CorvallisEvangelicalChurch exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ by:
Connecting people to the heart of Christ…
Sharing His Message
Showing His Love
Growing as His disciples
Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39)
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
Defining a Disciple
A disciple is a believer who is in the process of becoming more like Jesus Christ by -
· displaying His character
· seeking to daily live out His values and disciplines as learned in His Word
· answering Christ's call to a life of service to others
· seeking a growing relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ
· pursuing relationships with other disciples in the church to carry out the biblical requirements of love
· cultivating relationships with unbelievers to carry out Christ's mission to make disciples of all nations
· seeking in everything to glorify the Father
· Intentional Discipleship - The emphasis of intentional discipleship is the transformation of lives through relationship with Jesus Christ rather than church programs. The purpose of every activity of our church is to make and develop disciples of all ages - evangelizing the lost, encouraging and nurturing new believers, establishing believers in the basic habits of the Christian life, equipping believers for ministry, and employing them in the ministries to which God has called them. Any activities that are not complementary to this disciplemaking process will be modified or discontinued.
· Prayer - We will saturate all ministries in prayer, thereby expressing our total dependence upon God. A strong prayer base will support all of our ministries and their leaders, and the value of and the importance of prayer will be taught, emphasized, and modeled as a lifestyle.
· Personal Relationships - We recognize that true disciplemaking can only occur in the context of personal relationships, where we invest in each other's lives in meaningful ways, and that spiritual growth happens best when people are in relationships with others who hold them lovingly accountable for their commitments to God.
· Adult Ministries - We will encourage all adults toward a faith in Jesus Christ, ongoing spiritual growth, and loving relationships with each other by providing opportunities for participation in small groups, Bible Fellowships, worship services, and service activities.
· Family Ministries - We will lovingly support and equip marriages and families to be honoring and pleasing to God, to become more Christlike in their relationships with one another, to effectively pass on their faith from generation to generation, and to radiate God's love to all those who come in contact with them.
· Children's & Youth Ministries - We believe that the children and youth of our church are important disciples. They are the future of our church! Therefore, we will use the same disciplemaking principles in our children's and youth ministries through age-appropriate materials and programming.
· Evangelism - We will demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to unbelievers and effectively communicate with our words and actions the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we will seek to discern the specific needs in our community and our world and address those needs through various intentional outreach activities with an attitude of love and grace. We will learn how to clearly explain the gospel and pray continually for opportunities to speak to and love unbelievers.
· Disciplemaking Mission - We will be a church that not only trains disciples, but also develops new disciplemaking churches and equips existing church leaders for intentional discipleship, starting in our own community and extending throughout the world.
Roles in a DisciplemakingChurch
We value and uphold every believer as a minister. We also recognize that service gifts are equally important as leadership gifts. In fact, both types of gifting are critical in building and maintaining a healthy, disciplemaking church.
· Disciples - The role of all believers at Corvallis Evangelical Church is to continually mature as disciples in the power of the Holy Spirit, to grow in the spiritual disciplines and qualities that Christ exhibited, to recognize and develop their God-given gifts and abilities, to be involved in the ministries and activities of the church family, and to directly minister to the needs of Christians and non-Christians in our church and community.
· Disciplemaking Leaders - The role of our disciplemaking leaders is to be a model of a growing disciple of Christ, to demonstrate a lifestyle of discipleship, evangelism and Christian service; to seek ongoing development of ministry skills, and to be committed to the church's philosophy of ministry. They also teach biblical truths, encourage and support others in their ongoing spiritual growth, help others keep their commitments to God, train others to be effective witnesses for Christ, and equip others to contribute to ministries that help fulfill the vision that God has given our church.
· Leaders of Other Ministries - The role of leaders in our service-oriented ministries is to be a model of a growing disciple of Christ, to demonstrate a lifestyle of discipleship, evangelism and Christian service; to seek ongoing development of ministry skills, and to be committed to the church's philosophy of ministry. They also creatively and responsibly lead their ministry area, coordinate others to help run the ministry effectively, and seek others to apprentice as future ministry leaders.
· Pastors - The role of the senior and associate pastors is to seek God, spend time in prayer, communicate God's vision and direction for the church; to train, mentor and coach leaders; to teach and preach God's Word, to shepherd the flock and empower others as shepherds, to oversee the management and administration of church operations, to be a model of a "Disciplemaking Leader" as described above, and to serve as liaisons to the other churches in Corvallis and around the region. Pastors should seldom perform ministries that other leaders could do, unless it is absolutely necessary.
· The Church Council - The role of the church council is to set broad policies and macro-manage the business affairs of the church in keeping with our statement of faith, by-laws, and philosophy of ministry. Council members are also models of a growing disciple of Christ, demonstrate a lifestyle of discipleship, evangelism and Christian service; and are committed to the church's philosophy of ministry. They provide support and accountability for the pastoral staff and, along with the pastors and ministry staff, seek and affirm God's vision for the church.
Key Elements of Whole-Church Disciplemaking
· Corporate Worship - We demonstrate unity of faith by gathering publicly to celebrate the living Christ. By using clear and meaningful forms of communication, we corporately enter into God's presence to seek Him, to praise Him for who He is, to thank Him for all the evidence of His love in our lives, to pray to Him, to submit our lives to Him, to hear His Word proclaimed, and to invite His Spirit to renew our hearts and minds.
· Mid-Sized Groups - We provide opportunities for fellowship through our "Adult Bible Fellowships" (usually targeted at a specific life-stage). Here, God's Word is taught and discussed, meaningful social relationships are developed through both weekly meetings and activities outside of the class, newcomers are welcomed, and intentional outreach strategies are launched.
· Small Groups - We have a whole array of small groups where more personal relationships can be developed. Most of the groups are focused on helping people to continue growing in their faith through teaching, encouragement, support and accountability. In these groups, disciples are usually grouped with others of a similar level of spiritual maturity. Other groups are designed to help non-believers discover the truth of God's love, or to create an environment of mutual support and growth for those who share a common struggle or life situation.
· Ministry Community - The Ministry Community is composed of disciplemaking leaders who have been apprenticed to lead their specific area of ministry, including small-group leaders, teachers, and outreach coordinators. It meets regularly for enhancement of ministry skills, ongoing discipleship and accountability, and inspiration about God's future work in and through us as believers and as a disciplemaking church.
· Apprenticeship - The foundational strategy for carrying on and multiplying the ministries that God leads us to is the process of apprenticing new leaders. Although we offer occasional group seminars for apprentices, training is primarily 1:1 (or 1:2) through a Mentor-Apprentice relationship with someone already involved in the ministry. Opportunities to learn and practice skills specific to that area of ministry are then learned "on the job."
