Mission Statement:

Lighthouse Baptist Church is set apart to glorify God by worshiping Him and making disciples of Jesus Christ of all nations according to His Word.

 

We are a local church made holy by the saving work of Jesus Christ. All that we do must be for the glory of God and faithful to the Bible. Therefore, God’s glory, His Word and our godliness must shape the structure and practice of the church (1 Pet 2:9-10; Eph 3:9-10; 2 Tim 3:14-4:2).

We are a local church devoted to ascribing God the worth He is due. This involves the whole life of the member: the mind, the affections and the will both individually and corporately. Therefore, the teaching, prayer, ordinance-keeping, singing, giving and any other service must be acceptable worship offered to God (John 4:23; Rom 12:1).

We are a local church commissioned to make disciples of Jesus Christ from among all nations. This includes evangelizing, baptizing, and teaching them to follow Him. Therefore, the ministries of the church are to reach all unbelievers with the gospel and to present them mature in Christ, equipping them to be disciple-makers (Matt 28:18-20; Col 1:28-29.

 

Goals of the Church

Faithful Stewardship

The Scriptures do not emphasize that the church must be “setting goals” but that we must be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us. This stewardship is expressed in our mission statement. Prayer, teaching and spiritual growth and service are part of both what we must steward and how we must steward. Therefore, the goals of our ministry are to be faithful stewards of the mission God has called us to through the means He has ordained: prayer, teaching, and spiritual growth and service.

 

The Means of our Mission

Worship & Discipleship through:

Prayer

God reveals prayer is important. Because of Jesus, we are set apart and can approach God through prayer (Heb 10:19-22). Jesus teaches us to pray for God to be glorified and worshiped for His holy name (Matt 6:9). He teaches us to pray God’s will be obeyed, which comes through making disciples of all nations (Matt 6:10). He teaches us to pray for spiritual maturity, dependent on God for the needs of our body and soul (Matt 6:11-12). Therefore, our church must pray – individually in secret, as families at the table, and all together as the gathered people of God. Prayer should become as natural to us as our speech to one another, at the beginning, middle or end of conversations we share. We will emphasize the ministry of prayer.

 

Teaching God’s Word

God receives glory by revealing Himself through the preaching & teaching of His Word (Psalm 19; 2 Cor 3:15-18). God accepts worship which is faithful to His Word (1 Pet 2:1-4; Lev 10:1-2), therefore faithfully expounding & following God’s Word is essential to worship. Jesus prayed that we grow in holiness through God’s Word (John 17:17) and commanded disciples be made of all nations by teaching His Word (Matt 28:20). Every disciple is to build others up by speaking God’s truth in love (Eph 4:13-16) while some are called to also do so through preaching (2 Tim 3:16-4:2). Therefore, our church must pursue knowing and following God through His Word in every way – from private devotions to public proclamations in the assembly. We must help one another understand and enjoy reading, hearing and speaking Scripture. We will emphasize the ministry of the Word.

 

Spiritual Growth & Service

Because we are set apart by God, we must grow in holiness (Col 1:21-23). God is glorified when we spiritually grow and reflect His character to others (Matt 5:14-16). We are to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24), therefore growth in a godly spirit and knowledge of His truth is essential to worship. Disciples are meant to learn from their teacher and grow in his likeness (Luke 6:38; Eph 4:20-25). Being transformed by the renewing of our minds is necessary for worship and service (Rom 12:1-2). Therefore, our church must pursue growing in Christlikeness – seeing the spiritually dead become born again, the spiritually immature grow in maturity, the mature continuing to grow while equipping others also.