Ministry Priorities

MINISTRY PRIORITIES

WORSHIP

The purpose of Worship at City Light Church is to glorify God by helping believers worship the one true living God in spirit and in truth on a daily basis, and when the Church is assembled together corporately. (John 4:20- 24)

Priority Objectives - Priority objectives for the accomplishment of the purpose of Worship will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Help believers know who God is - His glory, His majesty, His power, His worth.
Help believers know who they are in Christ.
Have a time of uninterrupted praise and worship in songs, hymns and spiritual songs, allowing people to get their focus off themselves and their circumstances, and placed on God and His glory.
Have a good balance of rich, traditional hymns of the faith and beautiful, contemporary worship songs.
Help the congregation have the freedom to sing loudly and joyfully or be still and know that our God reigns.
Grow in our freedom in Christ and the leadership and ministry of the Holy Spirit in our assembly meetings.
Be intentionally missional – seeking to remain relevant to our community in worship and ministry styles so there are fewer barriers to the acceptance of the gospel.

INSTRUCTION

The purpose of Instruction at City Light Church is to glorify God by helping believers have love out of a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5; II Timothy 4:1-14)

Priority Objectives - Priority objectives for the accomplishment of the purpose of Instruction will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Instruction to believers is to be:
- - biblical in content
- - accurate in interpretation
- - practical in application
- - systematic in presentation
Help every believer discover the joy and value of reading, studying, meditating, memorizing, believing, and obeying the Scriptures.
Teach the importance of a clear conscience – Who we are always determines what we do.

Our private lives and public lives are equally important. Leadership is committed to teaching truthful principals that develop character and help the believer do what is right under any circumstances. (Hebrews 13:8)

Create a Body-life ministry – We believe God never intended church to be a spectator sport, but that He gives vital spiritual gifts to every believer. The discovery, development, and exercise of these gifts are the primary instrument of Christ to minister to His body. The role of ministers and church leaders is to equip, instruct, and encourage the believers in this process. We are committed to helping people serve each other according to their spiritual gifts, so that all might become mature in Christ. (Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:1-16; I Peter 4:8-11)
Expand the learning process – City Light Church encourages its teachers to discuss and explore openly what Scriptural truth means and implies. Helping people process the truth makes a far greater impact on their life than just telling them the truth in a lecturing approach.
Stress foundation building - City Light Church helps people establish the essential elements for spiritual life, growth, and ministry. Our priority is to help people do the most important things well, not just do more things.
Allow and encourage parents to be the most influential people in a child’s life. The family is the foundation for spiritual learning and experience.

FELLOWSHIP

The purpose of Fellowship at City Light Church is to glorify God by providing the opportunities for people to get their relationship needs met, whether it is from the most casual contact to the deepest most intimate issues of the heart. (I John 1:3,7)

Priority Objectives - Priority objectives for the accomplishment of the purpose of Fellowship will include, but not be limited to, the following:

To provide places and opportunities for contact at five levels of relationship:

Level 1 Casual contact and friendly greeting

Level 2 Further introduction and interest

Level 3 Time spent together over a meal or dessert

Level 4 Small group meetings which are regular, more personal, deeper and more accountable

Level 5 Deep accountability, sharing and transparency

Stress the importance of character - Character is the expression of the person of Christ in our life. We will strive to live consistent, Christian lifestyles, conducting our ministry and business with the highest standards of integrity and Christian ethics.
Develop and allow the creation of loving relationships in small groups – We believe spiritual growth happens best in the context of caring relationships, where people actively participate in a small group of believers who encourage, challenge, pray, serve, and learn together. Every person in the church needs a shepherd, someone who knows their unique story and is involved deeply in their lives. We are committed to developing an expanding network of these small groups, led by people with shepherd hearts, which, when joined together, form a purposeful, loving community. (Acts 2:42-47; Galatians 6:1-2; Hebrews 10:24-25) “But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.” (1 John 1:7)
Unity forged by authenticity – We believe God longs for His people to be united in spirit and purpose, and that He intends for us to live life honestly. Unity is created and preserved when people are not afraid to admit their flaws and fears, and also when people are willing to speak the truth in love to each other (even when it is difficult and church discipline is necessary). We are committed to living authentic lives with God and with each other. (John 17:20-23; Ephesians 4:15; Philippians 2:1-2; James 5:16)
Assist the body through a financial counseling ministry – Financial problems are the primary cause for most Christian divorces. City Light Church is committed to teaching biblical financial principles, giving training in budget preparation and counseling members who are having personal or business financial problems.
Be committed to one another. Leadership recognizes and value the skills, gifts, and experience which God has given to members and thus participate mutually in planning, decision making, and in sharing the resources which God provides. Esteeming one another highly, members will participate together in the mission the Lord has given and will seek out the spiritual and professional growth of the church staff. Romans 12:5-6 “In Christ we who are many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”
Promote spiritual development by providing opportunities for nourishment, support, and encouragement for members at their various stages of growth and maturity.
Initiate, organize and implement church-wide and aged-group social activities in coordination with the total ministry of the church.
Build love relationships with each other for encouragement, exhortation, edification, admonition and unity. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (John 13:34,35)
Actively shepherd and assimilate new Christians and new members into church life.
Equip and empower individuals to be healthy social beings (active in the life of the community, church, family, work environment, and other important social relationships).
Be accountable as “each one helping the other keep the commitments they have made to God on the basis of loving relationships.” Members will agree to submitting themselves to this process within church or member established Ministry Teams and the body-at-large. All will rejoice together in the fruits of this process.

