Growth

Jesus did not commission his church simply to make converts to the faith, but rather to make disciples—disciples who follow him, growing in both knowledge and love, and the ability to serve him well in the world.  The primary way in which God causes us to grow to maturity as Jesus’ disciples is by his Spirit using the Word of God to change our thoughts and desires, and thus our behavior.  Again and again we read in the Bible that it is through hearing the Word of God that we come to faith in Jesus Christ, and grow in the faith to become more like Jesus Christ.   

Unfortunately, we live in an increasingly mindless, entertainment oriented age that has little real interest in the truth.  We recognize that, as the church, we are not unaffected by the culture in which we live.  Knowledge of God’s Word both inside and outside the church is low.  Few of us have the self-discipline in the midst of our hectic, overscheduled lives to read or study the Bible regularly.   Robust Bible preaching and teaching is increasingly hard to find in the church.  As a result, the church is spiritually weak, and generally not able to address the questions and concerns of the world around us in an intelligent and persuasive fashion.  The biblical command to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) has perhaps never been more relevant than at present.  

For these reasons, we purpose as a church, by God’s grace, to make the study of God’s Word a central part of our life together.  In our worship services we want to read, preach, sing, and pray God’s Word.  We intend to develop a carefully planned program of classes for the instruction in the faith of both children and adults.  We also plan to sponsor conferences and workshops from time to time to address important aspects of God’s Word and its application to our lives and the issues facing our world.  Finally, we want to help each other as members of the church to read and study the Bible as individuals and families, that we might be made more and more like Jesus through the truth of his Word.