OUR MISSION
Mark 12:28-31 (The Greatest Commandment)
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Matthew 28:19-20 (The Great Commission)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The mission of the Jefferson Avenue congregation simply put is this:
Love God & Others. Be & Make Disciples.
Our mission draws directly from the words of Christ Himself. We are to love God passionately with all that we've got. We often show our love for Him best by how we treat others (John 13:34-35). Jesus is our Lord and Savior who has saved us by His grace and mercy alone. We desire to walk daily with Jesus as devoted disciples of His teachings and help others come to know the truth of His gospel and walk with Him.
Our Vision
In late 2021, after a period of prayerful reflection about how we could best fulfill our mission and be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us, our shepherds shared the following vision:
450 Unchurched Discipled by 2030
450
Why 450? A 2020 demographic study of Putnam County showed that there were 45,000 people in our community who were not part of a church fellowship. Humbly, our initial goal is to lead 1% (450) of them into a daily walk with Jesus. This goal is specific to Putnam County and our surrounding region. It is not inclusive of our missions efforts in other parts of the globe.
Unchurched
Who are the "unchurched?" Simply put, unchurched means anyone who is not active in a church fellowship. It might be someone who has never heard the gospel and accepted Christ as Lord and Savior through baptism. It might also be someone who has fallen away from their walk with Jesus.
Discipled
A disciple is someone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, intentionally learns from Him, and strives to live more like Him. Discipleship is a journey of spiritual growth that begins in the water of baptism and matures through a life of love, prayer, study, fellowship, service and more. Our vision is to help 450 go beyond baptism and to live this daily life of living like Jesus.
By 2030
Why 2030? Honestly, it's a deadline so audacious that we can't hope to meet it on our own. Our humble 1% means that we need to disciple 56 people per year from 2022 through 2030. Prior to establishing this vision we had averaged about 10 per year (and most of them were our own children).
Join Us!
Disciplieship is a Shared Life
God intended for Christians to walk in fellowship with Him and Christ’s church. We would love for you to join us as we pursue our mission to Love God & Others - Be & Make Disciples. Together we will strengthen and encourage each other into a deeper faith as we navigate through the trials of life. A loving community of disciples at Jefferson Avenue is just waiting to live the shared life with you.