STARTING POINT
"CHURCH" WHAT DO YOU THINK HEAR THAT WORD?
OF
WHEN
YOU
If you look in an English dictionary under the
However, when we read
letter C, somewhere between Chocolate and
the
Bible
(specifically
Cider, you'll find the word Church. Church is an
the
New
Testament)
English term that has many different definitions.
and come across the
In the dictionary, you will probably find five or
word Church, what does
six different definitions for Church.
it mean?
The Greek word interpreted as Church in the New Testament is the word Ekklesia and this word doesn't carry all the definitions of the English term Church. Instead, the term Ekklesia refers to the specific group or gathering of people that God has called out of this world and to himself.
gathered.
So when you see the term Church in the Bible, remember this refers to all of God's people which He has
SO... WHAT IS A WESLEYAN CHURCH? Churches that consider themselves traditionally "Christian" (including the Wesleyan Church) have many of the same core beliefs (belief in one God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the Savior of all, the Bible as the inspired Word of God, etc.). The major belief that distinguishes the Wesleyan from other Christian churches is that the Entire Sanctification or Holiness. Wesleyans believe that God Calls His children to honor Him in every area of their life (we'll learn more of what this means in the week to come).
Lets Talk Have you ever been a part of church in the past? What brought you to our church? What are you hoping to experience here?
"...I will build my church, and the gates of death will not overcome it." - Matthew 16:18 (TNIV)
OUR PASTORAL STAFF
There is no “I” in Team. Welcome Wesleyan Church is blessed with multiple gifted leaders who serve the Lord and His people well. Here are the amazing people who are here to help you grow in your faith and take your next steps!
LEAD PASTOR Tim Englesman
OFFICE MANAGER Joan Craine
CHILDREN'S PASTOR Jocelyn Bybee
STUDENT PASTOR Dusten Bybee
CARE PASTOR Dale Link
WORSHIP PASTOR Ethan Bourne
ONLINE MINISTRY DIRECTOR Trent Neal
DISCIPLESHIP DIRECTOR Crystal Talley
NOW THAT WE'VE TAKEN A LOOK AT WHAT CHURCH IS (AND ISN'T) LET'S LOOK AT OUR CHURCH'S VISION & MISSION.
VISION: WHAT WE WANT TO SEE People of all ages and background Transformed by the Gospel, engaged in Community, & Living on Mission for Jesus.
MISSION:
HOW WE HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH IT Help people discover who Jesus is, Develop to become like Him, and deploy to change their world.
SO MANY PEOPLE ARE LIVING WITH A DISTORTED VIEW OF REALITY. HOW DO WE WELCOME THEM TO THE REAL LIFE 3-D MISSION OF JESUS?
STEP 1: DISCOVER
This begins with allowing the Holy Spirit to break our hearts for people to the point where we have an awareness and desire to serve them in away that fosters relationship. Through that passport of relationship, we are then able to share the gospel that we have already lived out.
Now he had to go through Samaria.. Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” …Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” …”Sir,” the woman said. “where can you get this living water?” -John 4::4-11
QUESTIONS TO ASK? How are we seeking, serving, and fostering relationship? Who are the people in our lives that need Jesus? How are we helping people discover Jesus?
LetsTalk What do you think are some reasons people choose not to get involved in church today? If they won’t come to church, how can you bring the church/Jesus to them?
HOW CAN SOMEONE HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS? First, we admit we have a PROBLEM. We all have a desire to be our own boss in our lives, even if that means ignoring God’s desires for us. The Bible calls this attitude SIN and it SEPARATES us from God who loves us and desires to be in relationship with us.
If you decide to ACCEPT this gift, you can pray this simple prayer and begin your relationship with Him:
“Your sins have cut you off from God.” – Isaiah 59:2 BUT…there is GOOD NEWS: God provided a solution so I could be forgiven of my sin! That SOLUTION is JESUS! “…the wages of sin is death, but The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Our Lord.” – Romans 6:23 The only thing left to do is either ACCEPT or REJECT what God has done for us through Jesus. God gives us this choice. He doesn’t force this on us.
Do you know what happens when you decide to follow Jesus? Scripture tells us: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the NEW CREATION has come: The OLD has gone, the NEW is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Dear God, I realize I need You in my life and I’m sorry for my rebellion toward you. I ask You to forgive me. Thank You for sending Jesus to die in my place. As much as I know how, I want to follow You from now on. Please come into my life and make me a new person inside. I accept Your gift of salvation. Please help me now as I grow as a Christ follower in community.”
It's time to celebrate what God has done &
INTRODUCE THE NEW YOU! (a.k.a. BAPTISM)
Once you decide to follow Jesus, the next step is to experience BAPTISM. This is the model Jesus demonstrated and commanded us to follow. It’s the way you publicly identify that you trust in His life death, and resurrection and are now on a new mission.
