Key marks: growth, progression, maturity & commitment

Key habits: discipleship, spiritual disciplines & accountability

Real transformation is about the journey. Transformation is more than simply signing a card or raising your hand at an evangelistic crusade. Real transformation is seen by the progression to maturity. The primary path to maturity is discipleship.

Discipleship is all about bringing believers to maturity in Christ. It is important to realize that evangelism is simply the first step in the disciple making process. We must have at the core of our ministry the goal of bringing individual believers to spiritual maturity. This is one of the primary purposes of the church.

Maturity is Christlikeness. It is men, women, and children demonstrating the character qualities of Jesus Christ in both their private and in public lives. God’s goal is for the church to be filled with ordinary men, women and children who exemplify the extraordinary integrity, temperament, wholeness, compassion, individuality, boldness, righteousness, earnestness, love, forgiveness, selflessness, and faithfulness of Jesus Christ.

We would describe a maturing believer as one whose life reflects a growing commitment to:

• Biblical accuracy and authority

• Personal purity and integrity

• Evangelistic courage and concern

• Healthy relationships and biblical worldview

• Serving others by doing the work of the ministry

Through the process of maturing, some believers will come to recognize their gift of leadership. These men and women will be trained and begin to serve in areas of leadership.

Key Passages: Matthew 28:19-20, Colossians 1:28, Hebrews 6:1, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 2:1-2

Key marks: love, devotion & community

Key habits: worship, prayer & fellowship

We all crave real relationships. In a world that is shallow and disconnected we value true relationships and friends we can talk to face to face. We want to replace online networking with real people and chatting with a personal conversation that has emotion.

Our first relationship is with Jesus. This comes by his initiating grace to each of us. We build this relationship through two united disciplines. Worship is one side of this coin. Worship is not an event once a week but a daily experience in all that we do. We worship when we show devotion and adoration for Jesus, when what we do with our words and actions honor him. We also build this relationship through prayer. Prayer is our continual talking and listening to Jesus. Conversation is essential for any true relationship and it is no different when it comes to Jesus.

Our next relationship is with other people. This relationship is expressed in what we call the church. It is a community of people that are connected to one another for a common purpose. The church is described as a bride, a body and a family. We desire to express real relationships through fellowship in this family. This creates a community of people that truly love one another and are devoted to each other. The New Testament lays heavy emphasis upon the need for people to know each other, closely and intimately enough to be able to bear one another’s burdens, confess faults one to another, encourage, exhort, admonish one another and minister to one another. The church is not a building; it is a people. The church is not an organization; it is an organism that is organized.

Real relationships build strong unity even in strong diversity. This type of relationship with one another fosters trust and closeness. When people disagree or one is even hurt by another, a real relationship allows for forgiveness and reconciliation. Dedication created in this relationship cannot be broken over trivial matters and love will always prevail just as the love of Jesus prevailed on the cross.

Real relationships are a direct reflection of how we were created. God has a real relationship within Himself. The Father, Son and Spirit are in perfect harmony and show love and devotion to one another. The world will know the love of Jesus when they see the love we have for one another.

Key passages: Matthew 22:36-39, 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, Romans 12:4-5, Ephesians 2:19

Key Marks: authenticity, consistency & selflessness

Key habits: missional living, humility, evangelism & service

A real lifestyle is marked by an authentic and consistent walk. Our faith is not something to wear on Sunday and then put it in our pockets Monday morning. We want to be a blessing to our family, our neighbors, our coworkers and our community everyday by the way we live and serve others. A real lifestyle is more than just a religious duty or ritual. It encompasses all aspects of the believer’s life. We do not “do” church on Sunday, work Monday through Friday during the day and then play on Saturday. A real lifestyle is marked by “being” the church everyday in every aspect of our lives. We help those in need at work, bring comfort to those in the park, share life with our neighbors and even pray for those in restaurants. Our selflessness and service does not stop on the way out the church building doors.

We believe that biblical influence is realized through serving others by investing our lives in them. Our greatest satisfaction in life comes, when motivated by our love for Jesus we exercise our gifts in serving others. When we serve together as a body, we become an authentic witness to our community and the world. In doing so we become a worshiping community of influence.

A real lifestyle also becomes a strong witness to the world around us. The argument of hypocrisy is deflated when we show consistency in our everyday life. This lifestyle brings the opportunity for believers to share the hope that is within them. A real lifestyle is in the world but not of the world.

A real lifestyle is also humble. A person who is living an authentic life does not mask or hide what is inside. A person is not afraid to show the mistakes, hurts and struggles in his or her life. When we are open and transparent true growth takes place and healing can occur. It does not make God small when we share our failures but in fact show His greatness to bring us through these trials.

Key passages: Mark 10:45, 1 Peter 4:10, 1 Corinthians 1:27-31, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Philippians 2:1-11

Key marks: sacrifice, surrender, & endurance

Key habits: stewardship, ambassadorship & missions

Webster’s defines perspective as “a specific point of view in understanding or judging things or events, especially one that shows them in their true relations to one another” We each have a perspective to the people and events around us. The question is really, “what is shaping my perspective?” A real perspective is shaped eternity.

We all intellectually recognize that our time on earth is temporary, but we still think and act as though it were not. When we develop a real perspective on all of life’s issues we begin to see the world beyond ourselves. We realize that the world does not revolve around our lives but there is something bigger than ourselves. We see the eternal value of people, creation, money, work, etc. How we interact with others and handle our day-to-day affairs demonstrate our understanding of being on earth for a short time and preparing for the future eternity.

This eternal perspective reminds each of us that we are not citizens of this world but ambassadors for Jesus. We are sent with his message and authority. We are not to put our personal agendas in place of what God has already spoken.

With a real perspective people understand that everything belongs to God and we are simply managers of His resources. Stewardship involves more than money. How we use our time and energy is also expressed with an eternal perspective. We are each allotted a specific time and how we use it displays our view of God and eternity.

This real perspective also creates a strong value for the world around us. There are many people around the world that suffer under no choice of their own. Oversea missions assist churches and people across the globe to serve others with real needs and provide hope found in Jesus.

A real perspective determines where you store up your treasure. We either work for instant reward and gratification or we give ourselves fully for the greater award waiting in Heaven. Jim Elliott said, “he is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Key Passages: 2 Corinthians 4:18; Matthew 6:33; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Philippians 3:7-8, 1 Corinthians 10:13