Below is a summary of Pastor JJ's philosophy of ministry. Join us on Sunday, August 2, at 6:00 pm as we gather to hear Pastor JJ further explain his vision for Five Points. Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity for Q&A so please bring your questions as we prepare for the closed ballot vote on August 9.

The Church is the people chosen and formed by God in Christ through the Spirit to the praise of His glory. They are God’s own particular people who are redeemed and sent on a mission to proclaim God’s mighty acts of salvation in Jesus Christ, who brought them out of darkness and into His marvelous light. They are an alternative community whose individual and corporate lives center on the Kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of this world [Isaiah 43:21, Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Peter 2:9-10].

The Lead Pastor’s duties and qualifications are clearly defined [1 Timothy 3:1-7, 5:17-20; 2 Timothy 2:14-26, 4:1-5; Titus 1:6-9; Hebrews 13:17; & 1 Peter 5:1-4]. He has the primary responsibility to lead and feed the church through prayer and the preaching of the Word [Acts 6:42, Timothy 4:2]. He should also actively train and equip the other elders and church leaders to care for God’s flock [Ephesians 4:11-13]. Finally, he should both oversee and work towards the raising up of the next generation of those who are qualified to teach and lead God’s church [2 Timothy 2:2].

The Old and New Testaments are the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God [2 Timothy 3:16]. Therefore, the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice for both the local church and the Christian. The Bible is also wholly sufficient for the local church and the Christian. As the revelation of Jesus Christ, it provides “everything we need for life and godliness.” [2 Peter 1:3]

All the above shapes my approach to ministry by being prayerfully Word-driven rather than program-driven. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to create a culture of discipleship, in which Christians love one another practically in ways that promote and encourage growth and maturity in Christ. I’m not against programs. However, a church can run the risk of using an inordinate amount of resources running programs that can make it seem like things are spiritually better than they may truly be. Instead of programs, I want to foster a culture of discipleship that is primarily concerned with transforming His church into the image of Christ through the ordained means of prayer, Word, and Spirit [2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17], seeing them grow in covenant community [Acts 2:42; Ephesians 4], and fulfilling our mission as sent ones into the world with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ [John 17; Matthew 28; Acts 2].