GT300
GT300 Stands for "Grow to 300," and is our latest vision/initiative at RCC. Simply put, it is a goal or a drive to grow the church by focusing on our mission to help people find and follow Jesus.
WHY GT300?
WHY DOES A NUMBER MATTER AT ALL?
Simply put it doesn't, but our mission does! And the consequence of pursing our mission is church growth. Rest assured though, we are hard pressed to not lose sight of important and necessary values of the church:
1. A commitment to Biblical teaching without compromise
We believe the teachings of the Bible are not a hindrance to our goal of growth, but the sole driver of it. Let us never compromise what the Bible teaches in pursuit of shallow growth. It is sincere and deep Christian faith that we aim to cultivate.
2. A commitment to discipleship
Driving attendance is not our aim. Discipleship is. Helping people find Jesus is only half of the mission. The other half is to help them follow Him. This means that we must maintain an high level of commitment to Biblical discipleship. The tools that we have for this are our One on One discipleship program, Community Groups, ReclaimU classes, a multitude of fellowship opportunities, and of course Sunday morning services.
3. Community
It is often thought that growth is a barrier to community; that as the church gets bigger individuals matter less. First, individuals can never matter less because our value does not come from our role in the church, the amount of faces we recognize (and that recognize us) on Sunday mornings, or by an importance we feel as proverbial bigger fish in smaller ponds. Our value comes from the fact that God made us in His image and loves us without condition. Your value was declared by Jesus when He was crucified in your place. It can not and will not change. Second, it is true that as the church gets bigger, we can individually feel a bit smaller. This is a good thing though. Our Christian faith should call us to humble ourselves to make room for others to share in the gifts of God that we so blessedly get to enjoy. Thirdly, our level of community does not have to shrink back, it does have to evolve though. In a growing church we must seek community in smaller groups. Jesus had His three closest friends in His inner circle. Then He had the twelve disciples. Then He had the 100+ people that followed Him throughout His ministry. What does this mean for us? It should never be expected that we will have an extremely deep relationship with every person who calls RCC home. We should however, seek deep relationships in smaller groups within the church. People who we can be open and vulnerable with. People who can sharpen us through encouragement and admonishment. People we habitually spend time with and share our lives with. At RCC we will always strive to cultivate opportunities for you to grow closer to others with discipleship, community groups, and intentional fellowship opportunities. Remember, community doesn't happen TO YOU, it happens BECAUSE OF YOU. Because of your intention to build strong community in your life.
ALL THIS SAID...
GT300 ought to be a strong reminder to press on in a world that prefers we call it quits. It should be a reminder that there are a myriad of opportunities to share the love of Christ, and the good news of His invitation each and every day of our lives. It should encourage us and challenge us to "number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). At the end of the day, what we believe is that an eternal existence with or without God lays before us all; and if we as God's people sit on our gifts, those around us perish. We have good news. Do you know what good news is for? It's for sharing. It's for celebrating. It's for spreading.
May we be a church that:
Let us do our part, so God will do His. Let us next, and for now, do all we can to grow to 300.
WHY GT300?
- Because we exist to help people find and follow Jesus
- Because people focus and thrive more with goals laid before us
- Because 300 is a number that nearly maxes out our current campus' capacity
WHY DOES A NUMBER MATTER AT ALL?
Simply put it doesn't, but our mission does! And the consequence of pursing our mission is church growth. Rest assured though, we are hard pressed to not lose sight of important and necessary values of the church:
1. A commitment to Biblical teaching without compromise
We believe the teachings of the Bible are not a hindrance to our goal of growth, but the sole driver of it. Let us never compromise what the Bible teaches in pursuit of shallow growth. It is sincere and deep Christian faith that we aim to cultivate.
2. A commitment to discipleship
Driving attendance is not our aim. Discipleship is. Helping people find Jesus is only half of the mission. The other half is to help them follow Him. This means that we must maintain an high level of commitment to Biblical discipleship. The tools that we have for this are our One on One discipleship program, Community Groups, ReclaimU classes, a multitude of fellowship opportunities, and of course Sunday morning services.
3. Community
It is often thought that growth is a barrier to community; that as the church gets bigger individuals matter less. First, individuals can never matter less because our value does not come from our role in the church, the amount of faces we recognize (and that recognize us) on Sunday mornings, or by an importance we feel as proverbial bigger fish in smaller ponds. Our value comes from the fact that God made us in His image and loves us without condition. Your value was declared by Jesus when He was crucified in your place. It can not and will not change. Second, it is true that as the church gets bigger, we can individually feel a bit smaller. This is a good thing though. Our Christian faith should call us to humble ourselves to make room for others to share in the gifts of God that we so blessedly get to enjoy. Thirdly, our level of community does not have to shrink back, it does have to evolve though. In a growing church we must seek community in smaller groups. Jesus had His three closest friends in His inner circle. Then He had the twelve disciples. Then He had the 100+ people that followed Him throughout His ministry. What does this mean for us? It should never be expected that we will have an extremely deep relationship with every person who calls RCC home. We should however, seek deep relationships in smaller groups within the church. People who we can be open and vulnerable with. People who can sharpen us through encouragement and admonishment. People we habitually spend time with and share our lives with. At RCC we will always strive to cultivate opportunities for you to grow closer to others with discipleship, community groups, and intentional fellowship opportunities. Remember, community doesn't happen TO YOU, it happens BECAUSE OF YOU. Because of your intention to build strong community in your life.
ALL THIS SAID...
GT300 ought to be a strong reminder to press on in a world that prefers we call it quits. It should be a reminder that there are a myriad of opportunities to share the love of Christ, and the good news of His invitation each and every day of our lives. It should encourage us and challenge us to "number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). At the end of the day, what we believe is that an eternal existence with or without God lays before us all; and if we as God's people sit on our gifts, those around us perish. We have good news. Do you know what good news is for? It's for sharing. It's for celebrating. It's for spreading.
May we be a church that:
- Grows personally in our practice of the spiritual disciplines which take us deep
- Constantly invites God into our plans and asks Him to bless our efforts
- Dedicates our gifts, talents, time, and other resources to the Kingdom of God
- Seeks out missional opportunities in our day to day lives, and supports them abroad
Let us do our part, so God will do His. Let us next, and for now, do all we can to grow to 300.
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