Mission: (What We’re Doing)
Redwood Park Church is about connecting people to the living God and each other; impacting our city and world with the message and life of Jesus.
Vision: (What We’re Becoming)
Redwood Park Church is committed to developing a community of fully alive Christ followers with a passion to impact our city and world with the truth and the relevancy of the Gospel.
Perhaps it would help to understand the thoughts behind some of these key words and phrases:
Community: Refers to the fact that the church is ultimately God’s people in relationship with one another; not just a building, a pastor or programs commonly associated with the word “church.” Community gives people a genuine sense of belonging and connectedness.
Fully alive Christ followers: Refers to believers filled with the Holy Spirit and passionately in love with our Lord Jesus Christ. Refers to believers who understand their ultimate purpose to be worshippers, who through word and action, bring glory to God. Refers to believers who experience day by day the abundant life promised by Chrst.
A passion to impact our city and world: Refers to believers who understand that the church is the one institution that exists for the benefit of its non-members. Refers to believers who understand their responsibility to be actively involved with the advance of the Gospel in their neighbourhood, at their place of work, throughout this city and around the world. Included here is an understanding that sharing the life of Christ with others is the one task God asks of us that we cannot do in heaven.
The truth and the relevancy of the Gospel: The message of the Gospel is absolute truth. It is a message that does not change. But the presentation of the Gospel can change from culture to culture and from generation to generation. Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we are to seek the most effective and relevant means to connect the truth of the Gospel with the condition of our culture and generation.
Strategy: (Some things we’re doing to help fulfill our Mission and Vision)
Note: These strategies overlap and do not necessarily neatly follow each other. The fulfillment of our Mission and Vision including the process of life formation cannot be contained within a tightly ordered system.
1. To hold Worship Services where a believer can worship God and grow in his or her faith, knowledge and experience of God while at the same time being inclusive of and sensitive to the unique needs, culture and faith process of a seeking non-believer. Through these Worship Services, we are seeking to glorify God by leading both believers and seekers to a dynamic life changing encounter with the living God.
2. To lead our children, youth and adults through an age appropriate
life formation process that develops white hot worshippers of Christ for the glory of God. We envision this life formation process to develop fully alive Christ followers who:
- Live connected and surrendered to God
- Through a vibrant prayer and devotional life
- Though a personal experience of God’s redeeming grace
- Through an ongoing experience of being filled with the Spirit
- Live out the teachings of the Bible
- Through a personal commitment to the authority of Scripture
- Live out the great commandment and the great commission,
- Through an intentional missional focus to my city, country and world
- Live committed to community
- In the local church (i.e. community membership)
- Through accountable spiritual friendships (including a life group experience)
- Live out of how one is created
- Through discovering, developing and deploying one’s spiritual gifts, talents and passions.
- Live generously
- Though a commitment to being a good steward of the resources God has entrusted one with including a commitment to proportional giving (tithing) to one’s local church.
Life formation takes place in the context of large group worship, a smaller group class curriculum (that presently at the adult level includes Alpha, Purpose Driven Life, Ordinary Day with Jesus, Good $ense, Network, Contagious Christian, The Marriage Course), the graduated church membership & ministry certification program, service within and out side of the local church, life group experiences, accountable spiritual friendships and other spiritual formation opportunities.
3. To develop an environment within our church family that fosters the experience of
authentic community and ultimately
community with accountability. We recognize that community happens spontaneously in response to personal choices as well as external circumstances and cannot be forced. Hence our goal is to create an atmosphere that encourages believers and seekers to step into community with accountability whether that be some sort of small group (including our “Life Groups”), a mentoring relationship, or perhaps some form of spiritual friendship. The healthy experience of authentic community and ultimately community with accountability is critical for facilitation of “life formation.”
4. To provide a ministry of
Community Care that tangibly demonstrates the love of Christ by assisting people with a variety of practical needs. First to provide care to those primarily within our church family through our Redcare and Stephens Ministries programs. To minister to our church family and broader community through a variety of support programs (i.e. Divorce Care & Celebrate Recovery). Further to minister the grace of God to those in our city, beyond our church family, through the development of a “Community Services Centre or Ministry” that would assist people with a variety of practical needs.
5. To develop special outreach events and ministries targeted at spiritual seekers from both churched and unchurched backgrounds.
6. To recognize our strategic location in Northwestern Ontario and to take some responsibility to assist in the planting of churches and to encourage outreach efforts in Northwestern Ontario as a part of our missions responsibility. (i.e. encouraging the work of our sister church The Aboriginal Harvest Church, as well as New Hope Fellowship & Native Ministries in Thunder Bay as well as partnering with our sister church in Dryden, Timbers Community Church.)
7. To develop a global vision by encouraging ongoing participation with both finances and personnel in Alliance Missions as well as other designated Missions projects.
8. To play a role in encouraging unity and relationship among the evangelical churches in Thunder Bay without compromising the distinctives that mark each church. To pray fervently for the spiritual health of our city. To further serve the church in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario by providing leadership development training and opportunities for lay and professional ministry workers.
9. To undergird all the ministries of our church with prayer. To recognize prayer as the driving force behind the work of the church.