Basic Discipleship Goals of HHBC
"The 5 G's"
The reasons why HHBC and its ministries exist is to see life change. We want to see people change from what they are to what God wants them to be – fully devoted followers. Jesus had those same goals. He came to give eternal life in the future and an abundant life now (John 10:10). That's life change!
The question then becomes, "How do we know if we're accomplishing our goals?" How do we know if we're making a difference? What specific characteristics do we want to see produced in those we minister to and how do we measure our progress and our success?
Summarized below are the characteristics we desire to produce in the process of life change into easy to remember steps we will call, "The 5 G's." It is a proper balance of the 5 G's (grace, growth, groups, gifts and good stewardship) that are the measurements we use to gauge the success of our ministry. This is the life change we should see happening.
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The 5 G's are:
• Grace
(evangelism: outreach resulting in salvation & baptism)
• Growth
(discipleship: prayer, Bible study, worship)
• Groups
(fellowship: community, accountability, intimacy)
• Gifts
(ministry: service to each other & our neighbors)
• Good Stewardship
(proper management of our resources - time, talent, treasure) |
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1. Grace (evangelism)
The individual decision to accept the saving work of Christ followed by baptism as a believer. This is followed by a desire to share this life change with others. (Eph. 2:8-9)
God's grace enables us to make a very important spiritual beginning. It's by grace - the word means "a favor we didn't earn" - that we begin the Christian life. But, God's grace involves more because He was working behind the scenes long before we responded. He literally came to our planet in the person of Jesus Christ; and by means of the death of Christ on the cross, He paid our crippling sin debt. He comes to each of us now, pursuing us even in our waywardness and points us in a new direction. His grace also has staying-power. He persistently takes us to the next step on our spiritual journey. He never gets tired of working with us, and He NEVER gives up on us. That's grace.
God also calls us to be part of that reconciling process in the lives of others. “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Who can we pray for to receive Christ? How can we team up in our evangelistic efforts? It should be the goal of HHBC to make every effort to introduce people to God's life-changing love and grace. |
2. Growth (discipleship)
To grow in having Christ spiritually formed in us. It involves the ongoing evidence of a changing life and pursuit of Christlikeness (2 Pet. 3:18).
Growth is about our ongoing response to God's grace over a lifetime. Our walk with God begins by grace, and continues by grace. Unfortunately, people can fall into the trap of thinking their work - following the rules - automatically produces spiritual birth or maturity. Not so! Spiritual growth is a lifelong process that is the result of a relationship with God - not following rules or rituals.
When we commit to move forward, we will experience the blessings of God's grace and marvel at the miracle of spiritual growth. The grace of God that saved us is only the beginning of His work in us. We respond to that work by actively pursuing a lifelong process of spiritual growth in Christ and seek to become conformed to His image. To this end, one of the primary goals of the church must be spiritual development and the life-transformation of each of its members.
We must teach, promote, and offer opportunities for spiritual growth through prayer, worship, and Bible study as well as training in discipleship and personal evangelism. When an active outreach ministry (grace - evangelism) is balanced with growth, the result will be an increasing of maturing Believers |
3. Groups (fellowship)
Participation in the body of Christ and connection with others in significant relationships. It’s the idea of shepherding one another in loving, authentic community. This is best accomplished in small groups (Acts 2:46).
In the body of Christ, we serve and help each other grow in various ways. This is how God designed it. The best avenue of life-change happens in a small group setting. When we sit with members of a small group, someone can powerfully remind us of what we may not see: that God is working in us, that we're going to make it, that the affection of God is not just for "the world" - it's for us. When we're together as fellow Christ-followers, someone can literally say our name and put a voice to the truth that “You matter to God so much that He personalized His plan of salvation so there would be room for you. He has a plan for your life." So, we begin to ask the question, “How can we better love, care for, and be the body of Christ to one another?” |
4. Gifts (ministry)
To discover, develop, and deploy our spiritual gifts to serve the body of Christ (Rom. 12:6-8).
In addition to the proclamation of the gospel, the church has been commissioned by Christ to serve each other and extend into the world His own ministry of compassion.
To accomplish this task we must work together, each using our God-given abilities (gifts) to form a potent and powerful team. The key to success is found in each of us doing what we do best - we must find and use our gifts. How can we serve the body of Christ together? How can we help develop and deploy each other’s spiritual gifts?
HHBC is composed of many members, each uniquely fitted by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building up the body and furthering the ministry/mission of the church. We seek to help our members discover, develop, and deploy those God-given gifts; and then seek a place of service within the church, with the support and affirmation of the body. |
5. Good Stewardship (worship)
To steward our time and treasures for God’s redemptive purposes in our church, community, nation, and world. It grows mature Christ-followers who realize that God has given us everything we have and everything we are, and we know God owns all we have. Simply put, we are the trustees of the time, talents, and treasure that are on-loan to us from God (Matthew 25:40).
As a result, a mature Christ-follower must follow biblical guidelines (including percentage giving) in the use of our resources (time, talents, and treasures). Counting on God's promise of provision, we anticipate seeing God use our gifts and know He'll work in our own lives – including financially - as we give. |
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