Skip to main content

The Mission, Strategy, and Vision of Glory of Christ Fellowship by Pastor Charlie Handren

By Anonymous
Glory of Christ Fellowship (GCF) exists to make disciples of all nations by living lives of worship, walking together in community, and engaging in the mission of Christ that we may grow to full maturity for the glory of Christ. This statement is comprised of three parts: (1) The Mission—to make disciples of all nations; (2) The Strategy—worship, community, and mission; (3) The Vision—to grow to full maturity for the glory of Christ.

With regard to our mission, GCF exists to make disciples. Disciples are those who believe in Jesus Christ as he is revealed in the Bible, who are learning to love him with all their heart and soul and mind and strength, and who are learning to love others as they love themselves. In other words, disciples are lovers of God and others who gain the power to love through Jesus Christ.

As we grow in love, our passion is to build a way of life together that’s comprised of worship, community, and mission. By “worship” we mean things like delighting in and faithfully teaching the Word of God, spending time in prayer with God, singing the praises of God, submitting to the will of God, and learning to see and savor the glory of God in all things.

By “community” we mean that God has designed the church to walk together toward full maturity in Christ that we might become one in Christ, and ultimately one with Christ. This implies that we must spend time with one another and pursue one another and encourage one another and speak truth to one another and rebuke one another and put up with one another and forgive one another and serve one another and worship with one another and be on mission with one another.

By “mission” we mean things like local evangelism, mercy ministries, and global missions, but our vision of this mission is somewhat unique. Specifically, we see mission flowing out of the communion we share with God and one another. Just as the Son was sent into the world out of the overflow of the communion he had with the Father, so the Son sends the church into the world out of the overflow of the communion we have with him and one another.

As the mission to make disciples of all nations is applied through worship, community, and mission, we believe that Jesus Christ will cause his church to grow to full maturity for the glory of his name in the world. In the words of the Apostle Peter, Jesus created his church to be one people that we “may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9-10). May Jesus grant us the grace to grow into the fullness of what he sees when he sees Glory of Christ Fellowship.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Secret of all Failure is our Failure in Secret Prayer

By
“We may be assured of this—the secret of all failure is our failure in secret prayer” (12). So writes the anonymous author of the classic little book on prayer entitled, The Kneeling Christian (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids: 1971). He means that the reason we so often fall into sin or live in discouragement or fail to bear fruit is because we do not cling to God in Christ above all things. We do not diligently seek him or lean on him or plead with him or draw on his strength. We give ourselves to busyness over communion with God and in this way we seek to accomplish in our flesh what can only be accomplished in the power of the Spirit.  Giving first place to what our dear author calls “secret prayer” is indeed a key to the Spirit-filled life but let’s be clear: prayer is not magic, rather, it’s a relationship. It’s not as if we simply have to file requests with God, being careful to use just the right words so that we can get him to respond as we wish. God is not a vending m
Post a Comment
Read more

Deacons - How They Serve and Strengthen the Church (Part 1)

By
  One of the next important priorities for GCF is to establish deacons in the life of the church. On March 14, 2021 we were able to establish an elder team. Currently, we have a team of four elders overseeing the congregation of GCF.  However, there is more work to be done. I have come to see that establishing an elder team was the bare minimum that needed to happen for GCF to survive. I believe GCF now needs to turn our attention to raising up a team of qualified and willing deacons to serve the congregation so that it will not only survive but thrive.   I would like to begin a series of blogs on deacons to help us understand who they are and what they do in the life of the church.  In this blog let me provide three reasons why I think deacons should be near our top priority.  Number 1: It is Biblical. Paul instructs Timothy to install elders who will help him pastor the church. For whatever reason, it seems the churches in our circles treat the installment of elders as non-negotiable
Post a Comment
Read more

Does the Doctrine Divide? by Patience Griswold

By Anonymous
“Oh, I try not to talk about doctrine. It’s so divisive.” This is a sentiment that I’ve heard expressed, as well as implied, on many occasions, and one that raises the question, does doctrine divide? In answering this question, we must keep in mind a very important truth and that is that everyone holds to some sort of doctrine . “Doctrine” is defined as “a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group.” Regardless of whether or not someone publicly holds to a statement of beliefs from a particular church, every Christian, by definition, holds to a particular set of beliefs. As Carl Trueman observes in his book The Creedal Imperative ,       [W]hile Christianity cannot be reduced to doctrine, to mere teaching, it cannot be meaningfully separated from it, either. Even the most basic claims, such as “Jesus is Lord,” carry clear doctrinal content that needs to be explicated in a world where, as we have noted before, every heretic has his text and n
Post a Comment
Read more