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THE VISION STATEMENT
INTRODUCTION
There are many great Bible believing churches in the Greensboro area. These churches differ from one another in many ways (doctrine, polity, programs, and priorities), yet the Church of Jesus Christ in Greensboro is served by the diversity which exists.
There are tens of thousands of people in Greensboro who are without Christ and without hope of eternal life. The more ways our community can be reached and transformed by God through His people, the better. Thus Christians can celebrate the diversity of local churches and seek unity within that diversity as they bear witness to Christ.
We believe there is a legitimate need for an increased reformed evangelical witness in Greensboro. There already exist faithful local congregations who proclaim Christ from a reformed perspective. Yet, there is not only room for growth, but also a need for greater diversity of approach.
The characteristics of Covenant Fellowship described below delineate one possible approach we believe would bring further honor to Jesus Christ in this city. None of these characteristics would be unique to this church; many are found mixed with other characteristics in other Greensboro churches. We honor, respect, support, and seek mutually edifying relations with our fellow reformed and/or fellow Bible believing brethren in Greensboro.
BIBLICAL TEACHING ABOUT THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST WHICH UNDERGIRDS THE MINISTRY VISION OF COVENANT FELLOWSHIP
(1) God promised through Abraham, ratified in The Great Commission, and pledged through His Son to build His Church by calling out of the nations a people to Himself, and through this people to bring further blessing to the nations. God the Son came to earth to purchase this people by his death and resurrection. He now sits at God's right hand as lord of the universe and king over the church, directing its growth and its service in the world through the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit.
(2) The people of God gathered in a local setting are a local outcropping and expression of the universal church of Jesus Christ. They are called to bear witness to Christ through worship, holiness of life, mutual love, evangelism, and service in the world.
(3) The people of God are called to celebrate their shared life in Christ through corporate praise, adoration, and prayer.
(4) God reveals Himself and His Will primarily through His Word. It is the Word of God preached, taught, and then applied to the mind and heart by the Holy Spirit, that is the primary source of equipping, growth, and guidance in the local church.
(5) Believers are called to love one another as Christ has loved them, and by this mutual love to show forth the reality of their profession and to bear witness that Jesus is from the Father. All members of a local body have significant contributions to make as the body gathers for praise, exhortation, prayer, mutual encouragement, and service one to another.
(6) Believers are called to submit every aspect of life to the lordship of Jesus Christ. The church is called thus to be an equipping station enabling Christians to think about and apply Biblical principles and world view to each aspect of life.
(7) Believers are to be equipped and enabled to explain the reason for their hope, and to see themselves as God's hands and feet reaching out into the local community. Evangelism should take place out in the world, with new believers brought into the church for discipleship and growth.
(8) The people of God are called to be salt and light in the world, not withdrawing from the surrounding culture, not accommodating itself to it, but creatively and energetically infusing it with light and transforming it by the power of God.
(9) God's purpose in saving individual persons is that they be conformed to the image of Christ, thus becoming fully realized, whole human beings, in relation to God and to one another.
BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF COVENANT FELLOWSHIP
(1) The primary organizational concept will be that of the cell group. Each cell group is to be a worshipping and equipping station, a little church within the church. Discipling, shepherding, and mutual love and care will take place first in cell groups. Cell groups will also be seen as one point of entry for new members and for unbelievers.
(2) The Sunday gathering will have an informal, participative feel. The main elements will consist of praise and singing, preaching, and mutual sharing and prayer. The gathering will typically include a congregational meal. Communion will be shared and celebrated on a regular basis. An open participative worship environment will be encouraged.
(3) Families will be encouraged to stay together on Sunday, although nursery and Sunday School will be provided for younger children. There will be a general commitment to intergenerational fellowship. There are no plans for youth or adult Sunday School.
(4) The Sunday meeting will last approximately three hours including the meal time, with adequate breaks between major segments of the gathering. The starting time is presently 10:00am on Sunday mornings.
(5) The preaching will be seeking over time to bring the whole counsel of God to the people. Its purpose will be to glorify God and equip the saints, as Scripture is explained, drawn out, and applied. The preaching will be oriented towards showing forth the nature and purposes of God, and towards meeting real spiritual and practical needs of believers.
(6) The church will seek to be organizationally simple. The cell group structure, by pushing pastoral care and mutual ministry responsibilities down to the cell group level, will help ensure this simplicity. Apart from monthly leadership meetings, there will be only the Sunday gathering and a weeknight cell group meeting to attend each week.
