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What We Are Becoming

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Concerning the Six Great Ends of the Church, a report to the 1997 General Assembly said, "These words were first adapted by the United Presbyterian Church in North America (a forerunner to our denomination) in the year 1906. They are our church's common understanding of Christ's call to us for faithful discipleship. They express the common ground of Presbyterian mission. They are right on target with the needs of our world as we enter yet another new century. Evangelical fervor is linked with a passion for social justice. The nurture of community is linked with fidelity to God's truth. Our worship is linked to how we exhibit God's love for the world in our daily life. Now is the time for all Presbyterians to reclaim this vision as our common ground."

This is what First Presbyterian Church has committed itself to do. We are looking to become and working to become a Six Great Ends congregation, which means that, as a congregation, we are beginning to take seriously what the Six Great Ends of the Church are all about. The following is a lot to read. We know that this is a lot to read. Just know that these Six Great Ends are our defining values as a church, each of which can be capsuled in one word as follows: evangelism, fellowship, worship, discipleship, ministry, and mission. To learn more about these Six Great Ends, click here.

By having this focus on the Six Great Ends, this has allowed this congregation to capture the vision of Christ's great commission to those who follow him, namely, to make disciples of all nations. By being committed to and working to become a Six Great Ends church, we believe that we will be more faithful and more diligent and more successful in reaching for this grand vision of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. To find out more about our Vision Plan, go to the link you'll find on this page.

Won't you consider joining hands with us as we partner with God to make disciples of all people everywhere, beginning with ourselves? This is a challenging and exciting time in the life of this church, and if you believe in Jesus Christ and want to make a positive difference for Him through the life and work of the church, very little would thrill us more than to have you as an
active and engaging part of our ongoing ministry.

The Six Great Ends of the Church

Summaries

"Begin with the end in mind: To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination." (S. Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, P.98)

The First Great End of the Church: The Proclamation of the Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind

Biblical Foundation - Matthew 28: 18-20, John 3:16, Acts 1:8, Romans 10: 9-15

The most elegant sentence that summarizes what the Gospel is, is found in John's Gospel: "For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish but have eternal life." To proclaim the Gospel is simply to share with other people that God is love, and that He's spared nothing, not even His Son, to show us how much He loves us! It is sharing with other people what God means to you, how He has changed you for the better, the blessings you've received from Him, and the joy you know in serving Him and believing in His promises in Christ. It is saying that God is love, and that He loves you, and that He loves everyone else in the world as if they were the only person in the world to love. Spread the word far and wide: God is love, God is love, God is love. Invite other people to check it out for themselves. -- "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Isaiah 52:7)

The Proclamation of the Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind: to share with other people that God is love.

The Second Great End of the Church: The Shelter, Nurture, and Spiritual Fellowship of the Children of God

Biblical Foundation: Acts 2: 38-47, 1 Peter 1: 22, 2: 1-5; Ephesians 4: 11-16

Fellowship is more than chit-chat and socializing as this can happen about anywhere and with about everybody. Fellowship is Christians who get together in a variety of ways and settings to deepen their ties with each other and their bond with each other, so that the church which they comprise grows stronger, and more loving, and more confident and effective in its witness and ministry.

And so, when we fellowship, we nurture each other, stroke each other, encourage each other, lift up and support each other, affirm each other, and equip each other for what God would have us do both in the church and in the world.

The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God: getting together to get equipped to server together as God's people in Jesus Christ.

The Third Great End of the Church: The Maintenance of Divine Worship

Biblical Foundation: 1 Chronicles 15:25 - 16:36; Psalm 100, 150; Colossians 3: 15c-17

This third great end of the church simply means the you worship God every Sunday, and between Sundays you render Him all glory and honor and give to Him your allegiance and loyalty. It all begins with regular and weekly Sunday worship. This is to be the most significant hour of your every week, the number one thing on your to-do-list as every weekend approaches. Why? Listen to this from the Book of Order: The life of a Christian flows from the worship of the church,
where identity as a believer is confirmed and where one is commissioned to a life of discipleship and of personal response to God. The believer's life of response and discipleship flows into the church's life of worship and service...From a Christian's life in the world comes the need for worship; in worship one sees the world in the light of God's grace; from worship comes vision and power for living in the world...The rhythm of the life of the believer moves from worship to ministry, from ministry to worship." Worship is your heartbeat, your breathing, your very life, your main purpose, which is to praise and worship God, and enjoy God forever.

