What to Expect

We Do Church on Purpose

Our mission is simple:  Connect With God and Connect With People. The two primary purposes for any church are identified by Jesus in what we have come to call the “Great Commission.”  We are to preach the Gospel everywhere and make disciples of everyone.  The role of Connection Church in the fulfillment of this commission is to introduce the people who live in this city into a loving relationship with God by passionately, creatively and clearly presenting the Gospel to them.  Then we are called to help people grow upward in a vibrant relationship with Christ and outward into loving relationships with others.  The final step to our purpose is there to insure that the work of reaching and disciple-making continues in this community for future generations.  People who have come to love God and grow together must turn their hearts outward to serve others through doing for other people what has been done for them.  Love, Grow, Serve.  You are invited to become a part of this clear and vital mission through the life, teaching and community of Connection Church!

We Do Church as a Process

Movement for living things is essential.  Medical doctors used to let people convalesce for weeks after major surgeries; today the science suggests that the quicker you get moving the quicker and better you heal.  As important as movement is for our health and vitality, we have a strong tendency as people to get comfy and stay put.  Our mission of Love, Grow, and Serve is supported by a specific process through which we intend to get people experiencing forward movement in their faith and growth in discipleship.  The five stages that are identified in the graphic below provide a picture of that movement from infancy as a follower of Christ to becoming a parent or grandparent where we begin contributing to the growth and movement of others.  If we are going to help believers in Christ develop into fully functioning disciples of Christ, the question we often ask people, “How are you?” really needs to be followed by the growth assessment of “Where are you?”

So “Where are you?”  At Connection Church we have some really great programs, a lot of ministry and service opportunities, we have incredible opportunities to be led into worship where we experience the love and presence of God, and we have some of the best Jesus-centered, Scripture-tethered teaching, preaching and small-group leading that you are likely to find throughout our city.  All of that only matters to you if you know where you are and what the next step is in your movement toward becoming fully-grown in Christ.  It is our desire to get to know you, help you discover your “whereabouts” and gracefully lead you into those next steps of growth, freedom and fullness.  Through your engagement with the activities, gatherings and services of Connection Church expect that we will provide you with a number of ways to assess where you are and receive encouragement to stop convalescing and get moving.  We are fond of putting it like this:  “We love you just as you are for who you are, but we also love you too much to leave you that way.”