Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Vision, Part 1

As part of the effort to make the vision for Freedom Church more pubic, we're posting the outline in its entirety. Over the next several days, we'll be adding the rest. Here's part 1.



Mission

Our mission is to reach people normally unreachable by the mainstream and traditional churches and provide them with a genuine and Christ-centered experience leading them to a saving relationship with Jesus. Our focus is to be used by God to build His kingdom understanding that we are just tools and it is the Lord who does the work.

Target

1.  Unchurched blue-collar workers
      2.   Bikers
3.  Young adults
4.  Sex workers including performers
5.  Rejected/fringe cultures incl. emo, goth, and other marginal groups

Motto

In Christ, But Out of The Box.

Meaning: All too often, traditional Christian religion has created boxes that we as believers are often forced into either by the church or from outside. These boxes put limitations on our perception of God and what He will do and how He will do it. The truth is, we serve a God without limitations. If we are to fulfill the Great Commission, we must get outside the boxes we find ourselves in and discover the fullness of God and the love He demonstrated through His Son.

Sometimes, that means breaking some manmade rules or ignoring conventions. Non-traditional musical style, relaxed dress code, and, above all, being willing to go where the unchurched are rather than waiting for them to come to us are central to the mission. What it doesn’t mean, however, is compromising on one letter of the Word of God. The box may be a cage but the Gospel breaks all boundaries. To truly be in Christ means to be out of the box.

Beliefs
We believe:
  In the Holy Trinity.
  That Jesus Christ came to Earth, died on the cross, and rose on the third day.
  That the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the final and only authority for doctrine, morality, and truth.
  That faith in Jesus is only means to enter Heaven and to a fulfilled life on Earth. Salvation is by grace and that through faith not works.
  In the essential doctrines of salvation by grace, water baptism, and repentance.
  In the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
  In the gifts of the Spirit manifest whenever the Gospel is preached.
  In the sinful nature of man.
  In prayer as the essential means of communication with the Lord and as a source of strength and guidance.
  That corporate and personal worship are essential in the lives of all followers of Christ.
  That Jesus will return to Earth in triumph to judge the living and the dead.
  That Satan is a real being and is the enemy of all mankind, but is a defeated foe.
  In the priesthood of all believers.
  That the Body of Christ has many members each with a different function and purpose.
  That there is only one church of Jesus Christ.
  That the primary mission of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission.
  That the local church is the hope of the world.

In truth, there are more. This is not intended to be a complete doctrinal statement but the basics of the church’s beliefs.



Overall Philosophy

The church will be built upon the four pillars of Prayer, The Word, Worship, and Community. Further writings will elaborate on these four areas, how they interact, and how they connect. The basics are:

1.  The Word: Meditating upon the Word, teaching it, and working in conjunction with the Holy Spirit to live it out are the core of the church and the lives of individual believers.
2.  Prayer: Personal and corporate prayer are foundational to the health of any ministry or follower of Christ. It is central to allowing the Lord to speak to us as much as we share our lives with Him
3.  Worship: Corporate worship is one aspect that does need to be a focus but also understanding that believers need to live everyday as an act of worship.
4.  Community: Biblical unity is essential amongst followers of Christ regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status, and any other worldly divisions that separate us in the flesh.


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