Moving People

In my blog yesterday I gave the results of the Purpose Task Force as they revisited and reevaluated the purpose statement of our church, taking the overall mission of our church and stating it in a brief, specific and transferable phrase. What is Grace Church all about?

“Meeting people where they are; Moving people to where God wants them to be!”

I gave a description in yesterday’s blog about what we mean by “Meeting people where they are” both spiritually and geographically. Both the aspect of “meeting people where they are” and the aspect of “moving people to where God wants them to be” takes place as we develop a balanced ministry that reaches out to the following 6 levels of ministry:

The COMMUNITY: Those who live within driving distance of Grace Church but have no connection at all with Grace Church or with Jesus Christ. Our goal is to have events and activities which break down all barriers and allow people to have a very enjoyable time and to gain a positive perspective of Grace Church.

The CROWD: Those who have had very limited contact with Grace Church but have no real connection with Grace Church or with Jesus Christ. Our goal is to have events or activities which are fun and exciting but which also clearly present the Gospel.

The CURIOUS: Those who have a more regular contact with Grace Church but have made no commitment to Grace Church or to Jesus Christ. Our goal is to have events or activities that are not only exciting and present the Gospel, but which also gives the opportunity for individuals to respond to the Gospel invitation.

The CONVINCED: Those who have made a decision to give their life to Jesus and now need to grow in their faith. Our goal is to have events or activities which allow those who have made a decision for Christ to grow in their faith and get grounded in the Word.

The COMMITTED: Those who have learned the basics of the faith and are now ready to dig deeper into the meat of God’s Word. Our goal is to have events or activities which allow those grounded in their faith to learn and apply the deeper truths of God’s Word.

The CORE: Those who are ready to lead ministries within the church and who are spiritually reproducing themselves in others. Our goal is to allow mature believers to take on positions of leadership and invest in the lives of others in the levels below.

The goal of evangelism and discipleship is to move people from one level to the next. We want to see the Community become part of the Crowd; the Crowd become part of the Curious; the Curious become part of the Convinced; the Convinced become part of the Committed; and the Committed become part of the Core. Or in other words, it is “meeting people where they are and moving them to where God wants them to be!”