Welcome to Wintergreen Ledges Church of God! We’re so glad that you are interested in learning more about us! We would love for you to come visit us on a Sunday morning for service or at a special event. Our Sunday services start at 11:00 AM. You can follow our Facebook Page to get to know and interact with us. You can also check out what we believe and even watch one of our sermons to learn more about us. If you have any questions about our church and ministry, Pastor Josh is always willing to answer any of your questions.

Wintergreen Ledges is a non-denominational congregation affiliated with the Church of God movement with general offices in Anderson, Indiana. We have come together to worship our Savior, the Lord Jesus, in spirit and in truth.

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Core StATEMENTS

table of COntents

Introduction

The purpose, mission, vision and values of any organization play a vital role in guiding their decisions, priorities, strategies, and pursuits. These core statements also serve to unify an organization’s team and leadership to work together toward shared goals for a common purpose. It is vital to the health, growth, and success of any organization to periodically review and, when necessary, update these core statements. The church is no different in this regard.

What is different when it comes to the church, is that it is not up to the church to forge their own mission and purpose from scratch. Rather, we recognize that the Church belongs to God, and that He has given us His inspired Word, upon which local church congregations are to base these core statements and the ministry efforts that flow from them.

Two fundamental scriptures that the church needs to base their core statements on are what have come to be known as The Great Commission and The Great Commandment.

  1. The Great Commission
    • Matthew 28:19-20   19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
  2. The Great Commandment
    • Matthew 22:35-40  35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:  36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  38 This is the first and greatest commandment.  39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

These commandments come directly from Jesus and speak powerfully to the heart, life, mission, and ministry of the individual follower of Jesus. Likewise, these commandments also necessarily apply to the local church as a community of faithful followers of Jesus who are united on His mission together.

Purpose – We Exist to Glorify God and to join His Mission

  • The Church belongs to God, and exists for Him, for His glory, and for His Mission
    • While we greatly benefit from His Church, it is vital to remember that it is His and that He is the center of all that we do
    • This “Mission” is to be found in the Great Commission, which our Mission Statement summarizes.

Mission – To Develop generations of mature followers of JEsus

  • Jesus has designed and called us to not only be disciples, but to also make disciples
    • Following Jesus entails faithfully and obediently pursuing Jesus in our everyday lives
      • This entails and results in spiritual growth and development in our relationship with Jesus
    • Developing disciples entails leading others to come to know and follow Jesus themselves
  • When we follow Jesus’ command and His example, we not only develop disciples/followers of Jesus, but we develop disciple-makers.
    • In other words, we develop “generations” of followers of Jesus. We see this in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, where he writes,
      • 2 Timothy 2:2   2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
        • Paul not only faithfully follows Jesus himself, but also has faithfully discipled Timothy to disciple reliable men to disciple others….
  • Discipleship is not merely leading one to know the truth of the Gospel message, but to continue to grow and mature in relationship with and obedience to Jesus in their daily life
    • Hebrews 5:12-14  12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!  13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

As we pursue this mission together, it is vital to have a shared picture in mind of what it looks like when we are successfully accomplishing this mission. This picture is referred to as the Vision of the church. The Vision serves to inspire, drive, and unite the church on our shared mission. The Vision helps to focus our efforts, resources, and energy on what God has called us to.

Vision – People of all ages passionately pursuing Jesus on mission together

  • As we faithfully live out the Great Commandment on the Great Commission, we will see people of all ages come to know and follow Jesus.
  • We will also see committed disciple-makers raise up the next generations to faithfully follow Jesus and to join us in His mission together.
  • We will experience the beauty and power of unity in the Body of Christ as multiple generations of followers of Jesus passionately love Him and one another.

Values

Every organization has core values that define who they are and govern what they do. At Wintergreen Ledges Church of God we deeply value:

  • Biblical Learning– We value faithful biblical preaching, teaching, and instruction.
    • 2 Timothy 3:16-17  16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
      • The Bible is God’s inspired Word written and preserved for us to read, study, and apply.
  • Biblical Living– We value faithfully applying scripture in our daily lives and ministries.
    • Matthew 5:14-16   14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
      • We have been called to not merely know the truth, but to faithfully live it out in our lives and ministries
        • This entails faithfully reflecting God’s truth, love, and holiness in our lives
        • This involves the Great Commandment- loving God and loving others
  • Christian Unity– We value partnering together with other Christian ministries beyond our walls to experience unity in furthering God’s Kingdom together.
    • 1 Corinthians 12:12-13   12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.  13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body– whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free– and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
    • We believe that the Body of Christ extends far beyond our local congregation, and even beyond our movement.
  • Evangelism– We value reaching the lost and meeting the needs of those around us.
    • Matthew 4:19  19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
      • Jesus has called us to both follow Him and also to be fishers of men, who follow His example and teaching to pursue the lost.
        • This entails not only sharing the gospel message, but also caring for those in need:
      • Matthew 25:35-40  35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
  • Fellowship– We value living out the Great Commandment, experiencing a deep connection with God and with one another.
    • Acts 2:42  42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
      • The early church in Acts was devoted to fellowship and to living out their faith and their mission together
    • Matthew 22:35-40  35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:  36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  38 This is the first and greatest commandment.  39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
      • We value fellowship with one another because Jesus has commanded us to not only love Him, but also to love one another.
  • Prayer– We value pursuing God in prayer as a church and as individual followers of Jesus.
    • God calls His people to come to Him in prayer
      • 2 Chronicles 7:14  14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
      • Acts 2:42  42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
        • The early church in Acts was devoted to prayer.
          • Prayer played a vital role in the health, growth, and impact of the early church, and it continues to play a vital role in the church today.
  • Spiritual Growth– We value supporting the ongoing growth, development and maturity of faith in the lives of our leaders, members, and neighbors.
    • John 15:4-5  4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
      • Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. He tells us that if we cling to Him and remain in Him that we will grow and produce fruit in our lives.
      • When we remain in Christ, we grow and mature in faith, and we produce fruit in our lives that also impact those around us.

Strategy

  1. Engage our Community
    • We will regularly pursue creative opportunities to build relationships with our neighbors.
    • We will strategically target events and ministries to effectively reach and engage those around us.
  2. Evangelize the Lost
    • We will intentionally pursue Akron as our local mission field.
    • We will meet needs and shine the light of Jesus to those within our reach.
      • Preaching the Gospel in both word and action.
  3. Equip Disciple-Makers
    • We will develop mature followers of Jesus
      • Followers who faithfully reflect Him and His Word in their lives
      • Followers who faithfully lead others to a growing relationship with Jesus
  4. Empower Leaders
    • We will develop, train, and support new and existing leaders in the ministries of our church.
  5. Expand Ministries & Impact
    • We will continually seek to grow God’s Kingdom through our energy, time, and resources.
      • We will regularly evaluate the effectiveness of our existing ministry efforts.
      • We will regularly update, add, and stop ministries in order to more effectively carry out the mission that God has given us to accomplish.