Faith Chapel Vision-Detailed Version

• An emphasis on preparation in advance for worship that takes place privately and in the family circles of the congregation.
• Genuine and warm welcome to be extended to all, visitors and regular attenders alike, before and after the service, encouraging all to truly greet and welcome one another.
• Worship not to be viewed primarily as a vehicle for evangelism, although everything in the service should point to Christ.
• Reverence, dignity, beauty and simplicity in the conduct of worship, yet without formalism or disregard for the particular worshipper.
• Singing of the psalms and great hymns, from the ancient church to the present era, with an effort to equip the congregation so that we have a "repertoire" familiar to most, but a repertoire that is also continually growing.
• Prayers that are shaped by the Scriptures, thoughtful, heartfelt, and substantial yet without excessive length or tedium.
• Prayer in worship to include the biblical elements of confession, adoration, invocation, supplication, illumination, intercession and thanksgiving. 
• Prayer will be emphasized in view of our utter dependence on Christ.
• Preparation and effort to be made to engage all present, young and old, new Christian and mature saint, in truly worshipping.
• Faithful, sound, Christ-centered, plain-spoken preaching that is predominantly expository, and applies the Bible searchingly and practically to the audience.
• Joy in the forgiveness and rich mercies of and fellowship with our God, notably to be emphasized in connection with frequent celebration of the Lord's Supper.
• Attention to the value and use of Sunday as the Lord's Day and premier opportunity and occasion for communion with our Lord.

• The purpose of our educational, equipping and discipling ministries will be to bring every member not just to an intellectual knowledge, but to true maturity in Christ.
• Well thought-out plan for Christian education of adults and children with the aim of inculcating knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of Christian doctrine, knowledge of the Bible and its parts, development of a Christian world view, and an understanding of the Christian life.
• Inculcation of a properly balanced, Reformed understanding of law and grace, the uses, purposes and limits of the law, and an understanding of our utter dependence on grace.
• Parents will be strongly encouraged to teach and conduct family worship regularly in their homes.

• True, deep, redemptive friendships that serve as channels of grace, and the functioning of the church truly and not just superficially as an extended family as a premier goal.
• Cultivation of friendship not just between people of like age and circumstances, but between the generations, as in extended family, so that older members become as aunts and uncles to the children of the other adults, etc.
• We will do all we can to welcome, nurse and nurture, and to avoid any semblance of the appearance of a clique or club.
• Hospitality and being with one another in one another's homes will be promoted as premier means for welcoming visitors, getting acquainted, and the deepening of friendships.
• We will aim to avoid allowing this emphasis to lead to an ingrown focus that loses sight of the Great Commission and Christ's call to be welcoming people.
• We will also aim to avoid an excess of structures, meetings and activities that can easily become a substitute for true community.
• We will aim to support strong, intact nuclear families, encouraging parents to devote themselves to one another and to raising their children for Christ.
• At the same time will aim to be a church that welcomes and nurtures singles and single parent families, so that they will feel a part of the church as a larger family.
• We will furnish channels for addressing problems and disagreements, and encourage the following of biblical patterns for conflict resolution.  Gossip and a critical spirit will be strongly discouraged. 

• The premier duties of the pastor will be to study, preach and teach, to be a man of prayer and an example, to hold forth a vision of the Church as Christ desires it, and to be a shepherd.
• The elders will be mature, godly men who understand Christian doctrine and the Scriptures, who will work with the pastor in governing and shepherding, and who will serve as fathers and examples before the congregation.
• The deacons will be mature, godly men who will lead the church in its ministries of mercy and stewardship.
• The central meetings of the church will be its Sunday worship services.
• The church will gather for a fellowship meal at least quarterly, but if possible, monthly.
• Elders and deacons will meet as often as necessary to pray together and effectively do the work to which God has called them.
• The Scriptures by the example of Christ and the apostles sanction the meeting of men in groups for discipleship, and by express teaching, the teaching of older women by the pastor, the teaching of younger women by the older, and also sanction meetings for prayer, teaching and learning.  Such meetings must always be means and not ends, and should never proliferate to the point of unduly interfering with family life, the hindering hospitality, or of outreach or other Christian duties.
• In general there will be a conscious effort to avoid a program and "event" orientation in the life of the church, and an excess of meetings that are designed for "ages and stages."

• The Great Commission will be taught and constantly held before the church as one of the premier reasons for our existence, if not the primary reason.
• The church will be encouraged to pray faithfully for the Great Commission and for particular missionaries, for countries and people groups.
• The church will aim as a significant part of its giving at the support of missionary endeavors.
• The support of indigenous missionary work and workers will be a significant, if not the predominant focus of our missions commitments.
• Missionaries whom we support will be people in whom we have confidence as to their Christian testimony, maturity, theological understanding, commitment to the task, gifts and calling.

• The church will aim to furnish equipping to the extent possible in order that every member will be or become able to communicate the Gospel to others.
• We will aim to encourage members to pray for and reach out to neighbors and to people whom they meet in the course of their day-to-day lives, e.g., in the workplace.
• We will particularly encourage evangelism through friendship and hospitality.
• We will seek out means of meeting and engaging non-Christians in order that we may make Christ known to them, e.g., members of the congregation hosting neighborhood bible studies.
• We will foster and encourage involvement in our communities with an eye to representing Christ.
• As the Lord leads and provides we will make use of occasional mailings and other advertisements in order to make our presence known.

• The ministry of mercy is of great importance, and will be held before the congregation, especially in connection with the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
• We will aim as a church to support ministries of mercy, both local and otherwise, in order to fulfill Christ's mandate to care for the needy, and to pray for and otherwise support persecuted Christians and churches.
• We will also aim to become sufficiently involved in our communities to be able to find and help needy people, and to work cooperatively with local mercy ministries and other churches, as Christ leads us, in order to fulfill our duties in this area.