Vision
Even though vision is about seeing the future, the vision for Grace Church begins by looking backwards. Every goal and purpose we hope to accomplish as a group of believers is grounded by what Christ has already done on the cross. The mission for Grace Church can only materialize because Christ has accomplished His mission.
Christ came to bridge the sin-chasm between God and us. He lived a life of perfect obedience, died on a cross as a substitute for sin, and rose from the dead to prove that he had conquered sin, sickness, Satan, and death. This historic accomplishment is known as the Gospel (or 'good news') and it’s the central message of the Bible.
All who place their trust in Christ's work for themselves through repentance and faith will be saved from the consequences of their sins. Amazingly, we also have the promise of eternal life with God Himself. This hope is secure because the cross of Christ will never change - it continues to hold out the promise of salvation for anyone who believes.
The gospel makes disciples out of sinners - and the vision of Grace Church is to be a gathering of disciples who exalt Christ, who join together in building a gospel community, and who reach out to an unbelieving world with the truth of a risen Lord.
1. Exalting Christ
Christ is the center of redemptive history; thus, we want Him to be the center of our lives. That's why we will make much of Christ in every sermon, time of singing, small group meeting, marriage, parenting, or wherever life is lived. It's about His glory and fame, not ours.
There's nothing that we want to be more passionate about than Jesus Christ because nothing else compares to Him. We want to know Him through His Word, experience Him through His Spirit, and enjoy Him in our worship. As we devote ourselves to Him and His discipleship, will be changed into His very likeness.
2. Building Community
While all of the gospel promises are received individually, discipleship is lived out corporately. In God's wisdom, His glory is displayed as Christians walk out their faith in local communities. That's why we gather together as members of a local church. We're not just a social club; we are bound together by the blood of Jesus Christ and our highest privilege is to grow more and more into conformity with him.
We pursue holiness together. We grow in fellowship together. We serve the King Jesus together. We encourage and pray for one another. We bear each other's burdens. We are the walking picture of the body of Christ - all members working together for the common good of each other. In this way, we demonstrate our love for Christ through our commitment to our fellow saints.
3. Impacting the City
The overflow of our love for Christ and love for the church is our love for the unbelieving people in our city. We must not stop the Gospel's power behind the walls of the church - we must go and reach those who stand in opposition to the unstoppable goodness of God.
This is why Christ came. His mission was to seek and save the lost, and to open the eyes of the blind, and to free the prisoner from the chains of sin. And we have the honor of helping Him accomplish what he began. We have been called out of the world to be ambassadors, entrusted with the Gospel. Our goal is to reach Peoria and the surrounding areas with the Good News - sin has been forgiven and God desires to reconcile our offenses through the cross of Jesus Christ!
It's our prayer that many will come to believe and join with us in exalting Christ, building the church community, and impacting the city with the transforming power of the Gospel.
