Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
EPHESIAN 2:20-22
Does the church matter?
The church was commissioned as the ongoing body of Christ. The Bible teaches the value of the church through verses that bring home the central thesis that the gathering of ourselves creates the bonding, fellowship, etc., that can be necessary to so many of us in navigating life - whether we have a traditional Christian perspective or not. Does the church matter? That is a question that each individual must answer. We believe that not only is the Bible clear that it matters as the Body of Christ but alos because have the 40 year church history and individual life testimonies that can illustrate better than mere definitions why the gathering of ourselves and the union of spirits is so integral to growth in matters spiritual. Consider these few points as part of the reasoning behind why we solicit church attendance and committed membership.
The church was commissioned as the ongoing body of Christ. The Bible teaches the value of the church through verses that bring home the central thesis that the gathering of ourselves creates the bonding, fellowship, etc., that can be necessary to so many of us in navigating life - whether we have a traditional Christian perspective or not. Does the church matter? That is a question that each individual must answer. We believe that not only is the Bible clear that it matters as the Body of Christ but alos because have the 40 year church history and individual life testimonies that can illustrate better than mere definitions why the gathering of ourselves and the union of spirits is so integral to growth in matters spiritual. Consider these few points as part of the reasoning behind why we solicit church attendance and committed membership.
- Spiritual Growth:
Cornerstone and MCC strive to provide a space to learn about the Word, deepen your relationship with God, and develop more intentional spiritual practices like missional outreach, fellowship, prayer and worship. - Fellowship and Community:
For some people, MCC has meant that someone was there to help fill the void of being outcast; whether that is your story or not, being part of a church allows you to connect with other believers, build meaningful relationships, and experience a sense of belonging. - Accountability and Encouragement:
Scripture has much to say about the gift of fellowship and the responsibilities of the community to keep each other held up in a way that encourages accountability to God, to oneself and to each other; Cornerstone always seeks to offer encouragement in daily life! - Serving Others:
Our gifts are best refined when they are utilized in the fulfilling circle of exchange - we are fed spiritually when we feed others from our riches of time, talent and resource. - Sharing the Gospel:
One of the main directives of Jesus' message was to spread the word about the Good News. We are blessed at Cornerstone to have a variety of experience and background from which to draw the many approaches necessary to reach a wide array of people with the news thet God is Love and CMCC is available to them as a resource for change.
CMCC & YOUR church relationship
Definitions about the church and its missional activities are easy and they stand on their own without input from us. But what makes the church truly viable is the hope, help and healing it brings to it's members and visitors. The church has its true relevance only in the hearts and minds of those how support the congregation and call it home.
So we will be asking you to evaluate your relationship to Cornerstone. We want to know if the local congregation of Cornerstone is serving you, feeding you and helping you on your journey. We will ask if the church could shine brighter in any particular areas. We want to not just exist for our members and guests, but also to thrive and do greater good. The object of the church, particularly the MCC congregations, has always been to restore hope and healing for people who may have felt disenfranchised simply because of who they were born to be and who they have loved over their lifetime. The CHURCH as an ideal is not a new concept, being a few thousand years old in our parlance, but Cornerstone is soon turning forty - not even middle-aged - and still has plenty of room for you to aid us in our growth and mission of service to your unique community.
We want to know these from you in this week's online discussion:
Your participation, particularly in Week Two will be critical to our success in helping the Vision Team interpolate the data to create new visioning statements and also make adjustments to our existing policies and procedures and rubrics to make sure that we are serving the greatest population possible with our resources. We don't envision being all things to all people, but are absolutely committed to being the best thing for OUR people, God's people - your people.
So we will be asking you to evaluate your relationship to Cornerstone. We want to know if the local congregation of Cornerstone is serving you, feeding you and helping you on your journey. We will ask if the church could shine brighter in any particular areas. We want to not just exist for our members and guests, but also to thrive and do greater good. The object of the church, particularly the MCC congregations, has always been to restore hope and healing for people who may have felt disenfranchised simply because of who they were born to be and who they have loved over their lifetime. The CHURCH as an ideal is not a new concept, being a few thousand years old in our parlance, but Cornerstone is soon turning forty - not even middle-aged - and still has plenty of room for you to aid us in our growth and mission of service to your unique community.
We want to know these from you in this week's online discussion:
- What is your faith / church background?
Having some idea about the backgrounds of our people helps us to tailor our services and offerings to our congregants and online visitors and guests in a way that hopefully speaks to their hearts in a language that resonates as healing and helpful. - What do YOU think are the purposes of the church - don't be afraid to make it about you.
Each member has a unique story and perspective that, when known, can help us tailor our work to the true mission of serving the community better. - On a scale of 1-10, we'll ask how we're doing in supporting you at the time of this writing.
We want you to be honest in your assessment. We know there is a love and a heart of service in our members, but also know that we have many stories and many needs and your story and your needs are very important to us. The scale should reflect something like this:
1 = Not serving me at all
5 = Good, not great - about what I expected
10 = My life is made far more complete but my experience in this church - We want to know if you feel you are operating at your full potential in serving the church in whatever way seems right to you
Have we made room for your unique gifts? Are you able and willing to serve? Where do you fall on the on the scale of 1-10 as a spectrum of your individual participation? The scale should reflect something like this:
1 = I don't feel that i participate as much as I'd like to or feel that I should
5 = I'm here, I contribute when asked but don't give 100%
10 = A good portion of my life centers around my church family and I love giving 110% - Are you being offered the chance to offer your gifts?
There are many areas of service, some quite unique, in our church and many types of talents are needed. We know the church needs money to operate and volunteers for the basic functions, but perhaps your gifts have been unused or underutilized. We'd like to know what you would feel are the areas in which you could best serve and what gifts you bring now or would like to offer up. - We'd like to know what you the think the church does well - and we're only asking for your top three.
We would love to have not just metrics but the dialog of your perspective in gauging our success in service. - We'd also like to know if we have NOT met our missional goals in your opinion.
What three things would you like to see changed, improved or added in our basket of services and resources.
Your participation, particularly in Week Two will be critical to our success in helping the Vision Team interpolate the data to create new visioning statements and also make adjustments to our existing policies and procedures and rubrics to make sure that we are serving the greatest population possible with our resources. We don't envision being all things to all people, but are absolutely committed to being the best thing for OUR people, God's people - your people.
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