Many times, churches want you to believe what they believe
before you will be accepted, or before you can belong. They
want you to conform to their rules and behaviors, rather
than keep your identity and uniqueness. We find that Jesus
didn’t do things this way. We built 1.21 Church to reflect
the way Jesus invited everyone to follow him, developing
them into a fully devoted follower, who would then build his church. In
our attempt to develop a philosophy of ministry, we realized
that simple is best. Everything that we do will fall under
one of these three categories : Belong. Follow. Build. – or we won’t do it. This helps us stay very focused
and true to the Great Commission, which is to make disciples
of all the nations (see
Matthew 28:19-20).
 Belong
When you look at the earthly ministry of Jesus, he was
always in community with people. He invited people to belong
without insisting that they think exactly like he thought.
Even the disciples didn’t really believe at first who Jesus
was or what he was there to do. As they hung out with Jesus,
they began to understand his message, which was that he was
truly the son of God who had come to take care of our sin
once and for all. (see
Luke 4:18-21)
We all have an innate desire to belong, because God has
created us as social beings. (see
Genesis 2:18 and and
Psalm 133). Jesus’ church
reflects this.
One of the most important values at 1.21
Church is community. We visit and encourage each other on
Sunday mornings, and throughout the week we also
hang out as smaller groups called
Community Groups. These
groups meet in individual homes in order to live in
community, being missional, caring for each other, and
studying Scripture; many eat together or go to a coffee shop
as well.
 Follow
Jesus called people to follow him (see
Matthew 4:19 and
Mark 1:17). The invitation that he extends to us is not
only to believe, but to follow him. While it is important
that we believe what Jesus said and did, there’s more to
being a Christian than believing. We need to follow Jesus
and his leadership in our lives. For 1.21 Church, following means searching
Scripture for God’s will. This can happen in many different
ways, including studying, listening, learning, doing,
partnering, participating, dialoging, and partnership within
the body of Christ. Followers who are ready to make a
commitment to serving the body of Christ (through the local
church) can become Partners of
1.21 Church.
 Build
In
Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives us the mission of building
his church: "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, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end
of the age." As we follow Jesus, he builds us — our faith, our
obedience, our manhood, our womanhood, our marriages, our
maturity, our lives. He provides us with opportunities to
build these attributes. We build the church with the talents,
gifts, experiences that God has given us because Jesus said
that the church is his bride – the way in which he will work
his glory on earth at this time. As we do these things, we
become the face of Jesus to others who don’t know him, and
we have an opportunity to grow as disciples by serving.
Click here to see opportunities to
build God's church.
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