LetsTalk
What is the First Word that pops into your mind when you think of baptism? Have you ever observed a baptism before? If so, who was baptized, and what do you remember about it?
What's the meaning of Baptism? *Baptism illustrates my NEW LIFE as a Christian. “Baptism doesn’t MAKE you a believer, it demonstrates that you have believed and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It’s important to understand that baptism does not “save” you. You are “saved” only by your faith in Jesus. Baptism is an OUTWARD SIGN of an INWARD COMMITMENT.
SHOULD I BE
BAPTIZED?
If you are considering baptism, there are two important questions to ask yourself. Have I made a commitment to have Jesus be the CENTER of my life? Am I ready to PUBLICLY share this life change with my community? So you gave your heart to Jesus and now you love and know God and have a growing personal relationship with Him.
Now what? Once you accept Jesus, you become one of his "followers" or "Disciples." What is a disciple? A disciple is a follower of Jesus who Develops or grows to become who "knows and reflects Jesus in all they do."
STEP 2: DEVELOP
This step happens by constantly involving ourselves in and inviting others to experience more of Jesus. While sin thrives in isolation, spiritual growth happens in community.
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:46-47
You see? We're better together!
How it Works In Scripture we see that disciples make disciples, so we see that as we are being made new or transformed, Jesus; desire is that we seek to impact our transform those around us. At our church this happens in what we call CONNECTION GROUPS.
These groups really fall into 3 main categories: PRAYER GROUPS - Primarily about building intimacy with God and each other. NEXT STEP GROUPS - Focus on the reviewing and going deeper of each week's message topics or series. FOCUS GROUPS - Study a particular topic, book of the Bible, or leadership development.
In each setting our goal is for you to experience a measure of the ABC's. ACCOUNTABILITY - We want you to know that you matter, and like any good team mate, if you stumble or fall, we want to help you get back in the game. We're here to encourage you! BELONGING - Lots of churches are friendly, but here at our church we actually want to be friends! CARE - As part of the family we want to celebrate the exciting things that happen in your life, and at the same time be there to grieve and pray with you through the difficult times. DISCIPLES - This sets us apart from support groups and other membership type clubs, because we aren't here to just experience relationships with each other, no we want to deepen our relationship with Jesus.
LetsTalk
Where have you experienced the most meaningful relationships in your life? In what Kind of setting did that occur? What are some drawbacks of not being in community with others? What are some of the benefits of connection?
STEP 3: DEPLOY
The
key
to
this
step
is
helping people understand "sent-
"Then Jesus came to them
ness." We all have a role to
and said, "All authority in
play in the body of Christ
heaven and on earth has
and
been given to me. Therefore,
and
embrace
their
employing
talent,
and
our
time,
treasure
to
go and make disciples of all
multiply the Kingdom of God
nations, baptizing them in
is the most thrilling and
the name of the Father and
meaningful
of the Son and of the Holy
way
we
can
invest our lives.
spirit, and teaching them to
We want people connected with Welcome to be going to
their
families,
gatherings,
work
social place
environments, schools, and places of business with the intent of influencing others one
step
closer
discovering Jesus.
to
obey
everything
I
have
commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very and of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20
LetsTalk How does knowing that you can make a positive difference in someone's life right now and for eternity make you feel? What scares you about Deploying or serving as a part of God's family at our Church?
Whether you're excited or scared, here's the good news:
"...You will receive power when the Holy Spirit come on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." - Acts 1:8
GOD DOESN'T EXPECT US TO DO IT ALONE! WE SERVE TOGETHER! LOCALLY - Through our Community Impact Events (Toy Shop, Great Big Grocery Blessing, volunteering, etc...) GLOBALLY - Through projects and trips to meet physical and spiritual needs.
How do I join a team?
IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHERE TO START,
Look no further!
There are so many ways to use your gifts and abilities for God's Kingdom here at Welcome and out in our community! So here's how to get plugged in: STEP 1: "TEST DRIVE" This step gives you the chance to "try out" a ministry area without long term commitment. Think of it like a job shadow. If you're looking to serve our in the community, check out one of our Community Impact Events and see where the Holy Spirit might be leading you? STEP 2: SPIRITUAL GIFTS INVENTORY After you've completed your "test drive," we want to walk you through the process of discovering the unique way God has gifted you. At this step we will help you identify your spiritual giftedness. STEP 3: LEADERSHIP This step is the final comprehensive part of our serving process. At this stage, our hope is that you will have grown and matured and are ready for LEADERSHIP in a ministry. This step will help you identify your specific temperaments and deeper levels of giftedness for further ministry.
OVERALL DISCIPLESHIP PROCESS
DISCOVER
DEVELOP
DEPLOY
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES: What are some ways you have served others in the past? What service opportunities did you find fulfilling? Which ones weren't so fulfilling? Do you feel as though you know where you can serve here at Welcome?
GOT QUESTIONS? Now that we've gone through this section of starting point, what questions do you have? Write them in the space below: