Our Strategy: To minister the Word of God in a way that both children and adults can come together to hear and understand it.  To experience worship together as a “Framily” and enter God’s presence each week.  We grow as a church as we participate in the five purposes of our church which are: Honor, Connect, Grow, Serve and Reach (Acts 2:42-47) 

Honor- We honor God with our worship. Worship is not limited to music. It is an expression of our love for God in all areas of our lives. Through creative arts such as music, drama, media and more, we express our love to God.  Our aim is to demonstrate to others how to live a life of worship in everything we do. We understand that giving of our time, money and talents are acts that give honor and glory to God.  The church worships when believers gather to praise and honor the living God.  His nature and works call forth responses of reverence, submission, adoration, and celebration.  These responses take the forms of reading and declaring His Word, praying, singing, giving, and other activities that glorify God. The worship experience should never be taken lightly. It requires preparing the heart, focusing the mind, exercising the will, and the participation of each worshiper. True worship glorifies God and renews His people.

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”” John‬ 4:23-24

:
Connect- We connect with others through fellowship which ultimately connects non-believers to Christ.  It is our goal to connect with everyone who comes through our doors.  To provide a friendly, warm, welcoming atmosphere so that people will feel comfortable sharing life with one another and in turn share the Good News of Jesus Christ with one another.  We will do life together and love one another in large and small groups without judging each other.

The source of Christian fellowship is our relationship with God restored through Christ. Fellowship is the bond that forms as God joins believers to one another in Christ’s body by His Spirit. True fellowship is Christ-centered, resulting in a unity which is based on truth, love, and humility. Therefore togetherness without substance, emotion without obedience, or tolerance without caring cannot be fellowship. Genuine fellowship will produce a sense of mutual concern, wholehearted service, and abiding joy. The nearest the church approaches the divine ideal of fellowship is in the experience of the communion service.

“But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.” Psalms‬ 55:13-14

“I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.” Philemon‬ 1:6

Grow- Growing means becoming disciples by growing spiritually by means of hearing the Word of God, attending bible studies, discipleship classes and personal devotions.  It is important that the Word of God is taught to all ages and that they experience the life giving power that it contains. Not only does it offer life giving water to the believer but it is the power of salvation to the non-believer and a powerful weapon to use against our enemy, the devil in spiritual warfare.  Jesus calls people to follow Him, learn from Him, and bring others to Him. This lifelong process is discipleship. It begins as the Holy Spirit leads persons to repentance and faith in Christ. It continues as they use the resources available in Christ and the Spirit, in Scripture and the church, to grow in the life of faith. The church is responsible to shepherd and nurture believers in their growth. Discipleship is not optional for the Christian. The life goal of every believer is Christlikeness.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs‬ 27:17

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalms‬ 119:105

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16‬ 

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews‬ 4:12

Serve- Serving is the heartbeat of the church.  It is where each disciple is given the opportunity to use the gifts that God has given them to use for His glory. We encourage all to give their best to the Lord in their service. All are important to the kingdom of God.  We strive to serve God with excellence from office administration, to caring for our facilities, to treating each other with love.  Everyone is an essential part of the body of Christ. The church is called to be both witness and servant in society. As witness, the church is salt and light in the world. This includes not only living obediently but also addressing the moral and social issues of the day from the foundation of Scripture. As servant, the church is to radiate God’s love manifested in Jesus. Among believers we seek to express this love through mutual aid and care. In the world we seek to minister to the whole range of human needs. Service to others is in reality service to Christ and a necessary expression of our obedience.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”Matthew‬ 6:33

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” John‬ 12:26

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians‬ 5:13 

Reach- Reaching means witnessing to our community and our world.  We will intentionally be a positive influence in our personal neighborhood through evangelism and missions.  Through outreach events and partnering with like minded agencies, we will share the love of God both in our neighborhoods to as far as the Spirit leads us. We are called to share with the world out of our abundance.  God has reached out in love through the person and work of Jesus to redeem a lost world. He demonstrated the heart of evangelism by sharing the good news with all whom He met. Christ promised abundant life to those who respond in obedient faith. Following His example, each believer, grateful to God and burdened for fallen humanity, shares with others the new life in Christ. This witness is a natural expression of the total attitude and life of the person under the Lordship of Christ. Empowered and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, believers model and proclaim good news to a dying world for the purpose of making disciples and building the church.

““You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew‬ 5:14

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” Matthew‬ 28:19-20

The Plan: Our plan is to become a Spiritually Healthy Family of Believers.  Our goal is to have disciples reproducing disciples as Jesus reproduced himself in the original 12 disciples.  Our plan is a discipleship plan for our entire church. We recognize that in order to reproduce the original church of the book of Acts, the body has to work connected together in ministry.  We must continually pray and seek the Holy Spirit’s direction for the future of The Gathering Church.  We must regularly evaluate if our ministry to the body and the world is effective and relevant.