Oakey Grove Mission
Church Vision: “Building People; Mind, Body, and Spirit.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
The vision describes the overall approach to ministry and it determines direction. (Hab. 2:2) Oakey Grove Baptist Church is a ministry of edification. Our task is not only to lead souls to Jesus Christ, but also to prepare persons for the works of ministry.
The Church Mission- “Reach, Teach, Mend, Send.” (R.T.M.S.) This acrostic describes how and what is to be done to bring the vision to pass.
Reach- “Go ye therefore”
Reaching ministries are bi-directional; they may reach in, or reach out. Ministry efforts that are purely evangelistic have the conversion of souls in view, and these are generally organized and targeted to those who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. In-reach ministry efforts may include an evangelistic component, but are generally part of internal nurture. Sheep may sometimes lose their way and require guidance; including non-judgmental, and loving assistance from the spiritually mature.
(Matt. 18:12, Romans 15:1.)
Teach- “teaching them to observe all things”
Jesus has commanded the Church to make disciples. He taught in John 8:31 that those who continue in His Word are His disciples. The word “disciple” can be translated as “one who sits at the feet of another.” Our aim as Christian educators is to declare the whole counsel of God, and to assess, challenge, and equip every Bible student to become a Bible teacher.
The standard for all teaching is the Holy Bible, and every sermon, study or teaching has expected learning outcomes and objectives in mind. The aim of every teacher is to submit as a willing vessel to the Holy Spirit in the delivery of God- honoring instruction with a thematic and practical emphasis. All instructions are accompanied by expected outcomes that impact the head, heart, and hand. (Cognitive, affective, behavioral) (Whole person)
It is our goal to disciple Christians in the discovery of their individual ministry gifts, to encourage the expression and use of those gifts, and to mature believers in their faith. (Ephesians 4:12-13, Hebrews 5:12-14)
Mend – “I am with you always.”
The Church of Jesus Christ is a fellowship and every local church body is an individual expression of His Body. The Body of Christ is as diverse as the needs of every individual in the Church. All of us are in the process of becoming; we are becoming the persons that God would have us to be. Jesus’s words of comfort in this aspect of the mission guide us corporately towards nurture, fellowship, and meaningful interaction that has family and belonging in view. Mending ministries reflect pastoral care, personal visitation and communication, counseling, caring for the ill and elderly, and a myriad of other ministry methods in which common human needs are discovered, shared, and lovingly addressed. Whatever we have “done to the least of these,” has also been done to Jesus. (Matthew 25:33-46, James 2:14-26)
Send- “even unto the end of the world”
Jesus has promised us that wherever a believer is, He’ll be there. Oakey Grove Baptist Church is a sending ministry. Our task before the Lord in this new millennium is not to construct buildings or to accomplish mega-church status, but to send disciples into a very dark and dying world. “Sending” may entail local or international mission efforts, organizing and supporting Church plants, or simply joyously celebrating the changing assignments that individuals among us are continuously called to at the Lord’s leading. (Matthew 10:7-14, Mark 16:15)