|
Where We are Going
(Our Vision)
We see a church...
...that is an accepting place of grace for anyone on their spiritual journey—a
community in which everyone is helping everyone else discover a deeper
relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
...where we experience God in authentic worship that stands in awe of God and
His majesty—using multimedia, the arts, and exciting, heart-felt
contemporary music and newly arranged classic hymns.
...that is contemporary to the 21st Century yet connected to the ancient faith
and truth. Where you can “come as you are,” feel immediately accepted, and
where the Holy Spirit can work in your life to make the changes that He deems
important.
...with relevant preaching directly from God’s Word—where we can be
confident that we have heard God’s viewpoint, not some preacher’s
opinions.
...that develops its members in spiritual maturity through
multi-faceted opportunities to develop their spirituality--seminars and
interactive communities to deepen our commitment to
Christ, understand spiritual maturity, cultivate a compassion for people who
do not yet know Christ, equip believers
for ministry, and develop leaders and reproducing disciplers.
Why We Exist (Our Mission)
“To
glorify God by
developing a people passionately
in love with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and eager to share this love and
hope with others.”
To glorify God…
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for
the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The Westminster Shorter Catechism’s
first answer is the proper attitude to life and ministry: “The chief end of
man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” We feel that “God is most
glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”* We want to reflect the
love and magnificence of God back to Him and into the world.
…by developing a people passionately in love with their Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ…
We feel that “real church” is less about religion and more
about relationship. The primary relationship in every believer’s life is his
or her relationship with God. We are intentional in our efforts to develop the
people in our church family. Our “Life Development Process” sets
people on course toward a deeper, more fervent love relationship with their
Lord. We do this because we earnestly desire to be in a relationship with our
God that is authentic, exciting, and life-changing.
…and eager to share this love and hope with others.
We are a church that is eager to share God’s love with one
another. We “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today,
so that none of us may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13).
We are also a church that so loves God that we are eager to share God’s love
with those who do not yet know Him. We are intentional about reaching out
with compassion to those who are hurting and perishing without a relationship
with God through Jesus Christ.
* John Piper, Desiring God (Multnomah
Books, 1986, 1996)
back
to top
Who We Are
(Our Core Values)
Compassion for People: "The Son of Man came to seek and to save
what was lost” (Luke 19:10), “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion
on them” (Matt. 9:36), “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). We are
strategic in reaching out to people with the life-changing Gospel of Jesus
Christ. We show God’s love for seekers through serving them in their needs.
Genuine Worship: "Shout for joy...Worship the Lord with gladness,
come before him with joyful songs ...Enter His gates with thanksgiving... For
the Lord is good and his love endures forever" (Psalm 100). We glorify
God in genuine worship that inspires seekers to love God for the first time, and
believers to love God more, never forgetting that the primary audience of
worship is the Lord.
Centrality of God’s Word: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is
useful...so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). We preach and teach what God has revealed in
His Word in order to motivate both seekers toward conversion and believers
toward spiritual maturity.
Passionate Discipleship: "Therefore go and make disciples” (Matt.
28:19-20), "Be filled with the Spirit...be strong in the Lord and in His
mighty power..." "Put on the full armor of God…” (Eph. 5:18-21;
6:11), “I will go to the altar of God, To God my joy and my delight!” (Ps.
43:4). We nurture in our members spiritual maturity characterized by their
passionate love relationship with God. Our Life Development Process helps
them proceed to their next level of spiritual maturity.
Equipped Families and Singles:
“God gives some the gift of marriage,
and to others he gives the gift of singleness” (1 Cor. 7:7), “…equip God’s
people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ… (Eph.
4:12), “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Impress them on your children.” (Deut. 6:6-7). We equip the leaders of
families so that they are better able to raise their children to be devoted
disciples of Jesus Christ. Our singles are enfolded into the church family,
equipped to be all God wants them to be.
