CHURCH AS A FAMILY ON MISSION
At Wellspring, church is not a place to go, but a place to belong.
When we are reborn in Christ, God our Father allows us to be part of new family, whom we can love and who will love us.
John 1:12-13 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.“ With God as our Father, we are part of a new family. Other believers are our brothers and sisters. We have new relationships and are part of something bigger than ourselves.
We see this in scripture, where Jesus was always redefining family. “And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.“ Mark 3:34-35
Church as a Family
It is harder for us to grasp in our culture than it is for others. We live in one of the most individualistic societies in the world. But in the New Testament, it is always about God, and His people, not the individual. “My Lord” is used once in the New Testament but “Our Lord” is used 53 times.
The concept of family is so central to who we want to be as a church that it was considered important to include it in our name: Wellspring Family Church.
“No image for the church occurs more often in the New Testament than the metaphor of family,
and no image offers as much promise as ‘family’ for recapturing the relational integrity
of first-century Christianity for our churches today.”
Joe Hellerman, When Church Was a Family
A Family on Mission
And we do not just want to be a church that is a family; we want to be a church that’s on a mission. This will be our unique expression of the Great Commission at Wellspring Family Church.
Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18-20
As members of one new family, we all have a purpose and plan in fulfilling the Great Commission. We will do this as a family, understanding and growing in our spiritual gifts, while loving, encouraging and equipping each other.
Growing in Christ
Our vision is for every part of the body to function well. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27. And in Ephesians 4:15 it says, “…speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
Christ is the head of this church, we are all in submission to Him. We yield our hopes and dreams and our plans. Jesus said, “I will build My church.” And so in faith and obedience, we will joyfully go out, as a family on a mission, to make disciples of our neighbors, near and far.
proclaim his name;
make known among the nations
what He has done!
Psalm 105:1