Connecting People in Community with One Another
God’s plan is to bring people into one family in relationship with Jesus Christ and with one another. Christian unity is characterized by a dynamic interplay between believing and belonging. As followers of Jesus, our spiritual journey is to be done in community with others (not as a solo expedition) and it is in the context of healthy relationships (belonging) that faith and commitment (believing) grow.
Therefore it is our vision to establish a stronger sense of community in Christ here at Peace through ...
• shared experiences of God’s love in Jesus, including inspiring worship, praise and prayer gatherings, mission trip and retreat opportunities, and congregational fellowship events.
• a unifying mission and vision as we regularly inform people regarding our mission and invite them into greater commitment.
• opportunities to develop relationships through small groups, generational and special interest fellowship gatherings, recreational activities, and special events.
Experiencing God and Growing as Fully Alive Followers of Jesus
The Bible teaches that throughout our lives we will remain as sinner-saints--as people who have been made saints through the forgiveness of Jesus and yet who will struggle with temptation and our sinful nature. This is not to imply, however, that Christians will always stay the same. God is clear in his Word that we can and should grow, that God the Holy Spirit is at work in and through our lives to enable us to mature as followers of Jesus Christ.We participate in this growth process through the practices, experiences, and relationships of ongoing spiritual training; and on our journey, the Holy Spirit enables us to experience the following six waves of spiritual growth:
Wave 1: I encounter God at work in and through my life and the lives of others.
Wave 2: I experience personally the love that God has for me.
Wave 3: I hunger to know God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Wave 4: I respond to God’s love by moving toward a closer love relationship with him.
Wave 5: I grow in my capacity to trust God and believe that he will work only for my good.
Wave 6: I accept God’s invitation to join him in his work.
Therefore it is our vision to create an environment in which the Holy Spirit will transform the people of Peace into fully alive followers of Jesus by ...
• raising the expectation level regarding spiritual growth.
• providing regular teaching on spiritual training (using the Lifequest tools) and the six waves of spiritual growth.
• providing diverse opportunities for spiritual experience (in connection with the 6 waves) with an emphasis on worship, study, prayer, and spiritual conversation.
Reaching New People through Relationships and Multiplying Worshipping Communities
God has given the church the mission of being his channel of Good News to bring lost people into a relationship with Jesus. Bishop Stephen Neill defines mission as “the intentional crossing of barriers from Church to non-church in word and deed for the sake of proclamation of the Gospel.” The church in mission seeks to overcome barriers of sin, unbelief, culture, language, and a full range of objections and misconceptions by communicating the love of Jesus with love and creativity. Individually, we most effectively pursue mission by developing relationships with non-Christians giving opportunity for personal witness and invitation. Corporately, the most effective strategy in our current culture of reaching unchurched people is by starting new worshipping communities. This strategy has the additional benefit of multiplying ministry participants and increasing the number of worship options.
Therefore it is our vision to equip followers of Jesus to communicate their faith and provide ongoing opportunities for them to invite unchurched friends to hear the Gospel. Together, we will multiply the number of worshipping communities here in Chippewa Valley through a variety of models including but not limited to additional worship services on site, multiple sites, new church starts, cell-based churches, etc. and to encourage other churches in their church multiplication effort.
Developing People for Ministry Multiplication
The vision for personal spiritual growth and to reach out by multiplying worshipping communities intersect in God’s plan to develop leaders who know his heart and share his heart with others. Central to fulfilling other aspects of the Peace vision is therefore the intentional equipping of leaders and launching them in ministry.
Therefore it is our vision to develop leaders ...
In the Chippewa Valley:
As we provide a process for Peace members and participants to grow in theological understanding, spiritual depth, leadership ability, and particular ministry skills. We will develop leaders who can in turn mobilize others for ministry and serve on launch teams for new worshipping communities. We will seek to create ministry vision in potential leaders through conferences, mission trips, and experiential learning.
Regionally:
We will implement a process of mentoring middle-size churches in the upper Midwest which desire transformation into mission-centered communities.
Internationally:
We will create an international linkage with a European Lutheran church which desires transformation into a mission-centered community. |
