Since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, God has been passionately about the mission of pursuing and redeeming lost mankind to Himself, so that His glory will be known in all the earth. And because of His amazing grace to us, He invites us into this eternal, global mission as well. When we use the word “missions,” we’re really referring to the privilege we have of living “on mission” with God every day.
As a church family, we are deeply concerned about five global giants – immense tasks that require a cooperative effort by the entire kingdom of God to tackle successfully. These five giants are expressed in the word PEACE. We are determined to…
- Plant healthy, reproducing churches that promote reconciliation.
- Equip servant leaders to change the world.
- Assist the poor.
- Care for the sick.
- Educate the next generation.
Our model for where we carry out the mission of God is framed by Acts 1:8:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
We pursue PEACE in at least four realms:
- In our “Jerusalem” – northwest Arkansas.
- In our “Judea” – North America.
- In our “Samaria” – cross-culturally.
- To the “ends of the earth” – internationally, in every people group.
How are we carrying out the PEACE plan? We’ve been serious about missions from day one. For example:
- We brought Michael Smith on as a planter-in-residence for a year and then commissioned he and his wife, Jennifer, to plant Journey Church in Siloam Springs, now meeting in the Siloam 6 Cinema.
- Nathan Brewer is joining us as our second planter-in-residence for a year and then plans on relocating to the Oklahoma City region to plant a new church.
- We’ve partnered with other church plants in Nixa, Missouri and Pascoe, Washington.
- Before we ever had a worship service, we were distributing school supplies to an under-resourced neighborhood.
- We have a close partnership with Grace Hill Elementary School. We’ve adopted them and we show care, love, and concern for the teachers, staff, and families of the school with no strings attached.
- We collect shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse.
- We’ve sent people to Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Honduras to help with dental and medical clinics, construction, and training of local leaders.
- We’re sending the Crabtree and Sanders families to Papau New Guinea to minister to a completely unreached and unengaged people group.
Being a new church hasn’t stopped us from engaging the world with PEACE, and we aren’t slowing down anytime soon. We are serious about the mission!