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A relevant church keeps it REAL. |
- A church where leaders model vulnerability
- A church where people can easily take off religious masks and find real fellowship and healing at the foot of the cross
- A church that values simplicity
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A relevant church's brand of Christianity is Empowered Evangelical. |
- A church whose theology is centered upon the Kingdom of God
- A church where the power of God is present to heal people
- A church that holds in balance Word and Spirit
- A church where there is a high expectation of God's presence and God's present-tense activity
- A church that submits itself to the Bible concerning all that we do and believe
- A church that welcomes all of the gifts of the Spirit
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A relevant church reaches out to the least, the last and the lost. |
- A church that focuses on both evangelism and social justice
- A church that does not exclude the weak
"The exclusion of the weak and insignificant, the seemingly useless people from a Christian community may actually be the exclusion of Christ in the poor brothers. Christ is left knocking at the door." - Bonhoeffer, Life Together
- A church that practices both mercy and justice
- A church that loves and devotes a large share of its time, energy and money to serve the needs of children
- A church that passes on the faith from generation to generation
- A church that doesn't simply grow by adding other churches' members, but actually brings many people from darkness to light
- A church where things are so clearly and reasonably articulated that they make sense to a thinking follower of Christ as well as the unchurched person.
- A church that is a friend to our community
- A church that employs the talents of our church to serve our community
- A church that gives away many of its people to plant churches in this country
- A church that is actively engaged in world missions and particularly in planting churches among unreached people groups
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A relevant church is one in which everyone gets to play. |
- A church where ministry is done by every member, not just the pastor
- A church that equips people through training both for ministry and for life
- A church that equips families and supports marriages
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A relevant church is vertically oriented. |
- A relevant church serves an audience of one - God.
- A church in which people passionately worship God with all that they have: their hearts, their intellects, their words, their bodies, their money - everything
- A church that is characterized by individual and corporate prayer
- A church that seeks to honor God by having every endeavor marked by excellence, integrity and love
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A relevant church celebrates God's amazing grace. |
- A church whose atmosphere is grace
- A church with many recovery and support groups
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A relevant church helps people to deal with the NOT-yets of life. |
- A church that acknowledges that the fullness of the Kingdom is not yet here
- A church that acknowledges "not-yets" in all areas of life
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A relevant church believes that God's kingdom comes when we work together. |
- A church in which individuals are connected to each other through a small group
- A church that welcomes people from racially diverse backgrounds and is committed to becoming increasingly multicultural
- A church that seeks to love and practice unity with the whole body of Christ
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