As we pray for God to do once more what he's done in the past, we are also completing the Renewal Team process that began this past September. One of the primary questions the team is attempting to answer is how we can best live out our mission "to raise up wholehearted followers of Jesus." As a step in that direction, we have developed what we're calling the six MARKS of a wholehearted follower of Jesus. These MARKS are essentially our definition of what we mean by a "wholehearted follower of Jesus." Our hope is that as we get greater clarity on what we're aiming to cultivate, we will be able to develop a more effective strategy to get there together.
What are Marks?
Marks are the attributes of an individual’s life that reflect the achievement of our mission. They are the portrait of what we mean by a “wholehearted follower of Jesus”. They are not meant to serve as a rubric for separating out the “mature” from the “in process” as we are all on a journey towards Christlikeness. However, we believe that as we aim towards cultivating these marks through our strategy and the Spirit’s empowerment, we will find ourselves experiencing more and more of the full life of the Kingdom.
SURRENDERED CHILD
“I choose to trust my heavenly Father in all things, especially when he asks me to believe something I don’t understand, receive grace I don’t deserve, or follow him down a path I may not have chosen for myself.”
Where are you desperately dependent upon God?
How is God asking you to trust him in this season?
DISCIPLINED APPRENTICE
“I have ordered my life around a set of practices intended to cultivate my intimacy with Jesus and transform me more into his image.”
What practices are you currently engaging in to aid your growth in Christ?
How have you experienced the goodness of God recently?
SACRIFICIAL FRIEND
“I am consistently cultivating Christ-centered friendships and I regularly make sacrifices to live out the ‘one anothers’ of scripture with my community.”
How are you investing in Christ-centered friendships in this season?
How do your relationships with others in the church reflect God’s sacrificial love?
EQUIPPED GUIDE
“As I pursue Jesus, I invite other followers along with me, beginning with those in my household and expanding out to those God has placed in my spheres of influence.”
Who are you humbly leading into greater life in Christ?
How has your journey with Jesus equipped you to invest in others?
COURAGEOUS STEWARD
“I understand the unique resources God has entrusted to me (gifts, experiences, passions, finances, time) and I pursue opportunities to use them inside and outside of the church to advance God’s kingdom.”
What has God uniquely placed you on this earth to do?
How is God calling you to spread his Kingdom in this season of your life?
THOUGHTFUL WITNESS
“I am genuinely interested in those who are far from God and consistently pursue friendships with them in hopes of sharing how the gospel can meet their deepest needs.”
How are you intentionally building relationships with those who don’t know Jesus in this season?
How confident are you at sharing how God has made a difference in your own life?