VISION
The following vision was worked out through much listening, examination, prayer and discernment. It was approved by the Church Council and at the 2015 Charge Conference.
Mission Statement
We are Ebenezer UMC: a church which makes and equips Christian disciples who serve the world like Christ, gather together to worship our God, grow with the Spirit, and connect with others.
The structure of this vision is that everything we do at Ebenezer UMC falls into four different ministry areas: Serve, Worship, Grow, and Connect. Each of these areas have a small leadership team, which are guided by the decisions of a single Leadership Team. This Leadership Team oversees and directs everything we do at Ebenezer UMC.
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Serve |
God wants us to use the gifts and talents given to us to serve the Church and others!
For any church to be vital, it has to be a missional oriented church. A church is supposed to exist primarily for those outside the walls of the building. A club/chapel exists primarily to meet the needs of its members. If we are to be the church God has called us to be, our primary focus must be outside the walls. To go along with a model taken from Acts 1:8, this ministry creates opportunities for people to serve the church family, serve the local community, serve the community within our state and nation, and serve the world. We try to have a good balance between these service areas and not focus all our efforts into just one of these areas.
For any church to be vital, it has to be a missional oriented church. A church is supposed to exist primarily for those outside the walls of the building. A club/chapel exists primarily to meet the needs of its members. If we are to be the church God has called us to be, our primary focus must be outside the walls. To go along with a model taken from Acts 1:8, this ministry creates opportunities for people to serve the church family, serve the local community, serve the community within our state and nation, and serve the world. We try to have a good balance between these service areas and not focus all our efforts into just one of these areas.
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Worship |
God wants us to worship in a way that inspires people toward God and impacts them for life.
Our God is an awesome God and he is worthy of our worship. He is supposed to be why we come to worship. We are his children and we should always honor and respect him, not only on Sunday morning but throughout our daily lives as well. This ministry area focuses on everything relating to praising and connecting ourselves and others with God as we come together for praise and thanksgiving.
Our God is an awesome God and he is worthy of our worship. He is supposed to be why we come to worship. We are his children and we should always honor and respect him, not only on Sunday morning but throughout our daily lives as well. This ministry area focuses on everything relating to praising and connecting ourselves and others with God as we come together for praise and thanksgiving.
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Grow |
God wants us to continue growing in our understanding of Him, His Word, and our lives.
No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, no matter how mature we are, the sinful world always will challenge our faith. We have to understand we still have much room for growth no matter where we are in our spiritual journey. There is never a point in our life where we cannot use some more growth. If every day we find some way to become more like Christ, we will be prepared to stand for truth in any and all circumstances. What we must understand is that God wants us to continue growing in our understanding of Him, His Word, and our lives. This ministry area finds ways of helping people of all ages and at different spiritual levels grow in their faith and life.
No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, no matter how mature we are, the sinful world always will challenge our faith. We have to understand we still have much room for growth no matter where we are in our spiritual journey. There is never a point in our life where we cannot use some more growth. If every day we find some way to become more like Christ, we will be prepared to stand for truth in any and all circumstances. What we must understand is that God wants us to continue growing in our understanding of Him, His Word, and our lives. This ministry area finds ways of helping people of all ages and at different spiritual levels grow in their faith and life.
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Connect |
God wants us to be connected with other Children of God.
The reality for us Christians is that God expects that we should be connected with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are supposed to be a community of people who are connected together through the Holy Spirit. But our connections are not supposed to end with just those who are believers. God expects us to find ways to connect with those who do not know Christ, who have never experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, or even those who have never realized how much God loves them. This ministry area focuses on finding ways of connecting with our brothers and sisters in Christ and with the people in the community in which we serve.
The reality for us Christians is that God expects that we should be connected with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are supposed to be a community of people who are connected together through the Holy Spirit. But our connections are not supposed to end with just those who are believers. God expects us to find ways to connect with those who do not know Christ, who have never experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, or even those who have never realized how much God loves them. This ministry area focuses on finding ways of connecting with our brothers and sisters in Christ and with the people in the community in which we serve.
Other Thoughts
The mission of the United Methodist Church is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” If you study the New Testament, you will see that there are certain activities that Jesus taught that a disciple must do: they must serve, they must worship, they must grow, and they must find ways to connect with others. This is the basis for this vision for Ebenezer UMC.
Our goal is to have every church member, every person who regularly attends our church to be an active participant in all four ministry areas in some capacity. This is one of requirements for anyone who holds any kind of leadership position in the church along with that they have a heart for this vision.
Our goal is to have every church member, every person who regularly attends our church to be an active participant in all four ministry areas in some capacity. This is one of requirements for anyone who holds any kind of leadership position in the church along with that they have a heart for this vision.