Mission and Ministries

The Mission of the Church

The Mission of the Church is the same as that given by the Lord to His disciples in Mt 28:19-20, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. 

The Ministries of the Church

To the end of the stated mission above, the ministries of the church include:

A. The ministry of Worship

Biblical worship is the foundation ministry of the church. We are called to worship God together as a corporate body in ways prescribed by Him. Subsequently, our worship services consist of various types of prayers, the readings of Scripture, the singing of hymns, Psalms and choruses, the preaching of the Word and our response, the Sacraments, and the giving of tithes and offerings.

B. The Preaching and Teaching ministry

Inasmuch as the task of the elders is to equip the saints to do the work of ministry, and inasmuch as such equipping is done primarily through preaching and teaching, then great emphasis is placed upon this dual aspect of preaching and teaching. Pastor Dixon preaches primarily expositionally through books of the Bible. He is currently preaching through 1 Samuel and plans to finish in January 2009 and begin preaching through the Gospel of Mark.  The first Sunday of each month the sermon manuscript for that Sunday is posted on the website, so that sermons for the past four months are posted on a rotational basis.

Sunday School for all ages: We have Sunday School for all ages. Presently the children of all ages have finished studying the catechism and are currently studying the basic stories of the Old and New Testaments.. The adults are following a six-year curriculum whereby each year during 4 quarters of instruction there is alternation between: a book study in the Bible, an overview study of the various sections of the Bible, a theological study, and a practical ministries study. Currently, the adults are doing a book study of Romans (see Roman Q&A on the website).  This will contine through January 2009..

Small group ministries: In addition, instruction in the Word occurs at every level, such as: in homes (small group ministries), session meetings (taught by pastor), W.I.C. (Women in Christ) meetings (taught by various women), men’s meetings (taught by one of the elders), nursing home (currently taught by a deacon).

C. The ministry of Prayer

Prayer is an essential part of church ministry. During the worship service various types of prayers are offered up: invocation, adoration, confessionals (both corporate and private), intercessory (prayer requests taken from the congregation are offered up), offertory, for enlightenment regarding the reading and hearing of the Word of God, and benediction. The last half of the evening worship services are given to prayer whereby the congregation is split into groups for sharing requests, praise and prayer. Prayer is an important part of the session’s life, as we pray for the church at every meeting and as each elder prays specifically and regularly for members of his care group. In general, prayer is an essential part of all parts of the ministry of the church.

D. Nouthetic counseling ministry

This is the essence of doing the work of ministry, as Paul discusses in his epistles. Nouthetic refers to the Greek word Paul uses for exhorting, admonishing, rebuking, encouraging, and comforting one another in love (Rom 15:14, 1 Cor 4:14, Col 1:28, 3:16, 1 Thess 5:12, 14, 2 Thess 3:15). It is done verbally in love between Christians in the church, and its purpose is the “building up of the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood” (Eph 4:12ff).

E. The Caring ministry

     1. The church is divided into caring groups each headed up by an elder of the church.

     2. Hospitality

          a. to visitors: We take seriously the admonition to extend hospitality to strangers, to those who visit us for worship. If you visit us, expect to be invited to a home for dinner afterwards.

          b. to traveling friends: Likewise, we seek to extend hospitality through meals and lodging to fellow Christian travelers.

          c. Fellowship meals: Once a month the church has a fellowship meal at the church or otherwise, provided by its members and for the encouragement of fellowship amongst its members and visitors.

          d. to the elderly and poor:

               1] to the elderly: We minister to the elderly at the nearby nursing home through Bible study and individual visitation. They are also picked up for church service and returned.

               2] to the poor: We minister to the poor inside the church, or outside, as we are made aware of their needs either through visitation and/or through the local ministerial association (CAMA).

F. The ministry to Missionaries: We currently are supporting five missionary families - the Kidwells serving in China, the Clarkes serving in Australia, the Calls soon to be serving in Mexico, the Tombings serving in India, and the Glassmeyers church-planting in Las Vegas.

G. The ministry to seminary interns: For the past 3 years the church has ministered to and with three interns, Phil Glassmeyer (currently church planting in Las Vegas), Doug Doll (currently serving as a pastor in an OPC church in Michigan), and currently second-year student Andrew Perrie.

H. The ministry to Nonbelievers: Our focus in ministry to nonbelievers is two-fold: letting our light shine forth that men see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Mt 5:16) and prayer, whereby we pray for boldness (Eph 6:19), for open doors (Col 4:3), and for the words to speak (1 Pet 3:15). In February 2008 we plan to begin a door to door outreach program.

Sincerely and prayerfully submitted,

Paul S. Dixon, TE

Hope Presbyterian Church