Our Goals
Our core mission at Living Hope Fellowship is to Exalt Christ, Equip the church, and Evangelize the nations. In last week’s article, Pastor Heath, with the elders, called us as a church body to a heart-level revival of commitment to this mission. We began with the 4 Guides that must direct all that we do: the Gospel, the Bible, Christ, and the Spirit. (Be sure to check out last week's article!)
But how will we fulfill our core mission? What goals do we need to accomplish to get there? What does the journey look like? Today we will see that our 4 Guides have mapped out 5 Goals for us:
1. Make Disciples— Locally, our churches are familiar with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) but have largely viewed disciple-making as the work of missionaries overseas, not the work of every believer in every church. The DNA of our church must transform into a place where disciples are made who, in turn, make disciples themselves (2 Timothy 2:2). Making disciples is not optional, it's commanded!
2. Train Leaders—In an effort to see healthy church discipleship, we realize the need for godly leaders (elders, deacons/deaconesses, and ministry leaders) to equip, encourage, and oversee the process (Ephesians 4:11-15). But before you think that this doesn't apply to you, all of us are called to press on in our Christian faith to maturity (Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 1:28; 4:12; Hebrews 5:14).
3. Send Pastor-Missionaries—As healthy leaders mature, there comes a time to send some out. But wouldn't we want to hold on to our best servants who labor so well? This counter-intuitive approach is the biblical model for growth. Antioch loved the preaching and teaching of Paul and Barnabas. But, following the Spirit's lead, they sent them as missionaries to spread the word of God abroad (Acts 13:1-5). We are training leaders not only to lead in our church but to send them out.
4. Plant & Revitalize Churches—To plant a new work or resuscitate a dying one, leaders, teams, and families will need to be ready to get uncomfortable, pack their bags, potentially get new jobs, and relocate. Missions is primarily a church planting movement through the sending, going, and relocating of members from "home churches" (Acts 13:1-5) and partnering with others of shared passion (2 Corinthians 8:22-24; 3 John 1:7-8).
5. Grow a Network of Like-minded Churches—Within a growing network of like-minded churches, we find ecclesiastical & doctrinal accountability, the ability to share resources and training, profound encouragement, and joint partnership in Gospel labor. We currently have the following partners: The Cornerstone Bible College & Seminary, Coalition of Christ Exalting Churches, Grace Bible Church of Chico, Charis Fellowship Nor-Cal, and Pastor Frank Erb of Illuminate California in Sacramento.
To summarize, our 4 Guides lead us to worship God in the power of the Spirit, proclaiming Christ from the Bible which is Gospel-saturated on every page, making disciples who reproduce disciples who reproduce disciples, and thus fulfilling Christ’s call to mission both locally and globally. In this mission, every one of us has a role to fill.
