ardent values
The Word of God is our daily bread and the primary way we hear from God and discover His character. Without it, we would perish. Scripture will be a central part of the life of our body. God speaks to us in many ways, but all must line up with God's written Word. The weekly sermon will not be relied on as the sole source of growth. Our worship songs will contain a teaching element, just as God intended. We will teach our family how to study the bible and show different approaches to devotions in the Word and equip them to show others. We will hold instructional classes on a regular basis and incorporate Scriptures into our small group meetings.
Whenever Jesus was asked about His ministry, He validated it by the freedom and justice that it brought. Jesus came to reverse the consequences of living in a fallen world. We at Ardent Faith are to do the ministry of Jesus today. We will teach and model the importance of being doers of the Word, led and empowered by our Helper- Holy Spirit. However else our ministries are measured, we must be a healing, freeing, and redemptive presence.
We will be active in the Great Commission. We will ask God to send us the lost, and we will also ask God to send us to the lost. We feel called to a role as a catalyst in the Huntersville area as a proclaiming presence (carriers of the gospel). Our church family will be trained to share their faith and live out "lifestyle evangelism". We will look at our corporate witness and expect that God would use all of our gifts and talents to witness through proclamation, persuasion, and presence.
We will welcome and visit the marginalized, broken and addicted. We will engage in the Fast of the Lord- Isaiah 58. Our heart is to be initiators in healing and restoring people and relationships in our town. In our desire to break down walls that exist between races and denominations, we will initiate and coordinate events and meetings in Huntersville that promote unity such as community outreach events, area-wide prayer meetings, and worship events.
AFM will foster unity of local churches, taking initiative to provide resources for Christians and churches. We understand that relationship is the key for this to happen…relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit as well as our relationships with one another. We want to be famous for our love. L O V E will be the keys that will unlock many doors for us as a fellowship. We cannot rightfully say that we know God if we do not love each other.
We desire to be honest with God and with each other, understanding that it is OK to be human with all of the accompanying frailties and weaknesses. God's ability and perfection can be shown through our inability and imperfection. Being honest and open is the first step in shining the light of Christ on our broken places and moving towards communion with God and with each other. We intend to teach and model acceptance, forgiveness, transparency, and unity. We believe that character counts a great deal.
AFM will be known as a house of prayer. We spend time listening to God’s voice and focusing our vision on what He wants to do through us. We believe that prayer is not the preparation for important work; it IS the important work of Christ followers. Thus we will promote prayer by encouraging, teaching and demonstrating different models of prayer/fasting. We will have a weekly, all-church prayer meeting. Our leadership will pray together on a regular basis. We will pray with the lost and the sick. It is our desire to host ecumenical prayer events for our town.
We will be Seeker sensitive with our worship but we are only concerned with pleasing one Seeker. God the Father is seeking those that will worship Him in Spirit and truth. We want to be known as a church that worships their God with music, but also with much more than a melody- way beyond words. A worshipping church is a compelling sign to the not-yet saved. Passionate lives of worship provide fuel for mission. We will be a place that models excellence in worship arts and promotes creativity and development.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of all the Biblical gifts of the Spirit to build up the body of Christ. The gifts are a compelling sign to the world that God’s personal presence is with His people today. In obedience to the New Testament mandate to “eagerly desire the spiritual gifts”, we will teach, train, and encourage the appropriate use of the gifts in the personal lives of our church family and in our corporate gatherings. We understand that everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way during our corporate worship.
As we have gained so much through the generosity of God, we live lives that reflect our gratitude. We don't give to get. We give to love. We also believe that sharing is more true to the ministry of Jesus than giving is. It will be compassion that will cause us to share- to visit people in distress and speak words of life into their lives.
We believe in growing people, not programs or buildings. Changed lives are the fruit of effective relationship and proof that one knows God. We must train and equip our family to do what God has given them passion to achieve for His Kingdom. We will do this through one-on-one discipleship, mentoring, interning, small groups, cell groups, bible studies, and conferences. We will build into the next generations of leaders. We want to prepare the next generation to do greater things for the Kingdom. Bad economic news will not cause us to withdraw from this generosity.
Rather than build a large central church that sends out missionaries, we will seek to build relationships and establish ministries directly in the mission fields. This would be true locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. We will be more inclined to plant a work in an area rather than just visit or send money to it. We will also engage in short term missions. In sum, we will be a sending church.
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