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OUR MISSION
"We are a people with a mission that carries the Glory of God to our generation."
Values
- The Bible is our pattern for all faith, instruction, practice, and relationships.
- Do not allow the glory of God to become so familiar in the congregation that we will no longer honor Him.
- Personal growth to maintain ongoing intimate relationship with God
- Freedom to express the gifts in the midst of the congregation
- Discipleship training is the most effective way to get long-lasting transformation
- Acomplishing all of the above is nothing apart from love.
Apesar de existir uma certa progressão natural na descrição dos tópicos abaixo, o diagrama acima nos sugere que eles não devem ser vistos como tópicos que não interagem entre si e ficam em blocos separados. Na verdade existe uma certa simultaneidade entre eles.
Evangelism
Evangelism is taking someone to have a personal experience with
Jesus. Personal Evangelism is the responsibility of every person
who is born again. It is the universal priesthood in action. The
best opportunities to evangelize are through friendships and personal
relationships. People's needs are open doors for evangelism. Discipleship
Discipleship is the process of helping a person grow in the knowledge
and grace of Jesus. The discipleship process happens through a personal
relationship, in which the discipler's testimony, the teaching of
the Word of God, and spiritual practices, such as fasting and prayer,
are essential for the formation of the disciple's Christian character.
At ICC we expect every convert to act as a son or a daughter. Intergration
Intergration is the process of helping a person discover
his/her identity in the body of Christ, in this case, the church.
Part of this process is: Baptism, exercising spiritual gifts in
the body, ministry work in the church, financial contribution, and
more. Sending
To send the disciple is to release them into the priesthood ministry
work. However, sending is not an event that happens after special
preperation, but it is a process. This process should start right
after the conversion, when the disciple starts testifying about
Jesus to his/her family, friends, and people among his/her acquaintence.
According to the disciple's growth in grace and knowledge they are
expected to expand their evangelization activities. Then he/she
will be placed as a participant in the church's ministry. Most likely
starting out as a helper, and later on as a leader of discipleship
groups until the point that, if there is a specific calling and
after suitable preparation, he/she should be sent to fulfill his/her
vocation. Strategies to Fulfill the
Mission
The main ICC strategies to fulfill your mission are the following:
Discipleship:
Discipleship aims for personal growth in the grace and knowledge
of God and preparation for priesthood. Discipleship should take
place under two circumstances: personal discipleship and group discipleship.
The reason for this is to aid the the development of our individual
and collective Christian identity. Individual discipleship is a
paternal relationship. Group discipleship is a relationship amoung
God's family. Whether the relationship is personal or collective,
the Christian's character is formed. Once a relationship requires
bilateral communication, it's impossible for it to happen in very
large groups. At ICC there is the consciousness that when we bring
someone to Christ we are willing to disciple him/her, and we will
help conduct him/her in the process of integrating into the body.
We evangelize them and bring them to our discipleship group, while
integrating them into the largest group, the church. We do this
so everyone will have the opportunity to become a firm Christian
in the faith and fruitful in the Kingdom of God. ICC considers members
all those who are involved in the discipleship process, both individual
and group.
Sunday Service
It is the meeting for worship, fellowship, celebration, exercise
of spiritual gifts, and church ministries. In this celebration,
where all members should be present, we have the Lord's Supper,
the preaching of the Word, the opportunity for all members to know
others that do not belong to the same discipleship group, and communication
about general issues related to the church. These are all means
to strengthen the unity in the body.
Prayer Meetings
Prayer meetings are opportunities for the body to exercise
our faith and grow in grace and in the knowledge of God as our Provider
and Sanctifier. A victorious life is accomplished by persevering
in prayer and intercession with thanksgiving. Beyond all other prayer
practices, the leadership of ICC is committed to leading the prayer
meetings on Mondays and on Sundays before the service. ICC leadership
is also committed to prayer vigils every other week, which are opened
to all the church.
Special Courses
ICC develops material and offers seminaries to train Home Group
leaders and several other ministries at the church. Among other
seminaries and courses, ICC especially emphasizes MMI (Marriage
Ministries International) and Ancient Paths. These courses
are part of the church's ministry. MMI is used as a tool to reach
and work with married couples of the church. We reccomend all married
couples of the church take the MMI course. Ancient Paths
is a tool that deals with inner healing and restoration. It is the
intention of the church that everyone who is a member takes the
Ancient Paths course.
Victory Meeting
The Victory Meeting is for guiding members towards a victorious
life as described in the Word of God. This weekly meeting is also
a great opportunity for people who are being brought into the body
or those who are currently being evangelized. In this meeting people
are challenged to focus themselves in specific areas of their lives
where there is need for intervention and a blessing of the Lord.
In this gathering there is teaching of the Word of God, testimonies
of personal victory, intercession, and the opportunity to consecrate
and re-consecrate your life to the Lord.
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