Know * Grow * Sow * Go
Our mission is simple - to know God as fully and intimately as we can, to continually grow in our love and adoration for Christ, to sow the Gospel locally in our community, and to go with the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Knowing God
"The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever." John Piper
The inconceivable and breathtaking truth that the God of the universe reveals Himself personally to those who seek Him is staggering-and it is this truth that convicts us at GCC to encourage others to seek after Him with all of their being.
We believe Knowing God the Father is the ultimate reality for every individual and the only way to experience true and lasting joy. Knowing Jesus Christ personally and trusting in His righteousness as our means to reconciliation with God the Father is our only hope for salvation. And knowing the Holy Spirit guides, empowers, sanctifies, and renews us daily, giving us power to joyfully serve others and glorify God.
We encourage others to personally know God through 4 main avenues.
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Biblical teaching: By clearly teaching the Biblical truths concerning the character of God, the sinfulnes of man, the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, the necessity of faith, and the urgency of eternity.
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Contemporary worship: By allowing God's people to freely and unashamedly express their love, joy, praise, and adoration to their gracious and merciful Savior.
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Prayer: By encouraging others to seek a personal relationship with God through private, intimate conversation; by encouraging members to consistently pray for one another; by leaders in the church faithfully and consistently praying for those in the covenant community; by all members of the covenant community praying for the name of God to be glorified both locally and around the world.
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Silent time: By encouraging everyone to set aside time daily for Bible reading, study, and prayer.
Growing in Christ
He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating [with] such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine. C.S. Lewis
A person is given a wonderful gift, once he is saved by grace through faith in Christ, to become more like Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. This growth, called sanctification, simultaneously brings more glory to God and more joy to the person. Glory to God by the visible work of a changed life devoted to God and the good of others, and joy to the person for those same reasons.
At GCC we foster growth in Christ in the following ways:
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Bible Studies: By studying the Bible and supplemental Biblical material together we learn spiritual disciplines and are better able to assist each other in spiritual growth.
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Life Groups: By being part of a small group of people who meet consistently over time we are able to teach, admonish, assist, help, care, and pray for one another.
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Practical Teaching: By teaching from the Bible in ways that are relevant and useful we are able to put our learning into practice in our daily lives.
Sowing the Gospel
"The worst crime of the desert is knowing where the water is and not telling."
Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection to those around us is both a privilege and command. To know the gospel of salvation and not share it with those close to us is the most unloving thing we can do. Because of this, GCC is constantly working to improve the ways its members and leaders can openly, unashamedly, and effectively share the Gospel with those close to them.
The following are used to help us become more effective at sharing the gospel with others:
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Gospel saturation: By constantly presenting the good news of Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection in everything we do, members build confidence and comfort through repetition to share the gospel with those around them.
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Community Events: By orchestrating fun and relaxing events tailored to our community, we build relationships with others in an unobtrusive and non-threatening environment, allowing us to speak with them openly about the gospel.
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Biblical Counseling: By offering help, hope, and healing to those around us who are suffering as a result living in a broken world with broken people.
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Life Groups/Bible Studies: By meeting together with others and telling of God's mercy and grace in our lives, sharing our struggles and concerns with one another, and encouraging each other through accountability and prayer.
Jesus' final command to His followers was to "Go and make disciples of all nations." At GCC we take this command seriously, and it is our ultimate goal to take the Gospel not just to those near to us, but also to those around the world. As a new church, we are focusing on building relationships with groups and organizations who we can partner with in the global effort of taking the Gospel to all nations. We believe it is important to strengthen the churches in regions where the Gospel has already been established as well as take the Gospel to regions where the good news of Jesus Christ has not reached.
We will help to spread the gospel to all nations in the following ways:
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Global partners: By using our resources to help organizations already working toward the goal of reaching all nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Giving financially: By giving to missionaries and church planters already established in a region we are efficiently using our resources to further the spread of the Gospel.
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Missions trips: By going to other nations ourselves, whether it be short-term or long-term, we are submitting our lives to God's will of making disciples in all nations.
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Prayer: By praying continuously and urgently for God to make His glory known in all nations and by praying for effective gospel proclamation to all nations through the missionaries worldwide.
Going Globally
"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."