it, as well as getting it out to the community and world.
Welcoming
In
To all who are weary and need rest, lonely and need friendship, mourn and need
comfort; to all who are complacent and need disturbing, who are glad and would serve
their neighbors; to all who sin and need a Savior, this church opens wide its doors
and bids you welcome.
Hospitality and welcome fill the heart
of God. They are embodied in Jesus Christ. And we strive to live out that hospitality
and welcome as a church. This church genuinely welcomes visitors. Visitors are expected.
Yet we know that attempts by many to fill
the pews and follow a program of evangelism have done more harm than good at making
others feel welcome. We know that many churches say they welcome visitors then virtually
ignore them when they get to church. They send a clear signal to visitors that they
really don’t want them or aren’t expecting them.
You will find a growing number of people
who strive diligently to send the exact opposite message here. The message is quite
simple: God has shown you generous hospitality; we strive to show the same thing.
Common
Objections To Faith
We’ve heard just about every objection and excuse in the book for not living
a life of faith in Christ. Here are a few of our favorites and our responses.
“The
ceiling will fall in if I go to church.” Our church has been around since
1829. The present building for worship was built in 1924. The builders paid special
attention to the particular stress that people like you would place on the ceiling
of the church as you walked in. We are happy to say that not once has the ceiling
fallen in. You’ll be fine.
“I am not
good enough to go before God.” No you’re not. Furthermore, you’ll
never be “good enough” in and of yourself. None of us are. We need Jesus
Christ. Many think of the church as a museum of saints and that is simply not the
case. We are more like a hospital for sinners. We have a sign around town that says,
“VISITORS EXPECTED.” We should change it to read “SINNERS EXPECTED.”
“I won’t
know what to do.” Relax. We have worked hard to make sure you feel welcome
when you arrive. Greeters are all around to help you and the worship services are
easy to figure out. We are also constantly evaluating ourselves to see how to do better.
Come for a visit. You’ll know what to do.
“I don’t
have the right clothes.” Unless you live in a nudist colony, you have
the right clothes. What you wear doesn’t matter. Some will be all dressed up.
Others will be casual. Gone are the days of “Sunday finest” being a prerequisite
for going to church. There will be a shallow few who care about what you wear (there
always are), but very few. The other 99.9% will be happy to meet you with what you
are wearing right now.
“I can worship
God anywhere, why go to church?” The people of the faith didn’t
make up the idea of church. God did. If a person has a problem with the idea of church,
they are, in the end, arguing against God. God chose not to make us isolated individuals,
but to gather us together to worship and serve and be nurtured in our lives together.
God wants us to be together, not apart.
“The church
is full of hypocrites.” That’s true. And when you come to church,
you are one of them. We all are in our own ways. Yes, there are hypocrites in the
church. But to object to this is to deny one of the purposes of the church: reaching
out to sinful, hypocritical people and teaching against sin and hypocrisy. With that
in mind, what better place for a hypocrite than church?
“All the
church wants is my money.” No, “the church” wants something
far more than your money. We want you to know what we know: the love of God, the extravagance
of God’s grace, and the depths of God’s sacrifice for us. It’s not
your money we’re after, it’s your heart… the very part of you God
is after. If you don’t want to give, don’t. But don’t use money
as an excuse to shut God out.
What
To Expect In Church
It may be helpful to consider what you will experience when you worship with us. On
a typical Sunday morning you will find that …
- ANONYMITY is protected. You will be greeted and welcomed, but you will not be singled out to stand or sign anything or in any way be targeted. When you are ready to make yourself known, we’ll be ready for you.
- ATTENDANCE is recorded as a group, not by name. No attendance pads going down the pews. No phone calls harassing you if you miss church. When you are ready for a visit or call, let us know and we’ll be there.
- The ATTIRE is relaxed. What you wear is not a big deal. What’s important is being present to God in body and spirit. Again, it’s about the heart. You’ll find a lot of people in their Sunday best and a lot of others in casual clothing.
- The ATTITUDE is positive and forward thinking. Our message is filled with hope and joy. We hope any guilt you may feel is the good kind—the kind that God uses to bring good perspective or changes in a person’s life. Also, we come out of a grand theological tradition to which we freely and joyfully adhere. But we are not stuck in the past. We seek to speak out and practice the faith in ways that advance God’s causes here and now.
- ACTION is expected. We will let you sit in the pews for a while, but after that, expect to be asked to get involved in a ministry focused within or outside of the church. It is part of authentic Christian living.
- The AMBITION is to glorify God and enjoy God always. This is what we are created to do. We take this seriously. Glorifying God is our first order of business. Our main purpose in life is not to win heaven or avoid hell; rather, it is to glorify God and enjoy God forever.
So there you have it. No stuffed shirts… no intimidation… easy to enter in… entirely focused on God… this church opens wide its doors and bids you welcome.
