Living Faith Christian Fellowship Church of God in Christ

Our Vision

OUR PURPOSE Living Faith Christian Fellowship will fulfill our Lords command to reach, baptize, and teach those in our community, by building an overcoming church with renewed lives through the power of Jesus Christ. OUR VISION Living Faith Christian Fellowship will fulfill our Lords "Great Commission" by sharing the love of God in Christ with every person through evangelism, discipleship, ministry, fellowship, and worship. OUR MISSION Living Faith Christian Fellowship Church of God in Christ is primarily directed toward bringing people throughout the Richmond metropolitan area into a personal relationship with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At the same time our church has a mission to extend this vision deep into the seemingly God forsaken, poverty stricken, illiterate, and crime infested neighborhoods of our city. This vision was birthed out of Pastor Boyds burden for those who have been trapped "out in the deep." In Luke 5:4, Jesus told the disciples who had been toiling all night catching nothing, that if they would "launch out into the deep" and let down their nets, they would catch more "fish" than they could handle. There are some "fish" that are not being reached by those who are fishing close to the shore. To be able to catch those un-reachable "fish", it is going to require some radical, innovative, modern, and bold strategies. Our community is in crisis, and we need to return to the old landmark of evangelism, at the same time using new methods given to us by Divine inspiration. This type of vision requires a unique dedication to Gods people and an untiring willingness to get souls saved by whatever means necessary. A VISION FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE A VISION FOR COMMUNITY MINISTRY Statement of Purpose As a dynamic church proclaiming the Word of God, we purpose to make disciples of Christ from every ethnic and racial group representing humanity: Exalting God Encouraging Christians toward Spiritual Maturity Equipping Christians for Ministry Evangelizing the World for Christ WE ARE A WORSHIPPING CHURCH - "EXALTING GOD" Worshipping God is the #1 priority of all Christians everywhere. It is the purpose for eternity. Both for personal and for corporate worship we desire to create an atmosphere conducive to warm and dynamic worship of God. This is the number one commitment of all Living Faith Christian Fellowship members: to put God first in all things. The only thing beautiful about Living Faith Christian Fellowship is Jesus. When we as a congregation sense His presence in our services, then all is well. When He comes, lives are changed, hurts are healed, and Joy is received. Psalm 95:6 7, Psalm 96:8 9; Romans 4:6 11; Matthew 6:33, Matthew 22:37 WE ARE AN ENCOURAGING CHURCH - "ENCOURAGING" Hebrews 10:25 states that we are not to "forsake our assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another and all the more, as you see the day drawing near." We desire Living Faith Christian Fellowship to be known as a building church. Not so much in the construction of buildings, but more importantly, the building of lives. People can only grow in an atmosphere of warmth and positive supportiveness. A church that is in the Word of God, reflecting the warmth of God, will bring its world to God. Encouragement works two ways. For the person who is encouraged, it gives him strength and renewed determination. For the encourager, he always feels good after lending a helping hand (Romans 12:1 2). We want to encourage believers to consecrate themselves through fasting, praying and giving. This type of behavior will lead to spiritual maturity. To "consecrate themselves to Gods plan for their lives" means more than just to know Gods will. It means to know and do His will. God has a plan for each life, and it is a priority of Living Faith Christian Fellowship to help you know and do His will. We realize that the key to victorious living is to totally give your life to God and allow the Holy Spirit to fill your life. It does not take great men to do great things; it takes dedicated men. Ordinary men, sufficiently dedicated, can do extraordinary things. WE ARE A MINISTERING CHURCH - "EQUIPPING CHRISTIANS" To minister to someone is to reach out and meet his/her needs. Jesus taught us that the highest form of leadership is service to others. Too often we do injustice to the word "ministry" by placing it under the hat of a person who becomes a pastor or full time ordained individual. The importance of ministering to one another is demonstrated in Matthew 26:6 13. In this scripture a lady came and placed perfume upon Jesus and expressed her devotion to Him. When others complained about the cost of the perfume, it was evident that they did not understand that ministering to others is more important than status (for she was a lowly woman) or cost. Jesus was so touched by her ministering to Him that He declared, "Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her." The pastoral staff is doing its best to disciple and equips each believer with tools and opportunities to be used effectively for the building of His church. The local church essentially is a training place to equip Christians to carry out their own ministries. Unfortunately, for many Christians, the church is a place to watch professionals perform and to pay the professionals to carry out the church program. In many quarters, Christianity has deteriorated into professional "pulpitism financed by lay spectators. The church hires a staff of ministers to do all the Christian service. The scheme is not only a violation of Gods plan but an absolute detriment to the growth of the church and the vitality of the members of the body. To limit the work of the ministry to a small, select class of full time clergymen hinders the spiritual growth of Gods people, stunts the development of the body, and hinders the evangelistic outreach of the church into the community. Matthew 9:35 38; Ephesians 4:11 13 Throughout the Christian centuries, no principles of church life have proven more revolutionary than the declaration of Ephesians 4. This passage states that the ultimate work of the church in the world is to be done by the saints plain ordinary Christians and not by professional clergy or a few selected laymen. The five offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher exist for but one function: that of equipping the Christians to find their gifts and do the tasks that are assigned to them by the Holy Spirit. WE ARE A SOUL WINNING CHURCH - "EVANGELIZING" Right after Jesus gave us the "Beatitudes" in Matthew 5, He made two interesting statements concerning Christians. He said, You are the salt of the world" and you are the light of the world" Jesus expectation of our lives is that we should be a preservative to our society. Our lives should, as salt, make those around us thirsty for Jesus We ought to be the light in the path of a darkened troubled world. We become beautiful when our attitude toward Christ, others, and ourselves is right. An attitude is nothing more than "an outward expression of an inward feeling." When we are inwardly attractive, we become an outwardly beautiful demonstration of love to those around us. And we can even lead the lost to a saving knowledge of Christ. Sharing the love of Jesus and bringing people to a personal relationship with Him is the most important work Living Faith Christian Fellowship can do as a congregation. Jesus said in Luke 15:7, "I tell you. . . there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous people who need no repentance. Living Faith Christian Fellowship should be a church that makes heaven happy! Matthew 28:19 20; Acts 1:8 V. CONCLUSION From a positive viewpoint, our statement of purpose can infuse energy into the body as we cooperatively direct our resources toward a profitable purpose. This statement of purpose poses a three fold test when applied in its content: 1. The Glory Test: While the purpose is being achieved, will it be something for which God will be praised? 2. The Courage Test: Does it solve real problems that confront real people? 3. The Gift Test: Will this purpose grip the imagination and interests of Gods people until they will commit their spiritual gifts to the church? Note: All plans and programs must fit within our stated purpose or be subject to dismissal as a Living Faith Christian Fellowship church activity. PRAYER "Father, in Jesus name, may this statement of purpose be transferred from this paper to the hearts of those who read I and participate in the ministry at Living Faith Christian Fellowship Church of God in Christ. May it not be something that we put in a frame, but may it be something, which becomes a positive force within our lives. Give us guidance on how to best fulfill this purpose in the lives of those whom You love so much." Amen.