OUR MINISTRY PLAN
Englewood
Christian Church
June,
2009
Englewood Christian Church is an
intentional community of faithful disciples seeking to follow the teachings of
Jesus Christ. We
are dedicated to strengthening our spiritual lives and actively sharing our
faith with others. We will seek
ways to express our faith and engage in God's mission throughout the world by
being active followers of Christ.
Guiding
Vision
In
Jesus of Nazareth God is calling people to fullness of life, and we at Englewood
Christian Church are seeking to respond in a faithful way.
Through prayerful discernment we continue to discover God’s direction
in our life together. We invite
others to join us on this lifelong journey, as we seek to embody this Guiding
Vision.
Because Jesus was
intentional about including those who were pushed to the edges of society and
not considered equal, we are intentional about becoming an inclusive community,
challenging ourselves to welcome those who push us beyond our comfort zone.
We celebrate ethnic, cultural, social and theological diversity.
“In
Jesus Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female,
for all are one in Christ Jesus.”
(Galatians 3:28)
With the Holy Spirit
leading us, we deepen our spiritual life together.
All that we do as a congregation is grounded in the light of scripture
and prayer. Meaningful worship that
engages our hearts and minds through the spoken word, song, silence, sacraments,
and the visual arts is foundational to our being the Body of Christ together.
Small group and personal prayer/devotional life is encouraged for all.
“They
devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and the prayers. Day by
day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home
and ate their food with glad and generous hearts.”
(Acts 2:42, 46)
Theological
Reflection
We are a
congregation that encourages theological reflection and discussion. Through serious faith reflection we seek to shed light on
contemporary life issues and how Christ calls us to live.
These discussions respect and celebrate the diversity of thought that our
members bring to faith. We are challenged to grow as we continue our faith journey.
“Trust
in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge God, and He will make straight your path.”
(Proverbs3:5-6)
God’s love and mercy
are shown to the world through acts of justice and peace.
We work at gaining understanding of those who are different from us.
By lending a helping hand where possible, we act to oppose oppression of
any of God’s children. We stand
for peace in our homes and schools, in our community, and in the world.
“And
what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and
to walk humbly with your God.”
(Micah 6:6-8)
“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into
pruning hooks. Nation will not take
up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)
We have a passion for
the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we encourage all, individually and collectively,
to find ways in which to share their faith.
By living as Christians we demonstrate our faith to others.
We encourage each other to grow in faith by sharing often about God
working in our lives and in our church, so that the Realm of God may be
expressed on earth.
“Go
into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that
I have commanded, and lo, I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
The church shines when
we move outside our own walls and become the hands and feet of Christ.
With scripture as the lamp to light our path, our worship, study, and
prayer life lead us to emulate Christ by expressing compassion through word and
deed. We become involved in the lives of others, especially those who are in
need, and we deliberately find ways to engage in ministry in our community.
For this we believe: In
Jesus of Nazareth, God calls all people to fullness of life now.
“For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
Key
Result Areas
Spiritual Growth
- The
ongoing processes of learning, reflection and seeking the truth; of relating the
Bible to contemporary issues, and of sharing our faith.
Inclusive Community
– Being
intentional about providing genuine hospitality to all people regardless of who
and where they are.
Mission Outreach – Practicing service with emphasis on faith and justice issues within and
outside of the walls of our church.
Stewardship and Resources
– Being accountable
and responsible as good stewards of all of God’s creation.
Worship - Prayer, praise, communion, music, reflection, and rededication.
Recognizing that we are
spiritual beings longing for wholeness in God, we acknowledge the importance of
deepening our spiritual life through prayer, study and fellowship and then
relating this faith to daily life. We
are committed to inviting others to share in this journey of learning and living
the way of God. We will become a
community where spiritual practices are a part of our life together.
1. Inform and provide
opportunities to learn about and participate in Christian
spiritual practices. Make
these practices a part of every element of our life
together.
2. Pursue a broad and
deep commitment to life-long learning that deepens the
spiritual life while relating faith to daily life.
3. Be intentional
about developing ways in which to invite members of the Yakima
community to participate in the life long learning and spiritual growth.
4. Encourage a
spiritual atmosphere at each meeting with prayer, devotions or other
spiritual practices.
We seek to become a community of faith that expresses genuine hospitality
to all of God’s children, whether within the walls of our church house or
within the larger community. We
will expand our circles of fellowship and ministry, inviting others to join us
in our goal of living God’s way in Yakima.
1.
Become an
inclusive community, generously attentive and sensitive to members, visitors and
guests so that all know they are welcome and cared about.
2. Become a community of faith in which we sincerely and regularly seek out ways to build up one another through prayer, listening and forgiving through God’s grace.
C.
Mission Outreach
All that Englewood seeks
to do will be measured in the light of Christ’s call to ministry and mission,
living out the call to compassion and mercy, justice and peace, salvation and
life.
1.
Be a community of
faith that is eager and ready to hear God’s call; to be thoughtful, prayerful
and faithful in responding with passionate follow-through, locally and around
the world.
2. Develop an atmosphere that encourages members to identify and engage in areas of ministry.
3.
Partner with
other churches and organizations where possible to expand our reach and
influence of compassion, justice, peace and hope.
Everything we have is a
gift entrusted to us by God to be used in our service to Christ through this
church. Recognizing that we are
blessed with much we seek to be faithful stewards of all our gifts and
resources.
1.
Encourage members
to discover their gifts and talents and to use them in ways that honor Christ
while being sensitive to those who prefer different levels of participation.
2.
Seek out ways to
use our church building effectively and efficiently for God’s mission.
3.
Develop a spirit
of gratitude that expresses itself in how we use our gifts and talents for
mission and ministry.
4.
Encourage members
and the larger community to develop faithful and responsible actions that use
wisely the earth’s natural resources.
The purpose of our lives
and our faith community is to honor God and to live God’s way.
We intentionally gather as a community to join hearts and minds in
meaningful worship. We give praise
to God and also seeking God’s guidance and strength,
through the Holy Spirit. We will
endeavor to make our services of worship meaningful to the community as well as
open to the movement of the Spirit.
1.
Intentional
planning of acts of worship, prayer and praise will lead participants to deeper
reflection, action and spiritual growth.
2.
Providing
nurturing and training of lay leadership will strengthen the worship experience
for all participants.
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