Invite, Include, Invest is our church slogan or motto. Yet, it is more than that. It is our vision for seeing God work in people's lives. It is an intentional process whereby we seek to move people along in their growth in relationship with God. This is how the process works:

 

We invite people into real relationship with God. We are open to helping people with their real questions about God and their faith.  We believe that the Bible has God's answers for real life. Yet, when we move towards God it cannot just be in a manner of our choosing. It is not like a buffet. We must cooperate with God's desires and demands on our life. God knows and tells us how He desires to be loved. In other words, to really love and connect to God and not just feel good. That love should be moving in the direction of going deeper, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (see Matthew 22:34-40 )

 

We include them in the family of God, the church, who are the people of God. The people of God are connected to God through His Holy Spirit. Friendships,  teams for discipleship, one-on-one discipleship, family fun time, potlucks, Bible studies, small group studies, children's choir, outings, etc. are all means of moving people intentionally from large group worship of God to a smaller, more intimate friendships which develop in smaller group settings. In small groups people can connect more deeply with others and share their lives, struggles, and dreams. Relationally we receive support, love, and encouragement in our faith journey. After all, we are a faith family and family loves one another deeply! (see Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12: 9-18 )

 

We challenge people to invest their lives relationally and in service to building the Kingdom of God. This is movement towards God and others at the same time. To serve God and others is to love God and others. That is Kingdom investment, an investment that will last! We have experienced the truth of Scripture that investing our lives in following Jesus Christ looks like this: feeding the poor, ministering to the broken, accepting the marginalized and wayward.

 

We seek to help people build their lives around a real relationship with Jesus through knowing Him in God's Word, His Spirit, and through others. This lifestyle nurtures our souls and the souls of those around us.  That is the Gospel taking hold of peoples' lives!  We have seen the stories of people's lives being healed and connecting to God and His people. Then they are more likely to pursue a long, grace-based obedience in the direction of investing in God's Kingdom building. Those stories, real transformed lives, show us the truth of how God can change us all and make us more like His Son Jesus. (see Matthew 4:19; Mathew 6:33;  John 10:10; Romans 8:29).