Ministry Vision
Our highest aspiration at Southcrest Baptist Church is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever and we believe that we will do this as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
We hope to grow in grace in four areas of the life that we share:
1. Worship - confessing and responding to Gods glory in Christ. We will promote a variety of worship experiences (praise, prayer, preaching, etc.) in a variety of settings (services, concerts, classes, retreats, etc.) that engage participants emotionally, intellectually, and volitionally with the truth of God's Word and the majesty of His grace, knowing that this is the kind of worship the Father seeks (John 4:21-24).
2. Fellowship - experiencing our oneness (koinonia) in Christ. We will encourage gracious relationships within our congregation because we believe that this is the local expression of the family of God. We will program for togetherness, promote genuine friendships, bridge generational and interpersonal differences, and we will diligently seek reconciliation when necessary (1 Thessalonians 4:9 &10).
3. Discipleship - pursuing maturity in Christ. We will preach, teach, sing, pray, discuss, read, study, memorize, and meditate upon the Scriptures regularly and enthusiastically. We are decidedly evangelical in our conviction that faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).
4. Outreach - sharing the grace that we know in Christ. We will cooperate with and participate in mission efforts in our community, across cultural barriers, and around the world. Through acts of service, words of testimony, sacrificial giving, and constant prayer we will demonstrate our love for God and for our neighbor (Acts 1:8).
We will pursue our ministry guided by the following priorities:
1. Integrity - our wholehearted commitment to Christ. Further, we hold that there is no authentic encounter with Christ that contradicts or deviates from the Scripture and that the Bible is indispensable to both our salvation and our sanctification. Integrity is our highest priority and that means that nothing in our family life assumes preeminence over our corporate and individual devotion to God.
2. Community - our genuine commitment to each other. Our fellowship takes precedence over every other concern within this congregation except for Biblical integrity. We will not tolerate broken fellowship with anyone except on the grounds that he or she holds convictions that are irreconcilable with Scripture. That means that we must repent when we sin, forgive when we are wronged, and pursue peace at any cost but our integrity.
3. Productivity - our commitment to stewardship of the ministry we've been given. We will constantly evaluate our administrative structure and ministry programming, aiming for maximum efficiency and effectiveness, but we will avoid any program or strategy that conflicts with our Biblical integrity or hinders genuine fellowship.
We believe that the enjoyment of our shared life and ministry is an essential aspect of glorifying God (Psalm 37:4). With this in mind we will endeavor to minister and to live with an abiding joy that comes from a deepening intimacy with Christ, which is characterized by profound gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Our hope is to think Biblically about our ministry first and always, but there are other books that have been helpful to us as well. While we do not necessarily endorse any of these writings without reservation, they have all had an influence on our vision.
- Desiring God by John Piper
- Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper
- Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer
- The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever
- What is a Healthy Church? by Mark Dever
- Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
- Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
- Life Together by Deitrich Bonhoeffer
- Amazing Grace: Gods Initiative, Our Response by Timothy George
- Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, Ralph Winter, ed.
