Our Gospel Culture

At Grace, we believe that the Gospel changes everything! This means that being a Gospel-centered church is primarily about creating a Gospel culture. It’s not enough to hold to Gospel Truth. It’s not enough to simply create Gospel Community. Additionally, Gospel mission is much more than being evangelistic.

An over-emphasis on Gospel Truth alone = Hypocrisy
An over-emphasis on Gospel Community alone = Sentimentality
An over-emphasis on Gospel Mission alone = Activism

Only when we bring these all three together do we truly create a Gospel Culture. Gospel Truth, Community, and Mission are meant to exist in relation to one another, not in isolation from one another.

OUR RHYTHMS AS A GOSPEL FUELED AND FORMED CHURCH:

We Gather

Developing a healthy corporate identity is central to our mission.  We believe the whole church needs to create rhythms that bring the church together regularly.  The most fundamental rhythm is our Sunday Worship Gathering.  In addition to this, we gather in other congregational spaces such as Congregational Prayer and Hymn Gatherings, Meaningful Members’ Meetings and Fellowships, as well as Men’s and Women’s Fellowships/Retreats.

We Train

Developing a vision that expects each member and regular attender to be in regular training environments is vital to our church’s mission.  We want to strengthen and develop spaces that train in membership, sound doctrine, missiology, and leadership.  We need multi-layered classroom  environments.  Sunday Morning Bible Study is one such environment targeted at all ages.  In addition, we will employ a Leadership Labs as way to better train current and future leaders.

We Pursue

Developing a healthy congregation that makes disciples necessitates smaller spaces where the Story of God is worked out and worked into the hearts of our people. Our DNA Groups are the most essential way to do this.  These are not classroom environments.  They are gender specific small group spaces that work to create Gospel community and cultivate disciple-making.  Additionally, the elders need to more readily invest in each member family through regular (annual) family check up meetings.

We Live

Developing a healthy missional church that engages our community is the offspring of the previous rhythms.  The missional outflow of our church comes primarily through the faithful response of believers who live with Gospel focused intentionality with in their spheres of influence of home, neighborhood, work and play.  There is a corporate element to this as well. First, we will find ways to be more involved in community service such as the partnership with the Cedar Grove Elementary as well as partnership with other local agencies, businesses and non-profits to seek the flourishing of the city and draw people into the story of Jesus.