At All Saints, we are very clear about what the Lord expects from his church and its members.

First of all, we believe we are all called to be ministers.  Here are two key questions from our catechism:

Who are the ministers of the Church?

The ministers of the Church are laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons.

What is the ministry of the laity?

The ministry of the lay person is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given to them, to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.

The Ministry of the Laity and the 6 Purposes of the Church

We believe God has ordained that the Church serve six basic purposes. It is Christ’s church, not ours. Jesus founded the church, died for the church, sent his Spirit to the church, and will someday return for his church.  As the owner of the church, he has already established the purposes, and we do not understand them as being optional. Our duty is to understand the purposes Christ has for the church and to implement them in all that we do.

Worship-“Love the Lord with all your heart” (Luke 10:27): The first, and perhaps primary purpose of the Church is worship. That is, we pay tribute and honor to our king. In a narrow sense, this includes our scheduled services, and all that goes on in them.  In a broader sense, it also includes lives lived out in the other five purposes. We believe in godly living on a daily basis and regular participation in worship services.

Compassion-“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27): The church exists to minister to people. Ministry is demonstrating God’s love to others by meeting their needs and healing their hurts in the name of Jesus. The Church is to minister to all kinds of needs:  spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical. Think of outreach, compassion, and healing ministries. We ask that you be involved in some kind of compassion ministry.

Evangelism-“Go and make disciples” (Matt 28:19): The church exists to communicate God’s word. We are ambassadors of Christ, and our mission is to evangelize the world. “Evangelism” literally means, “the spreading of the Good news.” As salvation has been freely given to us in Christ, we are to offer Christ freely to others. We ask that you invite people to church and witness your faith to your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

Discipleship-“Teaching them to obey” (Matt 28:19):  The Church exists to edify, or educate God’s people. Discipleship is the process of helping others become more like Christ in their thoughts, feelings, and actions. The Bible says, “We continue to preach Christ to each person, using all wisdom to warn and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature person in Christ.” (Col 1:28) We ask that you be involved in some kind of regular study and prayer.

Fellowship-“Belong, not just believe” (Gal 6:2): We are not meant to live lone-ranger lives; instead we are to belong to Christ’s family and be members of his body. Baptism, our initiation rite, is not only a symbol of our salvation; it is a symbol of fellowship. It not only symbolizes our new life in Christ, it visualizes a person’s incorporation into the body of Christ. There, we bear each other’s burdens, strengthen one another, and help each other grow. We ask that you engage other members at a deep and honest level.

Service-Peter writes, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others (1Peter 4:10): God equips each believer with spiritual gifts to be used inside the church. Utilizing our gifts for the good of others is a vital part of our relationship with the Lord and the Christian community. Christians are servants to one another as Christ was our Servant to the Church. We ask that you explore your spiritual gifts and become involved in serving the church in some capacity.