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Our Approach To Ministry
CHURCH MODEL
Our context is 21st century nearly post-Christian America. We live comfortably in suburbia, but, like most of America, we can find pockets of considerable financial want nearby. Spiritual want is a rampant need in our community and there are many good witnesses speaking into the spiritual need in our city. What role can Greenhouse serve in building God’s Kingdom? What kind of church is Greenhouse? Keep reading below for how we see God answering our questions for us.
Greenhouse Church is a fellowship of believers who love Jesus Christ leading to lives conformed to His likeness and communities transformed by the gospel of God’s Kingdom.
UP
Everything we do is designed to enrich our relationship with and improve our imitation of the Lord Jesus. We focus on His character and strive to conform our being to be more like Him affecting what we do
IN
As a church committed to fostering individual growth, we invest energy inward toward those who already participate and desire to become better disciples. Primarily through our small groups, we provide opportunities to learn by example and through instruction. Discipleship is similar to an apprenticeship. We are each somewhere on the path from unskilled and undisciplined to mastering the Christian life. While our ultimate master craftsman is the master carpenter Himself, we each contribute what we have learned to those following behind us as 1 Corinthians 11:1 says, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”
OUT
But the church does not exist solely for the benefit of its current members. We are not satisfied with the condition of our community as so many are lost and without hope in this world. Accordingly, we deliberately seek opportunities to meet new people and introduce them to our Lord and Savior. We do this individually and through our small groups.
PATHWAY TO MATURITY
The primary growth we seek in Greenhouse is the growth of the individual. We are called to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. Titus gives us a framework for how the saints of Greenhouse can develop into fully mature people. Everyone is welcome regardless of spiritual maturity and everyone has a place at Greenhouse.
We understand the mark of maturity is love. 1 Peter 4:8, Colossians 3:12-14 and 1 Corinthians 13 are just three examples in the New Testament where love is written as the primary quality we are to pursue. A major focus of John 13-17, among the last words spoken by Jesus before His crucifixion, was love. “Love one another as I have loved you” is a revolutionary idea created by Jesus He intends for us to live out. Our desire for Greenhouse is that we would be a loving people and as we mature both corporately and individually, our capacity to love will increase.
There is a model of engagement with growing involvement and commitment to Greenhouse that we outline as:
Visitor
We welcome visitors to our large group gatherings and small meetings. Current members personally invite most visitors.
Our church is open to all, regardless of their beliefs or lifestyle. We will show Christ's love and share the message of salvation with them.
Member
A visitor who experiences Christ's love may choose to participate regularly and form friendships, leading to deeper involvement with our church. Through observing Christians in daily life and experiencing grace, visitors may self-identify as members. We encourage members to seek God's standards and live in accordance with Jesus' teachings.
Partner
At Greenhouse Church, believers can become partners by making a formal commitment to love and care for each other like a family.
We follow Christ and trust in God's guidance to meet needs through individuals' skills and desires, rather than predefined roles.
Leader
Greenhouse Church believes that every believer has the opportunity and responsibility to lead as God leads and supplies. Jesus taught that leaders must have a servant's heart and be humble. Leaders serve the community, not themselves.
Each leader's path may be unique based on their personality, gifts, and experiences. Mature character and Christlikeness are expected. Partners are encouraged to follow the Lord and step up to lead if they feel called by God.
