Vision

Disciples making Disciples

Our Vision:

Disciples making Disciples, as commanded by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This is what we have been called to do and this is what we are committed to do as a church. What is a disciple? Jesus gives us a definition of this throughout the gospels.

A Disciple:

	Loves God ..................................Worship...........................Luke 14:25-35
	Loves the Word of God..............Instruction........................John 8:31-32
	Loves the People of God............Fellowship.........................John 13:34-35
	Loves the World........................Evangelism........................Matthew 10:5-42
	Bears Fruit..........Changed Character and Conduct............John 15:1-8

It is our prayer that through the ministry of Berachah Church, that many would grow in their love for God, His Word, His people and for those who are yet to believe. And we pray that God would change us from the inside out so that all could see that we love God.

Our Core Values:

From our mission we have established seven core values. These values are the characteristics that we want to reflect in our church. We are praying that these values can be seen in every person and every ministry within our church.

	Giving ourselves to the making of disciples is driven by our desire to glorify God
	God changes lives through His word and the Holy Spirit
	Everyone matters to God and must matter to us
	Every member is a minister
	The role of leadership is to train and equip the body for service at home, in the

church, and in the world

	The methods of ministry are to be relevant to the culture
	Prayer is the means by which God accomplishes his work

Our Vision:

Every member fully engaged in the discipleship process. This is our vision. We want everyone associated with Berachah Church fully given to the discipleship process.

What is that process?

From Matthew 28:19-20 we learned that there are three ways to make disciples. They are as follows:

By Delivering:

Jesus told us to make disciples by "baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Baptism is the ordinance of the church that formally welcomes a person into the life of the church. And so we believe that the church is the main institution given by God to make followers of Christ. And so in order for a person to grow as a disciple, he or she needs to be brought into the fellowship of the church.

We call this "delivered" because baptism is associated with confessing Jesus to be Savior and Lord. And when that confession is made with a heart of faith, we are then delivered from our sins and brought into the life of the church.

We see this deliverance into the life of the church as being far more than joining an institution. Rather, we see it as becoming a part of a family. And so one of the key elements of making disciples takes place through the relationships of God’s people. We call that "fellowship."

By Developing:

Jesus also told us that we are to make disciples by "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." We become disciples by being taught the Bible. That can take place through formal preaching and teaching. But it can also take place in an informal manner as well. The examples we live are ways to teach the faith. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, 16, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. . . watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

We learn to love God and each other through studying God’s Word. We learn to care for those who do not believe through learning God’s Word. We are changed from the inside out through the teaching of God’s Word. This is a critical means through which God grows his people.

By Deploying:

Jesus shares one more key element with us when it comes to making disciples. HE tells us to "go!" He deploys us into his service. When we give of ourselves in ministry to others we grow as disciples of Christ. When we use the talents and the gifts God has given to us for his service, we bring glory to God and he blesses us.

Our vision then is to have every member fully engaged in the discipleship process. That means we want everyone:

Delivered into the church:

By that we mean we want close relationships to develop and sense of community to be experienced as we care for and encourage each other.

Developed by the teaching of God’s Word:

We want everyone to come under the instruction of the church on a regular basis.

Deployed into service:

We want to move every person into a situation that will use their gifts and passions for the glory of God and the advancement of the church.