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Our
Purpose
"To
magnify the glory of God through Jesus Christ in all things
(1),
by responding
to His grace in worship (2),
applying
His grace in discipleship (3),
and extending
His grace in outreach (4)."
1. To Magnify the Glory of God Through Jesus
Christ in All Things
The larger catechism of the Westminster
Confession of faith begins aptly with the question, "What
is the chief end of man?", to which it responds, "Man's
chief and highest end is to glorify God (1)
and to enjoy Him (2)
forever." These two objectives encompass the totality of
our individual and corporate purpose as redeemed people. Everything
we do as individual Christians and as a church should magnify
the supremacy of God and promote our continual enjoyment of
fellowship with Him. In the truest sense, this is our overarching
and ultimate purpose statement (3).
The question we must answer as a local church
is, "How do we glorify and enjoy God?" It is our conviction
that each local church must, by the grace of God, strive to
achieve and maintain this dual aim of glorifying and enjoying
God by remaining devoted to fulfilling specific duties and privileges
which He has imparted to the church. These duties and privileges
have been organized and expressed in diverse ways by different
churches. Because of the interrelatedness of Scripture there
is naturally some overlap in the expression of them. We have
chosen to distill and arrange these biblical truths into three
priorities of worship, discipleship and mission.
(1) "...whatever you do, do all
to the glory of God." (1Cor. 10:31b)
(2) "With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide
me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven
but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. My
flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever...But as for me, the nearness
of God is my good; ..." (Ps. 73:24-28a)
"...what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also,
that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our
fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete."
(I Jn. 1:3-4)
(3) "...to Him be the glory in the
church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and
ever. Amen." (Eph 3:21)
"Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances
of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which
God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through
Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever
and ever. Amen." (1 Pet. 4:11)
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