We are a Church on a mission to see lives transformed by the Good News of the Gospel through following God, sharing life, and loving our neighbor.
🔵Following God - Putting God first in all we do​
🔴Sharing Life - Growing together to be more like Jesus
🟢Loving Neighbor - Being part of what God is doing in the world
In all we do we constantly ask the discipling questions of:
What's God saying? What are you going to do about it?
Jesus said when you pray, not if you pray. The expectation is that we come to him and spend time with him and our heavenly Father.Â
There are many different ways in which we can pray and there is no "one-size fits all" model, but an UP life is more than prayer (speaking and listening) it's worship.Â
At St. John we believe that worship should:
1. Position God's people
Our worship leaders (liturgical, musical, and otherwise) are here to help us adapt an appropriate posture for entering into God's throne room.
2. Create a response
We come to worship in response to the goodness of God. Worship is much more about what we offer that what we receive.
3. Lead to lasting change
God's grace is poured out on us as we receive Word and Sacrament, both of which should compel us to align more with his will over and above ours.
Living an IN life requires us to be connected with our fellow disciples. Gathering together to read scripture, pray, socialize and generally have a good time is what we are made to do as human beings and as followers of Jesus.Â
The Good News is that Jesus is Lord - He is Lord of all. The not so good news - we try to be lord of our own lives, even after giving them to him. Being a disciple is about learning to follow and allowing Jesus to really be Lord in your life. This is the best life possible, learning to become more and more like Jesus. Our vision is to see lives transformed, and we see this by welcoming all to belong, inviting them to believe, and challenging them to step into living a Jesus-shaped life.
Living the life of a disciple means taking that which we reiceve and giving to those with whom you are in community. At St. John we create space for you to:
1. Belong
Become part of the community and get to know what belonging looks like.
2. Believe
Enter into covenant relationship with God and become part of his family.
3. Become
Following Jesus' example by living a life of action and not just words.
Mission is defined in the dictionary as "a specific task with which a person or group is charged." Mission is not just part of what Church does, it is the reason for Church - it is the task for which we have been built, and so our outlook on mission needs to be exactly that - OUT-looking!
Our aim is to have every aspect of St. John ministry include this outward focus, and seek God on how we are able to get involved with what he is already doing in and amongst us to spread the Good News. We look to do this in three distinct ways:
1. Ministry Partners
Building relationship with other churches and allowing them the use of our campus to respond to the needs of their congregation and engage in mission and ministry.
2. Community Partners
Developing relationships with different community groups that require space to meet in order to fulfill this mission.
3. Mission Partners
Seeking partnerships both locally and globally as we look to support finically and prayerfully those engaged in sharing the love of God and echoing in his kingdom.