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The Great Commission
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore 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 that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Our Mission
We are called, gathered and enlightened by God to grow in grace and transform lives.
Our Vision
Community of Grace will go and make disciples of all people by humbly walking with God through
worship, learning, and Service.
| What We Teach |
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| The Bible We teach that the Holy Bible is the Living Word of God and functions as the authority in matters of faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 119:105). |
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| God We teach that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19, Colossians 1:15-20). |
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| Jesus Christ We teach that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully human, who by His death and resurrection has redeemed us (Isaiah 9:6, John 11:25, Colossians 1:15-20). |
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| The Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is truly present at work in the community of believers. Its gifts vary from person to person and no one is left out (1 Corinthians 12:4-7, John 20:22). |
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| Human Nature We teach that no one is perfect and that everyone has sin and needs the grace, love, and forgiveness of God (Romans 3:23). |
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| Prayer We are a people of prayer and believe that God will answer prayer and longs for all of us to grow in prayer (Philippians 4:4-7, James 5:16). |
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| Baptism and the Lord's Supper We believe, teach and confess that Jesus is truly present in, with and under the elements of water, bread, and wine nourishing our lives on earth with these gifts (Matthew 28:16-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). |
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| The Church Community of Grace is a small part of a greater body of Christ alive in the world (Romans 12:1-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31). |
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| Our Lutheran Heritage and Identity We believe, teach, and confess our faith in the Lutheran reformation themes of: grace through faith alone, scripture alone, and Christ alone! A relationship with God is a gift not an accomplishment (Hebrews 11:1-3, Psalm 119:105, Romans 12:1-8)! |
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| How do we live our faith? |
- We will grow in grace and transform lives.
- We will learn worship and serve God in humility trusting in His work in our lives.
- We will welcome all people into the fellowship of Christ (all means all). No one is left out! We will work to break down barriers that divide people; especially those of race, nationality, economics, sexual orientation, age, or gender (Acts 10:34-45, Galatians 3:28).
- We are called to welcome the stranger trusting that God has called everyone who worships with us.
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Marks of Discipleship
At the core of the vision for Community of Grace lie the "Six Marks of Discipleship." The "Six Marks of Discipleship" come from the Rev. Michael W. Foss's book Power Surge. Rev. Foss defines the six marks as "practices of faith that will help bridge the gap between beliefs and behaviors." The marks are meant to be a method whereby a person can strengthen his/her faith and bring one's faith into the real world.
The Marks are exemplified by the phrase PoWeR SuRGe:
- Prayer Daily - An amazing truth of Christianity is that God loves you and he wants a deeper relationship with you. By forming the habit of praying daily, one can achieve a deeper, fuller relationship with God through Jesus.
- Worship Weekly - Worship feeds our spiritual hunger and thirst.
- Read the Bible Daily - The Word of God is a guiding light for the disciple as he/she walks daily.
- Serve - Serving both to a congregation and outside the congregation is not the path to discipleship, but as a result of being a disciple.
- Relate - Spiritual friendships help to provide the disciple with encouragement, commitment, accountability and support.
- Give - Tithing done with joy and thanksgiving helps the disciple stay focused on what is truly important in life. It focuses us on the fact that all we have comes from God.
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