OUR VISION
ACTS!
God has given us a vision for ministry in our region that is articulated by the letters of the word ACTS. Not only is it our desire to model after the power of the first century church that can be read about in Acts 2, but also the four letters of the word state our four word vision: Add, Connect, Train and Send.
Add, Connect, Train and Send. We are an ACTS church.
Add
Our vision is to Add souls into the world-wide Church. God is serious about adding souls one at a time to His family, so that’s our priority as well. People are added into the kingdom of the Father through saving faith in Jesus Christ. We encourage a culture within The River that is always seeking to rescue lost souls. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, so like Him, we are always looking for opportunities to proclaim the message of the cross in the hopes of winning some.
Connect
Our conviction is that Christianity was never meant to be lived alone. God is a relational God, and people made in His image are meant to Connect to others! God created us to enjoy life-giving, back and forth relationships with not only Himself but others as well, and the local church is God’s designated place for people to receive care, grow in their faith, and learn to serve others. We have experienced that significant spiritual life change happens best when people are in relationship with one another. People at The River connect by showing up to church events, serving in the church, and participating in small groups.
Train
Jesus said to go and make disciples. The word disciple means student, so the third part of our vision is to Train people. Training to be a disciple happens through education and application, both learning and doing. One way we train people is through involvement in small groups that meet during the week. Our small groups are a safe place to ask questions, grow, practice gifts, give and receive support and build relationships to do life beyond meetings. We also offer seasonal courses so people can grow deeper in their understanding of theology, doctrine and biblical family health as well as learning to be a disciple by serving in a variety of ways in the church.
Send
Jesus said to ask the Lord of the Harvest to Send out workers into His harvest fields. The fourth aspect of our vision is all about sending leaders into ministry. There is a great need for trained disciples who are willing to both do the work of the ministry of God on the earth and to train up others. Although souls are added to the kingdom one at a time, our efforts are multiplied if we raise up others who will reproduce themselves! Our vision is to send trained leaders to minister locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.