Vision

There is not a more authoritative source of truth about life than the Bible because it is inspired by God himself. As a church, we want to not only accept this fact but embrace it and arrange our lives around it. The elders of the church placed this first in the list of defining qualities because all other qualities flow from it. If Genesis Community Church is not serious about conforming to Scripture, then we cannot expect to have a full and powerful experience as worshipers of God and ministers of the gospel. Therefore, everything we think, do, and say must be brought into the light of God’s Truth and only what is seen to be in compliance with Scripture should remain. This is the aim of the elders as we arrange the teaching and preaching of the word, the organization of services and ministries, and the manner in which disciples are made. This should also be the aim of each member of the church, including the elders, as we all seek to honor God in all phases of life. If the Bible says we should do something, we must do it. If the Bible forbids something, we must not do it. Where there is disagreement on what Scripture teaches, it is the responsibility of the elders to seek wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit and shepherd the flock with love, gentleness, and humble confidence in the Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 18:30, Matthew 4:4, Luke 8:4-15, 2 Cor 2:17, 2 Cor 4:2, Colossians 3:16, 1 John 2:4-6

There are several Scriptures that command and appeal to believers and even whole churches to pray, yet this remains one of the most neglected forms of ministry in most Western churches. This lack of individual and corporate prayer is a disregarding of Scripture and the desire of the Spirit in the church. A famous English preacher of the nineteenth century named Charles Spurgeon once said about this issue, “Oh, without prayer what are the church’s agencies, but the stretching out of a dead man’s arm, or the lifting up of the lid of a blind man’s eye? Only when the Holy Spirit comes is there any life and force and power.” We can truly do nothing apart from the power of God, and he has established prayer as the means by which we can rouse God to action for the sake of the glory of his name. All believers are taught by Jesus and the Apostles to pray as individuals and together. This teaching is accompanied in Scripture by the example of Jesus and the early church. Because we desire to conform to Scripture wholeheartedly, we have established prayer as a major function of our Sunday services, our community groups, and a monthly gathering we call First Wednesday. As a member of Genesis Community Church, we would expect you to see the value Scripture places on corporate prayer and be eager to attend these meetings for the sake of entreating God to make his name great through us.

Acts 1:14, Acts 12:12, Acts 20:36, Romans 15:30, 2 Cor 1:10-11, Philippians 1:19, 1 Tim 2:1, Philemon 1:22, James 5:16

The kingdom of God is radically, socially, culturally, ethnically, and economically diverse. This is not an accident but an intentional product of the cross of Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, he broke down natural barriers that separated people and set them at odds with one another. He did this to create a church for himself that is gloriously unified in him, even if they find no unity in anything else. During his time in the world, Jesus violated traditions, customs, and natural prejudices of his earthly culture by extending grace to Gentiles, Samaritans, prostitutes, adulteresses, tax collectors, rich people, poor people, disabled outcasts, Roman oppressors, and demon-possessed people. After his departure, Jesus began building a global church for himself that continued to reach every type of human being. Therefore, it should be our eager expectation that God would use us to reach all types of people as well. We are not merely interested in building a diverse Sunday morning experience, however. The goal is to live in diverse community. This means we will go beyond greetings and pleasantries and actually live life together. We will seek to bear one another’s burdens in confession and repentance of sin. We will serve one another with zeal and love. We will seek to honor one another. We will be hospitable and gracious. We will not rebuild, even passively, natural barriers that were torn down by Jesus. We will intentionally know and love one another for the sake of spurring one another on to increasing Christ-likeness and joy derived from believing the gospel. As a member of the church, you will be expected to faithfully attend a Community Group where this can be lived out.

Ephesians 2:11-22, Ephesians 4, Philippians 2:27-30, 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 7:9

We are dedicated to the preaching of the gospel because it is the established plan of God through which people hear and believe the truth that leads to salvation and sanctification. The gospel is not only an on-ramp into eternal life; it is the path of eternal life that leads to increasing holiness, joy, peace, and security in Christ. It is the truth we must be reminded of and walk in every day. For this reason, all of our teaching and preaching, all of our singing, all of our discipleship efforts and ministries, will be platforms for the preaching of the gospel. This includes all of our individual platforms at home, at work, in our neighborhoods, and any other sphere of life. All believers are called to preach the gospel wherever they go, to share the truth of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. This will make us a peculiar people in the world and expose us to various trials. At the same time, our dedication to preaching the gospel will make us a people who are useful to Jesus as he saves souls and builds his church. There is no greater joy than this. As members of Genesis Community Church, we will hold each other accountable and spur one another on to share the gospel with the people in our lives.

Luke 4:43, Acts 8:4, Acts 15:35, Romans 1:16, Romans 10:14, Romans 16:25, 1 Cor 9:16

The word “disciple” appears 260 times in the gospels and Acts and discipleship is one of the primary themes in all of the New Testament. The last words of Jesus to his disciples before he ascended were devoted to a command that turned the world upside down. As a disciple-maker, Jesus passed his teaching down to his disciples. Included in his teaching was the command to make disciples. Therefore, every person who believes the gospel and becomes a disciple of Christ also becomes a disciple-maker. This is not a ministry reserved for pastors and foreign missionaries; it is the daily life of normal Christians.

Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

1. We submit to and take comfort in the ultimate authority of Jesus as the engineer and the engine of disciple-making. He is doing this.
2. Our mission field is global. No one is excluded. Every person is a potential disciple.
3. We invite them into the church (community) through baptism.
4. We teach them what Jesus teaches.
5. We trust in the power of Jesus to be with us through the presence and power of His Spirit.

As a member of Genesis Community Church, you will be expected to help, encourage, and engage in our efforts to make disciples, including subjecting yourself to discipleship.

Matthew 28:18-20