Loving God. Loving People. Building Strong Families.

VALUES

  • Connecting to our Community – We value missional living. Everybody is a missionary.
  • Connecting our Community to Christ – Everyday evangelism.
  • Caring for one Another – We are family. We care deeply for each other.
  • Cultivating the Gifts – We value training, releasing, and sending.

CONNECTING TO OUR COMMUNITY

In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus, in a declaration to the disciples, made the statement now known as The Great Commission. We are unable to escape this command, and as such we are called to GO. It does not say to have them come to the church, rather it commands us to go. As such, we endeavor to go to our community and be used by the Lord to influence our community. We are called to influence where we live, where we work, and where we worship.

CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY TO CHRIST

With the command to go is the command to CONNECT people to Christ. We are not called to just go, but to go and make disciples of all nations, to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are called to teach them about the Word of God and train them in the things of God, and we are confident that He is with us to the very end.

CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER

Jesus shows us a picture of how internal heart change should lead to external action in Mark 12:29-31. The inescapable truth that we are called to Love God and Love People is loud and clear. As a result, we must CARE for those who Jesus allows us to influence.

CULTIVATING GIFTS

It is clear from Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12-14 that we have all been given gifts by the Holy Spirit. The purpose of receiving those gifts is stated in 1 Corinthians 12:7, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” It is our desire, and to our benefit, to see those entrusted to this body understand, CULTIVATE, and use the gifts God has willingly given them. We will be a better body of believers as a result.

Who We Are

We are a family, first as the family of God and secondly as individuals brought together through the leading of the Spirit of God. We function as a family keeping in mind it was the first institution established by our Father. Everything we do will facilitate relationship with God, with each other, and with our community.

  1. We seek to do all we can to preach this great gospel of love to the world in outreach to those who have never understood.
  2. We are committed to an environment of love, acceptance, and forgiveness. We are patient with and supportive of one another and sensitive to the healing and discipleship process.
  3. Jesus is the Truth. He is the Word of God manifested in the flesh. It is to Him that we answer in all things.
  4. The Bible, being the Word of God is, and always will be, held as our ultimate authority.
  5. Spirit-filled worship of God is as vital to us as breathing.
  6. We seek and honor the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our public services and in all we do as a church, encouraging the expression of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
  7. We are committed to prayer as a lifestyle individually and corporately.
  8. We cherish our children as blessings from God and consider them an integral part of the church body.
  9. As children are blessings from God, so new members are received as rich additions to our family.
  10. Church will be fun!
  11. We endeavor to facilitate the gifts, callings, and potential of each individual member of the family.
  12. We actively seek to protect the dignity and sanctity of human life, including the unborn.
  13. We honor our heritage as we look towards our future.

Our Missional Focus

Jesus, in His last comments before ascending to heaven in Acts 1:8, tells the disciples that they are to be witnesses for Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This command is still applicable for us today. We each have concentric circles we are called to influence on an individual level and on a corporate level both through giving and going.

At Grace Community Church, our concentric circles look like this:

Jerusalem: Our Grace Community Church family

Judea: Heritage Elementary School, Fossil Ridge High School, the neighborhoods immediately to the south and west of us, the apartment complex southwest of us, and the police station on Riverside Drive

Samaria: The surrounding neighborhoods and schools in 76244 and 76137 

The ends of the earth: This is all of our missions efforts, including the communities outside of 76244 and 76137 where our congregants live. We believe we are called to GO, and as such, we attempt to have at least one short-term missions trip every year. We focus our trips on resourcing, supporting, and encouraging missionaries and organizations who will be effectively ministering in their local context long after we return home.