EVANGELISM

The purpose of Evangelism at City Light Church is to glorify God by helping every believer effectively and faithfully participate with Christ in sharing the gospel by lifestyle and word in our community and the world. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Priority Objectives - Priority objectives for the accomplishment of the purpose of Evangelism will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Help believers know and understand:
- the Purpose, Priority, and Plan of God to redeem, reclaim and save the lost from all nations.
- our individual call and responsibility to the gospel as an ambassador of Christ and minister of reconciliation. (II Cor. 5:17-21)
- the content of the gospel of grace. (I Cor. 15:1-4)
To raising an army of witnesses, who make it their personal objective to testify as to the transforming power of God in salvation.
To have a "Global Mindset" while locally involved in life and ministry.
To pray for and be sensitive to opportunities for the gospel every day and for the sending of laborers into all regions of the world.
To develop plans and opportunities to raise and send laborers on short-term mission trips from our own body.
To significantly invest in and support the work of the gospel throughout the world.
To plant local indigenous Bible believing churches.
To train the next generation of evangelists to preach the gospel.
To use the Internet as a ministry tool to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Develop personal ministry involvement from members who possess the talent and use of technology. Technological advances are making national economies interdependent and are bringing about rapid cultural change. They are influencing employment, communication, lifestyles and many other choices.
To promote a healthy desire for personal witness to family, friends and colleagues.
To share the love and knowledge of Christ through personal invitations, witness, and our lifestyles rather than through formal evangelism programs.

The above priority objectives will be accomplished through biblical education, exposure, and equipping.

STEWARDSHIP

The purpose of Stewardship at City Light Church is to glorify God by performing the works of the ministry in a "decent and orderly" manner. (I Cor. 14:40)

Priority Objectives - Priority objectives for the accomplishment of the purpose of Stewardship will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Lead and administrate the business affairs of the Church by the use of Biblical principles.
Govern the operations of the Church by a responsible Council of Elders.
Operate under a properly documented and updated Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Organizational Manual.
Document and permanently file all actions of the Council of Elders and business congregational meetings
Manage the Church finances by the use of generally accepted accounting principles for non-profit charitable religious organizations. Establish an effective system of internal financial controls to ensure integrity over the receipt and use of God's financial resources and the safeguarding of Church assets.
Maintain high standards in all fund-raising appeals and assure that donor confidentiality exists.
Assist ministry leaders to be wise stewards of the financial resources which have been set aside in the Church's General Operating Budget for the work of their ministry. Restricted (designated) gifts will be properly managed based on the donor's intent.
Establish opportunities for creating and using ministry endowments and foundations. Be open to pursuing financial grants that enhance the purposes of City Light Church; but do not hinder church ministries through governmental entanglement.
Value generosity - We recognize that God has richly blessed our congregation both with financial wealth and with a wealth of talent and other personal resources. We seek to live lives characterized by generosity towards one another and toward those outside the church that are less fortunate. We believe biblical stewardship is both a response of a loving heart to the grace of God and a skill which can be developed through biblical instruction.
Committed to creativity - As bearers of God’s image, we are enabled to express his creativity in the world around us. We will strive to carry out this calling by means of innovative products and programs and through the use of new technologies which communicate God’s Word in culturally relevant and compelling ways. (Psalm 96:3) “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”
Committed to growth – We believe that conversion growth is the essential element in the life of a healthy and productive church. Thus, we strive to create structures that will encourage growth as well as provide opportunities for believers to become more effective in evangelism and personal ministry. (Acts 2:47, 4:4, 6:7, etc.)
Committed to integrity - In all our dealings, we will follow the highest ethical standards to ensure our stewardship of the resources entrusted to us. We are responsible before God, one another, and all people for our programs, relationships, personal lifestyles, and expenditures of time and money. (Psalm 41:12) “In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.”
Committed to excellence – Within all of our ministries, we will maintain standards of quality which reflect the excellence of the God whom we serve. (Philippians 4:8) “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”

Committed to a willingness to change and innovate – We are convinced that in order to follow Christ, we must be committed to change and be willing to be innovative so that we do not place any barriers to growth in our way to becoming the body of believers Christ wants us to be.