We
dream of a church that exists primarily
for
the glory of God.
We dream of a
church that serves as an
equipping center for God’s people week in and week out. The primary
ministry of each member in the church happens outside of the scheduled
programming of events. Therefore, we envision our weekly gatherings
challenging us with the truth of God’s Word and calling us to repentance and
faith that lives. The goal is not simply to master the content of the
Bible, but to demonstrate maturity by living lives of obedience. We
believe that every member of our church should be able to articulate the gospel
to someone who has never heard it—not in a formulaic way but in the course of a
conversation.
We dream of a
church that seeks to keep its
calendar free. Our goal is not to fill people’s schedules up with church
things but rather to equip them and then send them out. What we do, we
will do well, but we will not attempt to do everything for someone. Our
goal in keeping things simple is to free people up to respond to the needs of
others and to respond in obedience to God’s Word. The goal is not to
appeal to laziness but rather to free God’s people to live intentionally.
We dream of a
church that is hospitable
and invites the community to use the meeting facilities in a variety of
ways. Our people—not our facilities—define us. However, we envision
the facilities that God does bless us with being used all week long by the
community rather than sitting empty.
We dream of a
church that goes deep with
one another. Life is meant to be shared. We reject the notion that
Biblical fellowship is 80 people standing around a coffee pot talking about the
Vikings and the weather. We seek to be real with one another, accountable
to one another, and encouraging each other in our pursuit of godliness.
We dream of a
church that is intentional
in its pursuit of people who don’t know Jesus. If they won’t come to our
church, then it is our responsibility to bring the message and love of Jesus to
them. We will not just give up on people who are “messy” because we
understand the darkness in our own lives and see ourselves in light of God’s
grace. The goal is not to be sympathetic, but compassionate—like
Jesus. This may include going into places where “religious people”
wouldn’t go, but where Jesus would.
We dream of a
church that is a welcoming
place to anyone. We wish to communicate a “come as you are but not stay
as you are” atmosphere. Anyone is welcome but all will be called to
repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ.
We dream of a
church that is diverse and
unified—a community where all different races, economic levels, and ages can
come together in Christ. In fact, we think that Jesus Christ is the only
one who can truly draw us into that kind of unity.
We dream of a
church where people make
sacrificial decisions that the world may consider radical on a regular
basis. We will make these decisions because our people’s hope and joy is
rooted in eternity—not, this world. The way that we spend our money, use
our free time, pursue sexuality, and exercise power will reflect the values of
Christ rather than this world. What many people would see to be a radical
inconvenience, we view as normal.
We dream of a
church that continues to be
involved in church planting throughout the Twin Ports area and the world.
Our desire is to be a part of a much larger church planting movement. We
realize that no one church is going to be able to reach into every pocket of
Duluth culture. Therefore, we will continually seek to plant missional
churches both in this community and abroad.
We dream of a
church that doesn’t see the
other churches in the community as a threat. We freely acknowledge that
Rock Hill is not the only faithful church of Jesus Christ in Duluth.
Because of this we seek to work together with other like-minded churches in our
community to more fully reflect the broader body of Christ and reach this city.
We dream of a
church where at any time at
least 50% of those in attendance are followers of Jesus because of the ministry
of that church.
We dream of a
church that is Holy Spirit
led. If you were to remove the presence of the Spirit from our midst,
ministry would not continue. We find churches that run like well oiled
machines—whether or not there is any real life—nauseating
We dream of a
church that actually
functions like an interdependent body. Every person in the body is needed
and serves in a vital role. We freely acknowledge that we need one
another.
We dream of a
church that is centered on
the gospel. The gospel is not the abc’s of the Christian life; it is the
a-z. The gospel is not simply a prayer that is prayer once in our life,
but a reality that needs to be applied to every area of our life.
We dream of a
church that actually meets
the needs of the community around it. We desire to have a relationship
with our community that causes them to think, “we don’t believe what they
believe, but this community would fall apart without them. If they were
gone we would have to: raise taxes, figure out what to do with single moms,
find mentors for young people, etc.”
We dream of a
church that actually cares
about the injustice and poverty facing our world. From the widows and
orphans in India, to the families in Africa that don’t have access to drinking
water. From the spiritual deadness of Europe to the repressive Islamic
countries of Iran. We will not fight every battle but will seek to apply
a biblical worldview and heart of compassion to each issue as it comes up.
