Our Mission

The Mission of the Church

We believe the overarching purpose of the church is to glorify God (Eph. 3:20-21). The church accomplishes this by functioning as a pillar that displays God’s truth to the world and as a foundation that maintains a faithful proclamation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). Jesus Christ makes the bold prediction that his Spirit-empowered followers will be his witnesses across the entire globe (Acts 1:8). This must take place in every generation. God is the Lord of the harvest – He decides where His workers should go (Matt. 9:34-38). The Spirit of God directs through the local church to send qualified, faithful workers out (Acts 13:1-3). Jesus Christ calls for his disciples to go and make disciples. He promises his presence in every place and at all times (Matt. 28:18-20). Through the church’s individual and corporate witness, unbelievers hear the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, respond in repentant faith, and are thereby made disciples (Matt. 28:18-19). These individuals should be taught to give testimony of their faith in Christ by being baptized (Matt. 28:19). They should then be taught all of the Holy Scriptures, so they can glorify God through obedience of His Word (Matt. 28:20).

The Distinctiveness of the Church

The church should not be equated with the Kingdom of God (Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20). The church is, though, a representation of the Kingdom work that God is doing at this time in history (Matt. 16:18-19). We believe that the church does not replace Israel (Rom. 9:3-5; 1 Cor. 10:32).

Local churches are groups of believers at specific geographic locations (Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 7:17; Col. 4:15-16). These groups of believers are referred to as a body (Eph. 1:22-23). Christ is the head of this body and provides leadership and guidance for it (Eph. 1:22; 5:23). He has the goal of presenting the church to God without “stain or wrinkle” (Eph. 5:26-27). The church is subject to Christ (Eph. 5:24) and should submit to the leadership of Christ in its actions and decisions (Eph. 5:24). The church is also the temple of God (Eph. 2:21-22). Christ is the foundation and cornerstone of the church (I Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20; I Pet. 2:4-5). The apostles also form part of the foundation (Eph. 2:20). The church is a priesthood (1 Pet. 2:4-10). Every believer (regardless of gender or ethnicity) has equal access to God through the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest, who mediates between God and man (Gal. 3:28; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Heb. 4:14-16; Rev. 5:9, 10).