Philosophy of Ministry

Purpose:

The purpose of the Evangelical Free Church of Atlantic is to glorify God by making disciples who love and obey God, build up one another, and are witnesses to Atlantic, Cass County and all the world. (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)

Goal:

The most important activity of our church is to produce maturing, growing disciples.(Matt 28:18-20)

We define a disciple as a believer who is becoming more like Christ by obediently growing in biblical character, in ability and desire to minister to others, and in helping to make new disciples.  (Lk 14:27; Jn 14:21; Jn 15:7-10, 12)

Philosophy of Equipping:

  1. The senior pastor is to equip the saints: to be a shepherd, to be a prayer intercessor; to give direction, train leaders, teach the Word and be a model disciple, (Eph 4:11-16, II Tim 2:2, I Pet 5:1-3)  Other staff members will similarly shepherd in their area of ministry. Ministries appropriate for lay leaders may be performed by them rather than the senior pastor.
  2. Lay leaders are to model discipleship, grow in their own ministry skills and equip church members for ministry. (I Pet 5:1-3)
  3. Lay leaders will be called to service based on character, giftedness, and faithfulness to our purpose. (I Cor 12:4-8; I Tim 4:6-16; II Tim 2:2; James 3:13-18)
  4. All lay leaders must be growing disciples committed to the church's philosophy of ministry and they will be continuously involved in leader training designed to improve their God-given gifts.  (II Tim 2:2)
  5. The church member is to be committed to grow as a disciple, to be trained to use his/her gifts and to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to directly minister to Christians and pre-Christians.   (Eph 4:12-16; I Pet 4:10)  The church will encourage all members to develop the gifts or the Spirit so that they can be creative and active in making disciples. The church will also provide resources for such disciple-making that will address the individual needs and environments of those being discipled.

Philosophy of Church Programs:

  1. The purpose of every church ministry is to produce and develop disciples. Every ministry that does not effectively meet this purpose will be either modified or discontinued. (I Cor 10:31)
  2. We will encourage regular attendees to participate in a worship service, a Sunday school class, and a small group. (Heb 10:25)
  3. The primary function of our worship service will be to celebrate the Triune God and to proclaim His Word. (Ps 145 et al; I Tim 4:13)
  4. Our Adult and Youth Sunday School classes will be a key outreach and assimilation point for the church and provide a place for fellowship and teaching. Our children's classes will stress both knowledge and application skills.
  5. Small groups are designed to provide relevant Bible study, caring relationships, and loving accountability in spiritual growth and outreach.
  6. The primary functions of the Elder Board will be to give spiritual guidance and leadership to and provide oversight of all ministries; ensuring that they are in harmony with the church's doctrinal statement, constitution, and philosophy of ministry. (Acts 20:28-35; Heb 13:17)
  7. Whenever possible, we will maximize the number of persons doing ministry. Leaders of ministries will be responsible for the management of their ministry and will be accountable to the Elders. (Eph 4:12-16)

Philosophy Of Principles For Best Making Disciples:

  1. Evangelism is the starting point and indispensable catalyst to all disciple-making. Evangelism activities will address the needs of specific groups, and methods will vary according to those needs; with the result of leading persons to Christ. (Acts 8:4)
  2. We are committed to the principle of multiplication of ourselves by evangelizing, discipling, training, and delegating ministry to others who are faithful. We will do this using the methods of apprenticeship and reasonable accountability. (II Tim 2:2)
  3. We will primarily make disciples as a church team rather than as a collection of independent individuals. (Heb 3:12-13)
  4. We will promote the belief that the church's most important identity and ministry occur in its people as they live out their lives each day. (Col 4:2-6; I Pet 3:15)
  5. Although our purpose will remain the same, our organizational structure and leadership styles will be allowed to change as we grow. (Matt 9:17)
  6. All of our ministries will be Biblically based and supported by a strong base of prayer, thereby expressing our total dependence upon God. (Matt 7:24-27; I Thess 5:17)

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