As we all walk along in our spiritual journey, God desires, first, that we move from simply attending church to seeking and finding a sense of true Belonging to Christ and in the church community; second, that we begin Pursuing knowledge of the Word and life in Christ; third, to become one who is Practicing spiritual habits, healthy relationships, and wise decision making; and, fourth, to become one who is ministry-minded, Contributing to God’s mission in the world and the ministry of the Church.
Know that these destinations are both sequential and cyclical; meaning we usually start at Belonging and it is important to hit each destination along the journey. But when we reach Contributing, it does not mean we have arrived or finished, but rather we continue to cycle back through the destinations to deepen our faith and understanding of how we live at followers of Jesus in the world while journeying with others through their formation.
Know that these destinations are both sequential and cyclical; meaning we usually start at Belonging and it is important to hit each destination along the journey. But when we reach Contributing, it does not mean we have arrived or finished, but rather we continue to cycle back through the destinations to deepen our faith and understanding of how we live at followers of Jesus in the world while journeying with others through their formation.
NOTE: We are currently working on building more resources for this webpage to better communicate this tool. But for now, we encourage you to check out the service recordings below from when we did this series in June 2021 to begin understanding our philosophy of beginning and growing in faith.
Belonging
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The first destination we explore together is belonging. The objective of this destination is building a relational foundation in two ways. It means finding a sense of true belonging...
- To Christ through conversion.
- In the church community through worship, community, service, and giving.
Pursuing
The next destination of the faith map is pursuing. This destination is important as it's objective is spiritual formation. Jesus says in Matthew 4:19 to "“Come, follow me... and I will send you out to fish for people." In this destination we begin pursuing...
- Knowledge of the Word by learning God's story, the attributes of God, and the commands of Christ.
- Life in Christ through an understanding of our identity in Christ, that we are set apart for Christ, and as the Church we are united around Christ.
Practicing
Now that we know we belong and have a foundation of knowing God's word and life in Christ, this third destination focus on putting what we have learned into practice. Jesus tell sus in John 14:15 that "If you love me, keep my commands." We are invited to become one who is practicing...
- Spiritual habits through prayer, study and meditation, and healthy living.
- Healthy relationships that honor God and edify others.
- Wise decision making based on the will of God, moral choices, and stewardship.
Contributing
This last destinations is about becoming one who is ministry-minded. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus instructed his followers to "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..." This means our objective is faith multiplication by contributing to God's mission in the world and ministry of the church by...
- Influencing the world as an ambassador of Christ and extending compassion, mercy, and justice.
- Making disciples through sharing the Gospel and discipling new believers.
- Building the Church through teaching others, leading teams, and leading the Church.