WE BELIEVE…

…in the Bible. We believe the Bible—the Old Testament and New Testament which together contain 66 books—is inspired by God and is without error. Therefore we believe it to be our only true and reliable written source for understanding and obeying God’s will.

…you can understand the Bible. We believe there’s only one correct method of interpreting any portion of the Bible and that’s to take a “literal” approach. In other words, Scripture means literally or exactly what it says unless a study of the original grammar, culture and/or history indicates some figurative meaning was intended by the writer and understood by the reader. Therefore, Scripture is not subject to change from era to era nor is it a matter of “what it means to me.” An accurate understanding by the reader requires both diligent study and illumination by the Holy Spirit to determine what the Scripture was intended to mean to its original readers, not what it can be made to mean.

…God surely exists. We believe the Bible teaches there is but one true and living God who is one in His unchanging nature, and yet who has eternally existed in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Though it’s hard for us as finite (limited) creatures to fully understand an infinite God, Scripture tells us each person of this trio – called the Trinity – has exactly the same nature and qualities, and each is equally worthy of our confidence, obedience and worship.

…man’s sins separate him from God. Man was originally created by God to enjoy close, personal fellowship with Him, but by his own sin and disobedience man has received the penalty of death and separation from God.

…that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as either male or female, and that these two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God.

…that God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman, and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union.

…God offers loving forgiveness and eternal life with Him. God, in His immeasurable compassion and grace, offers to save us from our sin through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. We must understand this gift is freely offered but not automatically bestowed. God gives this gift of forgiveness and eternal life to those who humble themselves, confess their sinfulness, repent (turn around), and receive Jesus as their only hope for salvation.

1. Everyone developing a deeper relationship with Jesus and His Father through the Spirit by being immersed in His Word and His presence. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” — Jesus; John 17:3

2. Clear, compelling, and sound teaching of God’s Word in every ministry – from the worship services to small groups in homes and everything in between. “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.” Titus 2:1

3. Experience the presence and power of Jesus as His body gathers together each week in worship.

4. Worship based Prayer – Every conversation, small group, event, worship service, and special call to intercession is to be laced with Christ- exalting, dependent prayer. Jesus has clearly told us “…apart from Me, you can do nothing.” John 15:5

5. A Culture of Faith in Jesus’ willingness and ability to heal hearts, relationships, and bodies. We do not want it said of Good Shepherd what was said of Jesus’ home town: “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Matt 13:58

6. A Sent Community. A heart for and personal relationships with the lost both locally and globally. “Casting the net” as broadly and as often as possible to reach portions of our culture that would not otherwise be exposed to Jesus and His body. Matt 28:16-20

7. Never forgetting “the least of these.” The unborn, the oppressed and enslaved, widows and orphans, the imprisoned, the poor… ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matt 25:40 5

8. A body-wide Focus on Children. Children’s hearts are marked for life and eternity in these precious, vulnerable years. One of our highest values and priorities is to keep children and the Children’s Ministry in front of our people. Jesus said, “…let the little children come to Me…” Mark 10:14

9. A strong commitment to Student Ministries. Good Shepherd wants to continue to offer them the joy of intimacy with Jesus and serving Him instead of the world’s enslavement. We can reach whole families through reaching their children and students.

10. Teaching and preserving the God-given distinctive masculine and feminine roles as outlined in the Bible.

11. Developing a Culture of Peace – Where we both learn and live the Lord’s instructions on how to resolve our conflicts with each other.

12. A graceful, welcoming, and healing community for the broken and hurting… in our Good Shepherd community in general, and in certain ministries in particular: Celebrate Recovery, Divorce Care, Grief Share. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest…” — Jesus, Matt 11:28

“Learning together to live like Christ while reaching out in His name.”

In light of the commitment of our pastors and elders to shepherd and equip us in accordance with God’s word, I intend, with God’s help, to continue taking my next steps with God, with others, on mission in 2022, together with my fellow members in the body of Christ at Good Shepherd.

Next Steps With God:

· I have put my faith in Jesus and depend solely on His life, death and resurrection for my salvation. (John 3:16, Rom. 10:9-10, Eph. 2:8-9)

· I have been, or will be, baptized as a public testimony of my faith in Jesus and my desire to follow Him. (Matt. 28:19, Rom. 6:3-4, Acts 2:38)

· I will strive toward daily prayer and personal study of God’s Word to know Him better, trust Him more, and obey Him more fully. (John 15:7, Php. 4:6, 2 Tim. 3:16-17)

· I will actively seek the presence, power and guidance of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in all areas of my life. (Rom. 8:14, Gal. 5:16-25, 2 Peter 1:3-8)

Next Steps With Others:

· I will seek to lovingly encourage and spiritually strengthen my family and friends. (Rom. 1:11-12, Php. 2:1-4, 1 Thess. 2:11-12)

· I will seek to regularly participate in the weekend gathering of the body. (Heb. 10:24-25, Eph. 4:11-16, Acts 20:7)

· I will seek to participate in smaller groups with fellow members of the body to take our next steps with God, with others, on mission together. (Matt. 18:20, Acts 2:42-47, Heb. 3:12-14)

· I will invite and receive biblical shepherding and equipping from our church leadership. (Eph. 4:11-16, Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-5)

Next Steps on Mission:

· I will pursue my God-given role in the body of Christ at Good Shepherd by sacrificially and cheerfully serving with my time, talents and money in dependence on God. (1 Peter 4:10-11, Rom. 12:3-8, 2 Cor. 9:6-8)

· I will pray for those God has placed in my life who don’t yet know Him and will take the opportunity to share Jesus with them as the Holy Spirit prompts. (Rom. 10:1, Col. 4:5-6, 1 Peter 3:15)

· I will seek to live on mission in my neighborhood, workplace and/or school by praying for and actively seeking opportunities to be the hands, feet and voice of Jesus. (Acts 1:8, Matt. 5:13-16, Matt. 25:34-40)

· I will seek to be engaged in the Great Commission by regularly praying for our Global Outreach Staff and financially supporting the work of making disciples of all nations. (Eph. 6:18-20, Matt. 28:18-20, Matt. 24:14)