To glorify God in worship, nurture, and outreach,
proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
A statement of purpose and perspective:
Everyone in America seems to be success oriented; this church is no exception. However, we believe that success is measured by a different scale than is commonly found in our society. Success is not measured by the size of the congregation, the impressiveness of its buildings, the greatness of its budget or the attractiveness of its programs. Rather, success in the church is seen in the visible outworkings of the God-produced qualities of faith, hope, and love in its members. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, Colossians 1:3-5.)
Faith, Hope and Love:
These qualities, as they are being produced in each member of the church, develop the foundation for a successful, quality church. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, exhorted them to esteem others better than themselves. The author to the Hebrews implored the believers to provoke one another to love and good works. These passages relate to the outworking of faith, hope, and love toward the other members of the church.
Others:
This perspective of service rather than of being served, of what can I give rather than receive, places success on wholly different terms than is commonly found. A church may have many people and little ministry, many programs and few servants. At the Fellowship, each member is encouraged to be a servant and minister rather than focusing upon the Pastors as the "Professionals" and letting them do the work of the ministry. The Pastor is seen as teacher and trainer; a teacher of the Word to the flock and a trainer of faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.
Equipping:
The Pastor's ministry then becomes one of equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry, as he is instructed in Ephesians chapter four. As the saints are equipped, they are in turn to minister and edify, building up the body of Christ in love.
Our meetings are designed to build up the believer and encourage him on to maturity in Christ. Although we enjoy steady growth, the number of members and how many people are "warming the pews" is not our thrust. We are not in an attendance contest with other churches. Paul said in II Corinthians 10:12, "they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."
The Word of God:
We teach and preach the Bible as the Word of God and make no apologies for what it has to say to this day and age. Though it is not our intention to be offensive, many of the things which are found in the Bible are not palatable to modern tastes. Our services therefore are not designed to entertain or amuse and will probably only interest the sincere seeker.
Believing that a Christian should get a regular diet of the Word, our services are designed to teach and admonish the believer. We do this through the systematic teaching of a particular book in the Bible, explaining and applying it verse by verse.
Outreach:
It is with utmost sincerity that we seek to support missionaries and other churches who take a stand upon the fundamentals of the Word of God. We believe it is our privilege and duty to be good stewards of the finances, energies,and resources that the Lord has entrusted to us and to invest them where they will bring the greatest return for the Kingdom of Heaven. We also have a great burden to share with family and friends the good news of God's salvation in Christ Jesus.