Becoming
A Believer
If you come to this web site longing for something of God—a blessing,
a word, an action---but have never truly known God in an intimate, personal way, God
may be preparing your heart for a transforming moment.
Like many others, you may have questions
on your mind regarding becoming a Christian. Here are a few frequently asked questions
(FAQs) and answers as taught to youth before making public their faith …
- WHAT IS FAITH? To believe in the Lord’s trustworthiness and love for us, to trust in Christ alone for salvation.
- WHAT IS SALVATION? Salvation is to be delivered by God’s grace from the bondage of sin and the final punishment of sin which is death, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- WHO WILL BE SAVED? Only those who repent of sin and believe in Christ, who then leads them to live holy lives.
- WHAT IS IT TO REPENT? To be sorry for sin and abandon it, and to hate and turn away from it because it is displeasing to God.
- WHAT IS IT TO BELIEVE OR HAVE FAITH IN CHRIST? To trust in Christ alone for salvation.
- CAN YOU REPENT AND BELIEVE IN CHRIST BY YOUR OWN POWER? No, one can do nothing good without the help of God’s Holy Spirit.
- HOW CAN YOU GET THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? God has told us that we must pray for the Holy Spirit’s help.
So “how does one become a believer?” Others ask it this way, “What
must I do to become a Christian?” The answer may be to simply to relax and
accept what already is…
... If you acknowledge that you are a sinner in
the eyes of God and
you need mercy from God…
... If you acknowledge that your sin deserves severe
judgment by
God…
... If you acknowledge that out of abundant love
God sent Jesus Christ
to deal with your sins…
... If you trust in Jesus Christ as your only means
of salvation and
desire to place him at the center
of your life…
… If you already acknowledge these realities in faith, you don’t need to “become” a Christian, you are one!
| However, if the above are realities you have never acknowledged, and your heart and mind tell you it is high time you do, you may want to pray the SALVATION PRAYER: | ||
| Lord Jesus, I am a sinner deserving God’s punishment. I am sorry for my sins. I believe that you took my sins upon the cross and died in my place. I open the door of my life to you, my Savior. Live in my heart and help me know you better. Thank you for forgiving my sins, saving me, and helping me to obey you. Amen. | ||
| This is not a magical incantation. The words only have meaning as they reflect “what already is” in your heart. But know this: as we teach young Christians of all ages, in the relationship you have with Christ, established by faith: | ||
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Finally, we strongly suggest you FIND A CHURCH in which to publicly accept and
profess your faith in Jesus Christ. If you are in the Covington area, come to worship
on Sundays, or come by the church office during the week and ask for the pastor,
youth director, or an elder. We would love to meet
with you and encourage and help chart the next steps of your great adventure of faith.
Remember that we strive to have a Christ-like
attitude toward all people. All sin and all need God’s grace. We will accept
you where you are, not as you should be. We will then journey with you into the great
future God has for all believers.
Becoming
A Member
The incarnation of God in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives
to the church not only its mission but also its understanding of membership. One becomes
an active member of the church through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and acceptance
of his Lordship in all of life. Baptism and a public profession of faith in Jesus
as Lord are the visible signs of entrance into the active membership of the church.
From
our church’s Book of Order
| Membership is an important step. It is a public act that signifies a commitment (something sorely lacking in our society), our claim to community (“these are my people!”), and an act that opens the possibility to church leadership (elders and deacons are chosen from membership). |
| The Value of Church Membership. We have heard people say, “I can be a ‘good’ Christian without joining a local church.” These people do not see the importance and value of membership. Yet, consider the benefits of church membership as one pastor explains it… |
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Outreach
To YouthMuch of what is described on this page is oriented to adults yet applies to youth as well. We realize that most faith decisions are made by people in high school through early adult years. This church has a passion for reaching the youth with the message of faith. All of the work discussed above in becoming a Christian and a member are works of youth ministry as well. The work and mission of the youth ministry can be found on the Youth Ministry link. A summary of work to reach youth of the “age of accountability” is given here…
BECOMING
A DEVOTED FOLLOWER OF CHRIST
Someone once described evangelism and discipleship as two wings of the same plane.
You can’t fly without both. When they are separated we are destined to crash
and burn.
Discipleship, that is, living a
life that is growing to be more like Christ, is a lifelong quest for the Christian.
Discipleship is not something you force or whip up, it is a natural outgrowth of a
vibrant faith. As new believers and new members are welcomed into the faith, they
also begin to assimilate into the life and work of Christ’s church. They begin
to understand their spiritual and natural gifts and offer those for the building up
of the Church.
This is another ministry focus
area of the church and more information is available by clicking on this link. Making
Disciples.
Phone No 901.476.2434 . Fax No 901.476.1463