Our Shepherd is a Christ-centered, mission-minded family – motivated by God’s love as we grow in our faith to serve, invite, and engage the Region with good news of Jesus.
Christ-Centered - The Why
The why behind what our church does isn’t the advancement of political agendas. It isn’t dead traditionalism nor arbitrary innovation. It isn’t to be ‘of this world’, nor is it to be ‘out of this world’. The timeless, timely message of Jesus is the why behind what we do - always. That we are Christ-centered means Christ and his gospel will always take center stage – in every single aspect of our ministry. Whether in service within our community or services at our church, the focus is always Jesus, the Son of God - the central figure of the Bible, our hope, joy, and eternal salvation (John 5:39). That we are Christ-centered means our ministry and message will be:
more Christ-motivated than glory-motivated
more focused on a common identity than competing identities
more a growing family than a maxed-out country club
more systematic than sporadic
Gospel-Driven - The What
The gospel is what we do. The good news of Jesus (the gospel) is the best thing we can offer the Region - and we are not ashamed of that (Romans 1:16). After all, the message we are called by Christ to share is the best message in the world. It’s the message of our God rescuing us and winning for us eternal life in heaven. When Christ and his gospel alone are the foundation upon which we build, we’re able to meet ministry opportunities with confidence and innovation. That we are gospel-driven means Our Shepherd’s ministry and message will be:
more engaging than casual
more about exposition than entertainment
more for wisdom than for trivia
more relevant than contemporary
more opportunity-focused than obstacle-focused
Grace-Motivated - The How
How we do what we do is moved and motivated by God’s amazing love for us in Christ (1 John 4:19). The saving love our God first showed us can be dynamically seen in our relationships within our church, but also seen in our gospel-engagement within the Region. That we are grace-motivated church means we will be:
more personal than procedural
more a hospital for sinners than a museum for saints
more about quality than quantity
more about practical necessity than personal convenience
Mission-Minded - The Whom
Our gracious God would veil himself in skin and bone to live, die, and rise to reconcile and restore people to himself - people of every tribe, language, and nation. Because of Jesus, there is no separation - no line in the sand - that once divided us from God. He calls us to share that message with the world - and that starts within our immediate community. Being “all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23) in order to reach the lost and make disciples for Christ isn’t something to which we merely give lip service: we live it. That we are a mission-minded congregation means that Our Shepherd’s ministry mindset and methodology will be:
more for all people than for just church people
more for our entire community than for just our church
more mission-focused than ‘me-focused’
more intentional than arbitrary
more diverse than traditionalistic
All-Involved - The Who
Service in a Christian church isn’t reserved to Christians who’ve gone to Bible colleges and seminaries: Christ calls us where we are - as we are - to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8). Our God tells us that “we are [his] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God in advance prepared for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Our God delights to work through us. Gospel-ministry is far more beautiful (and frankly, far more fun) when all the diverse gifts and talents God has given us are used together as a church family for the building up of God’s Church and the advancement of his kingdom (Ephesians 4:11-16). That we are an all-involved family serving together in gospel-ministry means that opportunities to serve within Our Shepherd’s ministry will be:
more self-sacrificing than self-serving
more about people than production
more rewarding than painful
more valuable than optional