(7) Because of the organizational simplicity, the emphasis on Christian service will be aimed towards the believers' life and witness in vocation, family, and community. There will be an emphasis in cell groups and in the Sunday gathering upon equipping members for service in the home and in the world.
(8) The vision of the church is that of believers infused into the world, being and bringing Christ to others, addressing the public issues of the community, incorporating their Christian world view into home, work, and community life. Our vision is that of a congregation equipped to bear witness to Jesus Christ in and through every aspect of life.
(9) The lifestyle or friendship evangelism model will be encouraged. There will be an emphasis on developing an in-depth understanding of both the Christian and non-Christian world views, in order that members will be able to understand and speak to non-believers as whole persons.
(10) Because God has given primary responsibility for the training and nurturing of children to parents, there will be a strong emphasis on equipping parents for discipleship, shepherding, and Christian education of children in the home environment. This equipping will take place through cell groups, special seminars, and local para-church ministries. In addition, the congregation will provide a supportive, encouraging, and helpful environment for parents seeking to serve God in their home and community.
(11) It is the intent of the church to lease or rent a non-traditional meeting place for Sunday gatherings. There are no plans for purchasing a multi-purpose church building.
(12) There will be a group of non-ordained men and women committed to the vision of this local body, and to evangelical doctrine, which will carry out much of the ongoing operations of the church. The work of this group will be overseen by the elders.
(13) The congregation will be overseen by elders. Elders are called by God to oversee and shepherd the local congregation. In our understanding, all elders are pastors and are equal in authority and dignity and honor. Thus the congregation will have not one but many pastors.
(14) One of the elders will be financially supported for his eldership. His role will be to preach expositional or topical sermons on Sunday, to serve as one of the elders in support of the operations group, to help disciple and equip cell group leaders and other elders, to pray for the flock, and to marry, visit, and give funerals when needed. This elder will not be the pastor, but a pastor over the flock. One of his chief roles will be to elevate the other leadership in the mind of the flock. This preaching pastor will be an ordained minister in the ARPChurch.
(15) All significant decisions for the church will be made only after a thorough examination of pertinent Biblical material has been made and the issue discussed and prayed over by the church leaders.
(16) It is anticipated that this church could become an equipping station for leaders who could go on to serve in other churches.
(17) The congregation will be affiliated with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) Church.
EXPECTATION OF CHURCH MEMBERS
(1) Commitment to personal spiritual growth.
(2) Commitment to the living out of God's Word in all of life. Personal and community ministries will be encouraged and supported.
(3) Commitment to love and care for other members.
(4) Commitment to the development and practice of lifestyle evangelism.
(5) Commitment to the principles and characteristics of the church as outlined.
(6) Commitment to regular attendance at two weekly meetings--the Sunday gathering and the week-night cell group, unless prohibited by job or other such circumstances.
(7) Commitment to financial support of the church.
POSSIBLE PROFILE OF POTENTIAL MEMBERS
(1) Those who prefer an informal worship style.
(2) Those with strong involvement and interest in community ministries who need a support structure.
(3) Those who seek in-depth Biblical teaching, preaching, and study opportunities.
(4) New believers who need Biblical discipling and nourishment in a supportive fellowship.
(5) Those who prefer an intergenerational emphasis to the extent practical.
(6) Those who would prefer and benefit from the closeness of community in a smaller cell group fellowship.
SUMMARY OF MAJOR DISTINCTIVES OF COVENANT FELLOWSHIP
(1) Evangelism will be emphasized as members interact with non-believers in vocation and community. Members will be equipped to have substantive discussion with non-believers about their faith. They will be encouraged to communicate clearly the gospel and all other truths of Christianity in today's pluralistic society. Some cell groups will be designed for evangelistic outreach.
(2) There will be a teaching priority with emphasis on the development of a Biblical world view and equipping of believers for bearing witness to Christ in every aspect of life.
(3) The organizational and administrative structure will stress simplicity.
(4) Church activities will be limited so that members will have more time and resources to demonstrate God's love and reality to the world.
(5) The Sunday gathering will be informal, participative, and creative.
(6) The use of a cell group organizational structure will decentralize much of the ministry of the church.
(7) The plan is to have a non-traditional meeting place.
(8) The church will be shepherded by a plurality of elders.
(9) There will be special emphasis on equipping parents for training and nurturing children in the home environment.
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