Coventry Vineyard is a group of people committed to…
Encourage one another to worship God in everyday life
Equip one another to live as followers of Jesus
Express God’s love to others in practical ways.
Encourage one another to worship God in everyday life
Equip one another to live as followers of Jesus
Express God’s love to others in practical ways.
We want to be a people who make disciples who transform the world.
On Being 'Missional"
To be missional is simply to live life as though you have been sent “on mission” by Jesus. Missional living is about living on mission. Missional activities are the focus of your life as you seek to fulfil the mission of Jesus. To be “missional” is to focus on living in accordance with the great commandment and great commission.
To be missional is simply to live life as though you have been sent “on mission” by Jesus. Missional living is about living on mission. Missional activities are the focus of your life as you seek to fulfil the mission of Jesus. To be “missional” is to focus on living in accordance with the great commandment and great commission.
|
Jesus told his followers to make disciples. That is the core mission we’ve been charged with. Disciples learn from Jesus (the master) how to live under the kingdom of God.
Jesus made disciples and instructed his disciples to make disciples. Churches are the natural outcome of disciples making disciples. |
Disciples: People who live like Jesus lived. As those entrusted with revealing this Kingdom to others, we follow Jesus, imitate his ways, and try to live our lives as he lived his. We serve as the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus in the world around us. In doing so, we— as his disciples— participate in making the power of God visible to others. Jesus invited others to taste and see the Kingdom of God, and he uses us as the means of expressing that spiritual reality to those around us.
-Bob Logan, The Missional Journey |
|
Every Christian is called to follow Jesus; to be his disciple or apprentice.
There is not an opt out.
To live as his follower is to live and love as He did.
There is not an opt out.
To live as his follower is to live and love as He did.
But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them.
This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 John 2:5– 6
This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 John 2:5– 6
Jesus lived on earth in a way that showed us what God is like. In the same way, we are to live in such a way as to show others what God is like. How do we do this? How do we live like Jesus did? What is our strategy for mission? It starts with how we are being formed...
Be FORMed
Transformed individuals transform culture. We are to called to grow in our own spiritual lives, becoming more like Jesus as we follow Him, for the sake of others. This is Spiritual Formation. “Spiritual formation is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.” (M. Robert Mulholland Jr., Invitation to a Journey).
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. Romans 8:28-29(The Message)
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. Romans 8:28-29(The Message)
FORM Friendships
Like Jesus we seek to engage culture: by forming friendships with those who don't know Jesus, sharing life in such a way that shows His grace and truth. “If you don’t have friends outside the church, there’s something wrong with you— and your version of Christianity.” -Tom Clegg
We are transformed to have a transforming influence in the world. God has designed the church for this purpose. Jesus engaged his culture by forming friendships. He was known as a “friend of sinners”. They invited him to their parties. And he went!
Forming friendship is how we engage our culture. It means being where the people are, living among them, getting to know them, letting them get to know us. It also means shining the light of Jesus into dark places bringing hope and transformation. When we meet people on their turf, allowing them to really know us— including our spirituality— that’s when we find people who are curious about God and open to him. That’s when people choose to follow Jesus, and begin following him out of their own culture, not ours.
We are transformed to have a transforming influence in the world. God has designed the church for this purpose. Jesus engaged his culture by forming friendships. He was known as a “friend of sinners”. They invited him to their parties. And he went!
Forming friendship is how we engage our culture. It means being where the people are, living among them, getting to know them, letting them get to know us. It also means shining the light of Jesus into dark places bringing hope and transformation. When we meet people on their turf, allowing them to really know us— including our spirituality— that’s when we find people who are curious about God and open to him. That’s when people choose to follow Jesus, and begin following him out of their own culture, not ours.
FORM Community
Out of our Friendships we form missional groups that will intentionally transform communities through sacrificial service, authentic relationships and spiritual formation. A missional group or community is a group of people following Jesus together with a commitment to three key values:
sacrificial service,
authentic relationship
and spiritual formation.
authentic relationship
and spiritual formation.
FORM Leaders
In order to grow and be sustainable, any group needs a structure. Jesus didn’t train his disciples to start services to make disciples, but rather he made disciples to start churches. Therefore we intentionally seek to build a structure that will develop and multiply leaders who enable others to be formed, build friendships and missional groups. We do this by developing people, primarily through coaching and developing our systems of organisation.
FORM Churches
We choose to be intentional about planting and developing communities and churches; locally, nationally and internationally. We want to be contagious in our disciple making, growing communities of disciples who will transform neighbourhoods, cities and countries. We are committed to becoming a multisite church: One church of disciple-making disciples in multiple locations - one Church, one DNA, one purpose.
