Identity – 970 Church

Identity – 970 Church

Purpose for the church:

970 Church exists to facilitate life transformation
through the love and power of Jesus.

This facilitation includes the transformation of individuals, families, neighborhoods, communities, and nations by creating social structures and events, by offering Biblical instruction and training, and by supporting the mission of the people of 970 Church.


click for background
Since we are intentionally trying to create more of an organic faith community rather than an institutional, location-centric church, we felt it was important for us to state the purposes for the organizational components of our church besides the obvious cultural, legal and tax reasons. These purposes are to support and facilitate the mission of the people of God rather than having the purpose of the people of the church to support and further the mission of the institutional church.

Mission of the People:

970church – Where the people are the church
Great Commandment
    • Love God (Mk 12:29-30)
    • Love People: (Mk 12:31; Eph 5:1-2)
Great Commission (both near and far)
    • Go and Make Disciples (Mt 28:18-20)
    • Preach the Good News (Mk 16:15, Lk 24:46-48)
    • Witness to Christ and His Kingdom (Acts 1:8)
    • Demonstrate the Power of Christ (Mt 10:8)

click for background
A group of Pharisees were questioning Jesus trying to discredit him. One of them, a scribe, asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answering him said that “all the Law and the Prophets” depend on these two commandments. Jesus essentially boiled everything down to two simple yet powerful statements: Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mk 12:29-31) The scribe’s response is also interesting because he not only validates the statements by restating them, he then goes on to offer that loving God and loving others “is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Then affirming the scribe’s insightful answer Jesus said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Jesus was not talking to unbelievers, these were the Pharisees the most committed, most religious, most zealous, and most educated in the scriptures of all the Jews.

Just before his ascension, Jesus assembled the disciples on a mountain top. He gave them concise instructions and defined their mission as a continuation of His mission on Earth – to go to all people and nations, preach the Good News and make disciples. These instructions have come to be known as the Great Commission. We at 970 Church believe that they apply to us individually as well as to the corporate gathering of his disciples know as the Church. So if these statements are Jesus’ reduction of our faith and the mission of his Church, then we at 970 Church intend to use them as the foundation for everything we attempt to become and everything we attempt to do. The unpacking of the mission of the people of 970 Church (both individually and collectively) begins with these statements.


Vision:

Living as an authentic disciple of Jesus changes your eternity, your life and your world.
    • Change a life, impact a family.
    • Change a family, infect a neighborhood.
    • Change a neighborhood, transform a city.
    • Change a city, influence a region.
    • Change a region, sway a nation.
    • Change a nation, change the world.

click for background
First, we want to recognize that there are distinct cultures present within our local geography. By using the word culture, we also want to make it clear that we don’t view culture as evil or something to stay away from, but rather; it’s something we affirm and recognize as integral to human society. When we refer to culture, we are including ethnicity, generation, profession, music, art, film, sports, literature, social gathering places and other aspects of social culture, as well as the normal ebb and flow of community life. We don’t require or expect people to enter into a “Christian” culture but rather our intent is to enter their culture and serve them as Christ’s ambassadors. Our desire is that through us the Holy Spirit will inform, engage and transform the people of these cultures.

Finally, our mission to our communities is conditioned and shaped by the unique cultures of the Western Slope and the Grand Valley. The Apostle Paul described this when he said, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means, I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” (1 Cor 9:22-23 ESV)


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