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About Christian Church (DOC)

CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)

OUR COVENANT

In accepting our Vision, Mission and Imperative, we affirm our need to: be an antiracist/pro-reconciliation church, strengthen relationships among all manifestations of the church, share mutually and more fully the stewardship of God’s gifts of our life in Christ, encourage our growing diversity within our church family and community, work with our many ecumenical and global partners to heal the brokenness of the body of Christ and the human community.

STATEMENT OF IDENTITY

“We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the One Body of Christ we welcome all to the Lord’s table as God has welcomed us.”

MISSION IMPERATIVE

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), In our quest to embody Christian unity, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we Believe God calls us:
OUR VISION
To be a faithful, growing church, that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice. (Micah 6:8)
 
OUR MISSION
To be and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps “to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
 
OUR IMPERATIVE
To strengthen congregational life for this mission. (Ephesians 4:11-13,15-16)
To accomplish this, we shall:
  1. Become the Good News:
    1. Nurturing faith
    2. Practicing and teaching the spiritual disciplines
    3. Fostering Disciples identity
    4. Renewing congregational life
    5. Developing leaders
  2. Share the Good News:
    1. Emphasizing ministry with children, youth, young adults and families
    2. Doing evangelism
    3. Establishing new congregations
    4. Creating ministries with older adults
  3. Serve from “our doorsteps to the ends of the earth”:
    1. Engaging in ministries of reconciliation, compassion, unity and justice.

PRINCIPLES OF IDENTITY

  1. We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world, requiring nothing more – and nothing less – as a basis of our life together.
  2. We hold the centrality of scripture, recognizing that each person has the freedom – and the responsibility – to study God’s Word within the community of the church.
  3. We practice the baptism of believers, which emphasizes that God’s grace demands a response of faith and discipleship, while also recognizing the baptism performed in other churches.
  4. We gather for the Lord’s Supper, as often as possible, experiencing at this table the gracious, forgiving presence of Jesus Christ.
  5. We structure our community around the biblical idea of covenant, emphasizing not obedience to human authority but accountability to one another because of our shared obedience to Christ.
  6. We participate in God’s mission for the world, working with partners to heal the brokenness of creation and bring justice and peace to the whole human family.
  7. We hear a special calling to make visible the unity of all Christians, proclaiming that in our diversity we belong to one another because we commonly belong to Christ.
  8. We witness to the Gospel of God’s saving love for the world in Jesus Christ, while continuing to struggle with how God’s love may be known to others in different ways.
  9. We affirm the priesthood of all believers, rejoicing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit – which include the gift of leadership – that God has given for the common good.
  10. We celebrate the diversity of our common life, affirming our different histories, styles of worship, and forms of service.
  11. We give thanks that each congregation, where Christ is present through faith, is truly the church, affirming as well that God’s church and God’s mission stretch from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.
  12. We anticipate God’s coming reign, seeking to serve the God – Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer – whose loving dominion has no end.

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