This is the second installment in this series about our objectives. If you haven't already read the first four of them, then please do so before reading these final three.

Objective #5: To provide practical, biblical messages and Bible study opportunities for God’s people to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord.

Once a person has trusted Christ as his Savior, a desire is created within him to learn more about God, His will, and His ways. Because this learning process requires understanding the Bible, God wants every believer to commit himself to a local church where he can find assistance in this pursuit. Through the pulpit ministry, Sunday school, small group Bible studies, and other Scripture learning opportunities offered by our church, we seek to communicate, in an understandable fashion, the life-changing principles of His Word, thus enabling His people to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.” We make a concerted effort to present God’s Word in a manner that is both relevant and applicable to modern society, while maintaining our commitment to His eternal and uncompromising Truth.

Objective #6: To train and involve every member in using his/her abilities and gifts to do the work of the ministry through the local church.

Most everything in life requires teamwork to be successful and the church is no exception. Wonderfully, God has gifted each of His children with talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts that, when blended together with those of other Christians, cause the ministry of the church to flourish and bring fulfillment to the believer’s life. This partnership in ministry is portrayed through a vivid word picture in Scripture used to describe the functioning of the church: a body. As a body has many different members, each working to fulfill its responsibility for the good of the whole, so the church has many members working together for the glory of God. No member is unimportant or insignificant and each plays a key role in enabling the church to do God’s work successfully. It is our desire to see every member working with the leadership of our fellowship to find and hone their gifts, talents, and abilities and then to utilize the same as valuable members of God’s team. Serving God through the local church with the gifts and abilities He has given is a satisfying and beneficial way to live.

Objective #7: To build and utilize a church facility that can be used to minister to the total person -- spiritually, physically, and socially.

People are multi-dimensional creatures with many different needs spanning the full spectrum of life. For many years churches primarily concerned themselves with only the spiritual aspects of believers and directed the membership to look elsewhere to meet their other needs. Because we believe the church should be actively involved in ministering to the total person, it is our desire to develop and maintain a broad range of programs that provide the Christian community an alternative to secular programs. To accomplish this we must utilize our existing facilities for activities that are in addition to the regular worship services and plan all new facilities with these expanding opportunities in mind. It is our desire to see a growing number of Christians build their lives around the church and the ministries of the church.

Our Church Objectives

Over the next two weeks I will outline our church objectives. These seven statements (with the accompanying explanations) are the framework of what I believe God has called us to do, with the specific details coming as we continue moving forward into the future. I first wrote these about twelve years ago and they have been the guiding principles we have followed. I hope you will not only read them with interest...I pray you will join us in the work God has given us to do for His glory.

Objective #1: To have 1,200 active members in services, glorifying the Savior together through worship.

Worship is the heart of the Christian life and the fundamental purpose for our very existence. So important is this part of the spiritual life, that the Bible says God is “seeking” those who will worship Him. The reason is that when Christians begin to understand God and His majesty, which is the goal of true biblical worship, submission to His will and His Word is the result. While worship should take place privately in each individual’s life, it is also to be something that we do corporately as the body of Christ. Heaven is the perfect example of this kind of worship, when we are all together around the throne of God glorifying Him. In anticipation of that day, we meet together weekly as God’s people to lift up our Savior and believe that God is honored when all of the members are present and active in this most holy vocation. It is our desire to fill our worship center to capacity with adults, teens, and children, blending their voices and hearts together in song, praise, prayer, and preaching that recognize and exalt our great God.

Objective #2: To share the Gospel of Christ with every resident of the Tri-State area in a persuasive and understandable manner.

There is no greater responsibility given to a New Testament church than to communicate the Gospel of Christ to the lost. The importance of this task rests upon the fact that a person who dies without receiving God’s salvation (made possible through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ), will spend eternity separated from Him in eternal torment. For the sake of men’s souls, we take very seriously our duty to reach Tri-State residents with the only message that can change a person’s eternal destiny. Because of the great diversity of people and backgrounds, it is extremely important that we present this message in a manner that can be clearly understood by all people and that we use the most effective means available to influence as many for Christ as possible. Some of the ways that we are presently spreading the Good News from our church are: personal visits, television broadcasts, Gospel literature, evangelistic services, holiday programs, friendship evangelism, etc. We are always looking for better and more persuasive ways to spread God’s love to everyone. Our methods may change for the sake of effectiveness, but our message must never change!

Objective #3: To be the kind of New Testament fellowship where God’s people can find love, acceptance, guidance, encouragement, and discipline in their pursuit of a godly life.

Godliness is not something that simply happens apart from the proper nurturing of a believer’s spiritual life. Therefore, our church exists to provide the atmosphere necessary for each individual to reach his fullest potential in Christ Jesus. We believe that this includes a balance between the following spiritual factors: love, acceptance, guidance, encouragement, and discipline. Love and acceptance produce the environment in which a believer can feel safe to open up to what God wants to do in his life, without fear of rejection. Guidance and encouragement come through the Word of God and concerned saints whose interest is to assist others in maturing in their faith. Discipline is simply the means of helping a person stay on course through compassionate, non-condemning accountability. The presence of these qualities, working together in unison, provides the spiritual framework in which the Lord can best perform His work of making a person like Himself. Each of us must be involved in maintaining these attributes in order for them to be fully realized in our fellowship.

Objective #4: To reach every country of the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to send out career missionaries and pastors from our membership.

As difficult as it is to believe, there are millions of people around the world who have never once heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of His power to save. Our desire is to do all we can to place within the reach of every person the opportunity to know Christ as we know Him through faith in His death, burial, and resurrection. But, the question must be asked, “...How shall they hear without a preacher?” They can’t, so for this reason we are asking God to reach into our fellowship and choose from among us those whom He can use in the States and in foreign lands to preach His glorious Gospel. Coupled with this is a willingness to financially and prayerfully assist these chosen servants as well as believers from other churches who are called of God for this purpose. We need members to seek God concerning His will for their lives, to pray faithfully for those who have been called, and to give generously to our world missionary outreach.

Next week I'll share the final three objectives...