Post on 26-Dec-2015
transcript
Welcome to the NewLife
Information Class
“Understanding What We Believe”
What on Earth are you here for?
Session “0”
I. What on Earth am I here for?
A. It all starts with God.
1.You can’t find life’s meaning by looking within yourself.
(Romans 12:2)
2.Your birth, your life, your being here, is no mistake or accident. God planned you
(Acts 17:26)
(Ephesians 1:4)
II. PURPOSE = Why you exist. A. You were born by His Purpose, for His Purpose
1.God loves and values you.
YOU MATTER TO GOD!
(John 3:16)
2. God made you so He could love you. This is a truth to build your life on.
(Psalm 139:15-16)
3. You were made to have meaning and to make a difference in this world.
4. Focus on eternity. You will spend far more time on the other side of death.
(Ecclesiastes 3:11)
What on Earth is NewLife here for?
Session 1
I. What on Earth is NewLife here
for?
A. It all starts with God.
1. NewLife desires to be a Biblically functioning church.
2. Therefore we look to the Word for our Purpose and Vision as a church.
(Matthew 28:19-20)
3. We are told to go to all nations and teach them to obey.
a. We, right where we are, need to take all we have seen and heard to a world that is dying to hear it.
(Acts 4:20)
II. PURPOSE = Who NewLife is and
why we exist.
A. At NewLife Community Lutheran Church
1. We exist so that people will become
devoted followers of Jesus Christ and,
in turn, lead others to God. (Purpose Statement, based on Matthew
28:19-20)
2. We are to go to people and
teach them so that they in turn obey Jesus
and lead others to Him.
3. Come as you are… just don’t plan on
staying that way!
4. God’s plan was to build His kingdom on
earth through people… called the body
of Christ (the Christian church).
B. Who are the people Jesus is
referring to when He said “all nations”?
(Acts 1:8)
1. The Bible makes it clear that …
a. Since all people matter to God, all
people matter to us.
2. Therefore a Biblically functioning church needs to address all four areas.
a. Jerusalem
b. Judea
c. Samaria
d. Ends of the Earth
3. How do these four areas apply to
us today?
a. Jerusalem = NewLife, the local church.
We need to build a relational, loving community of believers who look to
God’s Word for our church’s direction.
b. Judea = Relationships, those in
our spheres of influence.
People in our lives who are disconnected from God.
c. Samaria = Different, outside
our spheres of influence.
People who are culturally different from us.
d. Earth = Missions, outside our geographic area.
Extend God’s love beyond the walls of our church, community, state and
country.
C. What do we mean by “a devoted follower”? The Bible tells us that
the early church…
(Acts 2:42)
1. The early Christian church defines
four areas of development .
a. Apostles’ Teaching = regularly studying God’s Word.
b. Fellowship = we need to develop horizontal relationships with other believers.
c. Breaking of Bread = receive Christ’s gift to us through regular attendance of Worship. (Communion= come & union)
d. Prayer = continually focus on spiritual growth and trust.
2. We are to be always looking for
ways to reach all people and
encourage them to become a devoted
follower.
III.VISION= Where NewLife wants to go as a church?
A. At NewLife Community Lutheran Church; WE WANT…
1. We want to be a people
committed to reseeding Genesee County with biblically functioning
churches and to extend ourselves into the
world mission field.
2. We want our members to realize God’s
presence in their lives and receive
nurturing support from one another.
3. We want our church to
communicate God’s unchanging Word in a
relevant way to a changing world.
4. We want to experience _joy in our
serving and worship.
5. We want to live in happiness and
peace with one another.
6. And, in everything we do, we want NewLife Community Lutheran
Church to be led by the Holy Spirit in order
to attract people who are
disconnected from God.
B. All ministry decisions need to be
done with our Purpose and Vision in mind.
1. Our eyes are on others and not on self. 2. How do we make sure we stay on
task?
IV. MINISTRY WHEEL: How we
fulfill our Purpose and accomplish our Vision.
A. Administrative Model (Ministry Management Teams)
1. Mission Minded (God’s Mission/ The
Church’s Mission)
a. Everything we do at NewLife is with mission in mind.
b. Everyone has been called to be in mission, everyone is an
evangelist.
c. NewLife is committed to reaching out to
those who are disconnected from God.
- Jerusalem Judea-
- Samaria
Earth-
2. Master Magnification (Worship)
a. The greatest influence we have to reach
the disconnected and far from God are
through our worship.
b. Therefore, it is important that we do
everything within our ability to magnify
and elevate our God through excellence.
3. Member Maturity (Spiritual
Formation)
a. We encourage people to be active in a
Life Group.
b. We encourage people to be involved
in serving through sharing of time, talents and treasures.
c. We encourage people to be regular in
attendance and in the study of God’s Word
4. Ministry Motivation ( Ministry
Formation)
a. Enables the work of the church to get
done and equips people to do the ministry of the church.
b. We are all ministers and where we
serve, that is our ministry.
c. Every baptized Christian has been
given a gift which is special to them. It
is given so that they can serve and
help to build up the body of Christ, the
church. (Spiritual Gifts)
B. What makes up the Ministry
Management Team?
1. Each of the four areas has a ;
a. Staff Representative.
They are paid by the church to be a resource to fulfill our Purpose and
Vision.
b. Board of Director Representative.
They are appointed to conduct the business of the Purpose and Vision.
c. Elder Representative.
They are appointed to be the spiritual overseers of the Purpose
and Vision.
2. They are only representatives of
the church.
The people are the church.
C. Why do we call ourselves … “Lutheran Church?”
1. LCMS = Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. (NewLife)
a. WELC = Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
b. ELCA = Evangelical Lutheran Church of America