What it means to follow Jesus is not the same as following someone on Instagram. As we follow Jesus together in the practices of Gather, Grow, Give, and Go–we will be changed by Jesus, become like Jesus, and join Him in what He is doing in the world. Experience the joy, meaning, and fulfillment that comes when you follow Jesus.
Learn more about each of The Practices through our sermon series, Followology.
THE PRACTICES
GATHER TOGETHER
We are a church family who gathers regularly.
John 1:12; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42-47
God is a community–Father, Son and Holy Spirit in complete unity, mutual loving relationship, and honour. Gathering together with the church for worship is our appropriate response to God, His desire for us, and important for our spiritual health.
Gathering together also means that we gather in community. This is our faithful way of living, inspiring, and helping each other to be active participants in the life of the church. It’s where we are shaped to become more and more like Jesus. Together, we form one another as disciples who make disciples.
GROW TOGETHER
We are followers of Jesus who grow spiritually.
John 15:1-8; Romans 12:2; Colossians 2:6-7
God is love. He is glorious, gracious, kind, holy, and perfect. As we respond to what God has done in Jesus by following Him together, we are changed to be more and more like Jesus and our lives honour Him and shows our love for Him.
Growing together means that each of us will take personal responsibility to mature in Christ, while also pointing one another to Jesus. By growing together, we will become a deep-rooted family, with our roots intertwined. This will happen as we regularly meet with Jesus and learn from Jesus through Bible reading, prayer, Christ-centred Group life, silence and solitude with Jesus, and other spiritual disciplines.
GIVE TOGETHER
We are a team who gives wholeheartedly.
Mark 10:45; Proverbs 3:9; Ephesians 2:10
Are you aware of the time, abilities, and gifts God has given you? We are called to give to others from what God gives us. When we serve, we imitate Jesus, who came as a servant King to seek and save the world.
Giving together means that we desire people to be followers of Christ who respond to God’s love by contributing through generosity and service. We want every disciple to know how to express our faith through our Holy Spirit-given gifts and abilities, because Jesus uses His family serving together to effectively impact others in our church, our city, and our world.
GO TOGETHER
We are multipliers who go intentionally.
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 2:2
God wants to restore us to a way of life where we join Him in what He is doing in the world. Jesus’ earliest followers were marked not by their skills or their smartness, but by the fact that they had been with Jesus, that they were full of the Holy Spirit, that they loved Jesus, and that they loved each other.
Going together means that we let the Holy Spirit lead us to share life with other people—in our city, across our country, or internationally. This means inviting those we live, study, and play with into our lives and into places and events where God’s love and message is being experienced, shared, and communicated.