The Maintenance of Divine Worship: worship God every Sunday!

The Fourth Great End of the Church: The Preservation of the Truth

Biblical Foundation: Deuteronomy 6: 4-9; Psalm 19, 119; John 14: 1-7; 2 Timothy 1: 13-14, 3: 14-17

This Great End of the Church is about preserving the truth and "keeping the faith" of what we believe. It means becoming grounded in the Bible and its stories and instruction, our faith tradition, and the church's teachings concerning God, Jesus Christ and discipleship, the community of faith, our lives as stewards and servants of God in the world, among a host of
other things.

And once you solidly lay this foundation in your own life on the road to building a life of faith and faithfulness to God and Christ, then the preservation of the truth means to teach and
share with others what you have been taught and learned. You pass along and plant in the hearts of others what you have so graciously and wondrously received, so that they will grow and live in ways that please and honor God and His Son. In Psalm 19, it is said: "God's word is perfect: it gives new life. His teachings last forever, and they give wisdom to ordinary
people. The Lord's instruction is right; it makes our hearts glad. His commands shine brightly, and they give us light." And then in Psalm 119, you read, "God's Word is a lamp to
our feet and a light to our path." In preserving the truth in your own life and passing it on to others, you become God's faithful stewards, partnering with God to help ensure that future
generations will continue to praise God and to serve His Son, Jesus Christ. The great end is nothing less than a charge "to build faithfully on a foundation which others have laid, to water
in the fields that others have planted in order to guarantee to succeeding generations the shelter and fruit with which God intends to bless them."

The Preservation of Truth: to ground yourself in the truth of God, and then to teach and share what you have been taught and learned.

The Fifth Great End of the Church: The Promotion of Social Righteousness

Biblical Foundation: Leviticus 19: 1-4, 9-18, 32-37; Psalm 146; Amos 5: 24; Colossians 3: 12-15b

The Great End of the Church is about doing what God says is right and creating right relationships in the world, and thus, becoming involved in ministries of social outreach, change, and justice. In the Book of Order, it said that we have been elected by God, not only to be saved, but to serve (G-2.0500). Later on, in this same book, we read that, by faith in Jesus Christ, we are "to participate in God's activity in the world through our life for others by: 1) healing and reconciling and binding up wounds; 2) ministering to the needs of the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the powerless; 3) engaging in the struggle to free people from sin, fear, oppression, hunger, and injustice; and 4) giving ourselves and our substance to the service of those who suffer (G-3.0300). We are to extend care and compassion where needed. We are to work for justice and righteousness where needed.

The Promotion of Social Righteousness: Doing what God says is right and creating right relationships in the world.

The Sixth Great End of the Church: The Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World

Biblical Foundation: Isaiah 11: 1-9, 61: 1-3, 8-11, 65: 17-25; Matthew 4: 13-16; 13: 31-32; 1 Thessalonians 1: 2-3, 2: 11-13

This Great End of the Church is about living in a way that clearly shows that you honor God as King and Lord of all. The Old Testament talks about you, the people of God, as a light to the nations, and that those nations and their rulers will be drawn and attracted to you. Jesus Christ reinforces this truth when he talks about his followers being "a light to the world" and "a city set on a hill." Our Book of Order says that we "share with Christ in the establishing of His just, peaceable, and loving rule in the world (G-3.0300). This means that we not only talk the talk, but walk the talk!

As I read somewhere: "The church is a lighthouse showing the reign of God in our midst. As we reach our to world in need, our values, words, and deeds will bear witness to the plan of God to share His healing love with all people. When the world scrutinizes what the Church does and says and then declares, 'There must really be a God who loves us, after all!', then we are truly fulfilling this Great End."