Empowered Member-Ministers: “Teach these great truths to trustworthy
people who are able to pass them on to others” (2 Tim 2:2). “There
are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are
serving. (1 Cor 12:5). We enable our members to develop their gifts and
talents in order to share leadership and to actively serve others in church
ministry.
Caring Community:
“Your love for one another will prove to the world
that you are my disciples” (John 13:35). We are involved in each other’s
lives so that we can care for, love, and encourage one another.
back
to top
What Makes Us Different
(Our Distinctives)
Ancient-Future:
We are culturally relevant and flexible, always
reforming our methodologies in order to reach a new generation in the 21st
Century with the timeless and unchangeable truth of the Gospel.
Evangelical: We identify ourselves as part of the evangelical movement,
which puts a high priority on certain principles foundational to the Christian
faith: These principles are primarily these: (a) we are saved by faith alone
in Jesus Christ alone; (b) the Bible is the ultimate and final authority for
our faith; and (c) we have a mandate from Jesus Christ to lovingly share our
faith with those who do not yet have a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ.
Unified but Diverse: We are unified by being committed to the
Evangelical Free Church’s Statement of Faith and strongly believe in
the authority and inerrancy of God’s Word. While the pastor’s theology
could generally be characterized as ‘Calvinistic Reformed’ in nature, we
do not draw battle lines based on minor issues. "In essentials, unity. In
non-essentials, charity. In all things, Jesus Christ."
Congregational Church Government: The Evangelical Free Church believes
in the autonomy of the local church; the members of our church make the
decisions for our church. A team of qualified, dedicated, Spirit-led Overseers
from within our church share the leadership of Vanguard Church.
Multidimensional: We balance the rational/mental dimension of our faith
with the relational/emotional dimension. Our faith engages both the mind and
the heart.
Spirit and Truth: Dynamic spiritual relationship with God through the
Holy Spirit is coupled with sound evangelical doctrine. We cautiously accept
all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, submitting to Scripture in how to properly
use them.
Multiplication: We strategically seek to extend the Great Commandment
and the Great Commission by starting new churches locally and globally. We are
a church plant that will plant more churches.
Caring for the Hurting and Needy: We seek to find out the needs of
those in Stark County and to practically meet those needs. The poor,
oppressed, hurting, and needy receive practical help from Vanguard Church.
Mission-, Values-, and Vision-Driven: We know why we exist, who we are,
and where we are going. Vanguard Church’s Mission, Core Values, and Vision
for the future are all communicated clearly to our members and they drive all
our programs, budget, personnel and priorities. Our church structures and
programs facilitate and are subordinate to our Mission, Core Values, and
Vision.
back
to top
What We Believe
(Our Statement of Faith)
The following Statement of Faith is shared by all churches within the
fellowship of the Evangelical Free Church of
America. For more information on the EFCA click on the icon.
Statement
of
Faith of The Evangelical Free Church
of America
The doctrinal position of The Evangelical Free Church of America is summarized
in our twelve-article Statement of Faith.
We Believe:
-
The
Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God,
without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His
will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for
Christian faith and life.
-
In
one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing
in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
-
That
Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy
Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for
our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the
dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on
High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.
-
That
the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and,
during this age, to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and
indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and
service.
-
That
man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore,
lost, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and
spiritual life be obtained.
-
That
the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only
ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such
as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become
children of God.
-
That
water baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be observed by the
Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as
means of salvation.
-
That
the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith
in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united
together in the Body of Christ of which He is the Head.
-
That
only those who are, thus, members of the true Church shall be eligible for
membership in the local church.
-
That
Jesus Christ is the Lord and Head of the Church and that every local
church has the right, under Christ, to decide and govern its own affairs.
-
In
the personal premillennial and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and that this "Blessed Hope" has a vital bearing on the personal
life and service of the believer.
-
In
the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting
blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and
everlasting conscious punishment.
back
to top
SEE
ALSO:
"MINISTRY PAPERS"--papers
that cover important ministry issues
| 
