Statement of Passion and Mission

Our passion is to glorify God by proclaiming Christ in order to "present every child complete in Christ"

Glorify God – that is, the ultimate goal of all our labors and prayers is to be used of God to have His person and works known and praised by increasing numbers of people. We seek not to glorify any man, nor do we desire the applause of men.
(Psalm 145, 1 Corinthians 10:31, 1 Peter 4:11, Revelation 1:6, 4:11)

By Proclaiming Christ – that is, our principle means of glorifying God is, in reliance on God’s Spirit, unveiling Christ to the heart and mind of each child in the following ways:

• Proclaiming Christ through teaching – The people of God have always had the God-given mandate to pass on the tradition of the faith. (Deuteronomy 6:7f, Psalm 78:5-6, Ephesians 6:4) This tradition is centered in the revelation of Christ found in the O.T. and N.T., and the doctrinal truths that surround His story.
• Proclaiming Christ through community – The message of Christ must not only be heard, but also it must be experienced. Precept, as well as example, is essential to Christian formation. The body of Christ has an integral role in demonstrating to children what a Christ-centered lifestyle and community looks like. As the community serves in their world as Christ served in His, the children learn what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ.

To present every child complete in Christ – that is, we strive for the result of every child becoming like Christ in belief, character and lifestyle. A child who is becoming complete in Christ is one who is learning to love the Lord, his God, with all his heart, mind, soul and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37). He is learning to put his whole confidence in God and is growing in obedience (Psalm 78:7). He is learning to live by the power of the resident Christ to sacrificially serve His church family as we ll as a needy world. (Mark 10:45, John 13:14, Matthew 9:36-38).

Statement of Mission

Our mission is to serve every child as Christ would have served them, by drawing them in to Christ, building them up in Christ, and sending them out for Christ.

Serve … as Christ … served – that is, we will give of ourselves sacrificially to see each child come to an enduring faith. We will follow the example of Christ who “came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) We will consider ourselves bond-servants for the sake of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:5) We will serve our children being “well pleased to impart to them not only the gospel but our own lives.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8)

Every child – that is, our ministry will be broad in its outlook. We will seek to minister to every child within our ministry, neglecting none no matter how challenging, and we will seek to expand our witness to children beyond our walls.

Drawing them in to Christ – that is, we will seek to lift up Christ (John 12:32) in hopes of seeing many children drawn to relationship with Him. We will not be satisfied with “whoever happens to show up”, but will endeavor to do all we can to seek the lost, even going to where they live to demonstrate the love and glory of Christ. (Luke 19:10)

Building them up in Christ – that is, we will walk with each child as they learn to walk with Christ, until they are firmly rooted in their faith. (Colossians 2:6-7) We will provide systematic, biblical instruction, and godly adult relationships in the context of a loving community, in an effort see the children grow in their love for the Lord and submission to Him in every area of their lives.

Sending them out for Christ – that is, we will not feel we have built up a child in Christ unless we have equipped him to go out into the world. As the Father sent Christ into the world with the mission of glorifying His Father by bringing salvation to all the nations (John 17:18, 20:21) so each child must be equipped with a similar life mission and the skills to accomplish that mission through the Spirit’s power. (Matthew 28:19-20)