MISSION
Go Make Disciples – Our mission comes from Jesus Himself – it is the greatest mission – the great commission.
“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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
VISION
Changed Lives – Our vision is to see Jesus change lives.
Jesus changes the lives of his disciples; those who repent, accept His lordship, and who obey His authoritative Word. Through the help and aid of the Holy Spirt, changed lives are reflected by an eagerness to exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Spirit convicts growing believers to develop lives of holiness so that the Father is honored in all that we do. Worship becomes not solely a Sunday morning event, but a lifestyle that is practiced at work and play, in the presence of believers and unbelievers, and in good times and bad. Lives changed by Christ are recognized by an eagerness to serve Him, side-by-side with other Christians, prayerfully using the gifts He has provided; these gifts are used in the Church for His glory. Lives transformed by Christ strive to please Him by loving each other, loving the ‘unlovable’, by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who don’t know him, and by discipling followers of Jesus to obey everything He has commanded.
VALUES
As a community of committed believers who strive to fully give our lives to Christ, we embrace:
Jesus First – We strive to obey Him; pointing people to Jesus, as head of His Church - Lord and Savior of our lives.
Growth – We are committed to Spiritual and numerical growth, cultivating fruitfulness in every ministry.
Service – We are active Christians using the gifts of the Spirit to serve Christ and each other.
Relationships – We pursue God-honoring relationships with Christ and with each other.
Equipping – We “equip His people for works of service so that the Body of Christ is built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the full measure of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13).
Mercy – We are merciful with each other because Christ Jesus mercifully forgave us even when we did not deserve it.
Change – We are transformed through the Word of God in a lifelong process of becoming more like Jesus.
Generations – We endeavor to teach kids the Bible who will disciple future generations.
STRATEGY
Protecting – The Elders are committed to shepherding the congregation and ensuring that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is taught consistent with what is articulated in scripture (1st Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:9). Further, the Elders oversee the teaching of Biblical values. To this end, the elders will protect sound doctrine, be accountable to each other, will assess the effectiveness of ministry, call for church unity, and raise up future elders. We need Valley Christian Church to diligently pray for the Elders as they seek God’s leading.
Doubling – We will faithfully proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every ministry. Matthew 25:14-30 illustrates that we should be good stewards of the resources that God has entrusted to us. What’s more, Isaiah 55:11 tells us that actively and faithfully proclaiming the Gospel will lead to fruit. Therefore, with the blessings of God, the Spirit’s lead, and hard work, we endeavor to at least double -starting with worship attendance, group membership, and team ministries- with the goal of reaching more people than we thought possible for Christ.
Equipping – Matthew 9:37 and Luke 10:2 teach that while the harvest is plentiful, workers are few. Therefore, Valley endeavors, with God’s blessing and the Spirit’s lead, to pray for workers, to encourage ‘side-by-side’ service, and to intentionally identify and develop Christ-like servant leaders for equipping believers for works of service (Ephesians 4:12-13).
Opening – We welcome opportunities for multiple entry points; that is, multiple services and multiple groups of Christ followers at multiple locations. To reach people who don’t know Jesus Christ, we will pursue campuses and plant disciple-making churches that will allow the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be presented not only in Fargo-Moorhead, but also in the Upper Midwest, the United States, and even to the ‘ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8).
Expanding – We are seeking the Lord’s will to expand the Kingdom of Christ in both traditional and nontraditional ways. The goal of which to glorify God through the consistent presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our community and to make disciples who follow and obey Jesus Christ. Therefore, we recognize at least three broad opportunity-areas by expanding internal giving; securing external gifts and grants; and launching ministry extensions. As the Spirit leads, the Elder team will make the final decision regarding which of these methods to pursue.