What is our vision?
At Refuge Church we desire to see God made famous as his gospel transforms everything: ourselves, our neighborhoods, and the nations.
From this flows our purpose: WE ARE TRANSFORMED BY THE GOSPEL TO TRANSFORM OUR CITY WITH THE GOSPEL TOGETHER AS A FAMILY ALL FOR THE FAME OF JESUS.
How will we live out this vision?
Our Mission
Refuge Church exists to REACH people with God’s gospel, BUILD them up as his church, and RELEASE his church on mission into the world.
What is the message for our mission?
The Gospel
There is only one gospel, but it has three vital aspects – Kingdom, Cross, Grace. The gospel both forms and fuels the church.
The kingdom of God is life with God under the rule of God. In other words, the Kingdom of God is the good life with Jesus. The gospel of God’s kingdom announces that life with God has come near to us and is once again available to all who put their faith in Jesus. As kingdom citizens, we see that all of God’s commands and instructions are for our joy and they are leading us toward life. (Matt. 24:14; Mark 1:14-15; Rom. 14:17)
The gospel of God’s cross announces that, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we have been made right with God. (Isa. 53:4; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Gal. 6:14)
The gospel of God’s grace announces that God accepts us and shares his life with us not because we have earned or deserved it but because he gives it to us freely at Christ’s expense. (Eph. 1:4-6, 2:8-9, 2 Tim. 1:9-10; Titus 3:4-7; John 6:44; Luke 15:20-24; Rom. 9:16; 2 Cor. 8:9)
Who is the church?
The Gospel transforms us into a new people in Christ Jesus. It is vital to begin with who the church is before we discuss what the church does, because what we do flows from who we are. The secondary and necessary question is what we do.
As his church, God says we are:
Worshipers who see every aspect of life as an opportunity to worship God. A worshiper lives to glorify the Father by the power of the Sprit through the work of the Son.
Servants who have been called, created, and saved to serve God and others, while living justly and mercifully.
Disciples who are life long students of Jesus, creatively seeking to live like Jesus. A disciple is one who desires to be with Jesus in order to become like Jesus and teaches others to do the same.
Family who are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ and then inconsequence, brothers and sisters of one another, united by the Holy Spirit, who care for one another as a family.
Witnesses who have experienced the gospel and been sent to declare and display the gospel to the whole world.
How do we release people on mission into the world?
The gospel not only transforms us, it also compels us to live out who we are where we are. We desire to constantly release men and women into God’s world to proclaim the gospel in word and deed. Within this world, we inhabit five dimensions. God cares about each one and desires to see the gospel transform each one of them – Location, Vocation, Recreation, Restoration, and Multiplication.
Location (Where we live): God has placed each of us in a specific location – a particular home in a particular neighborhood in a particular city. This is no coincidence. Where we live, what our home is like, and what kind of relationships we have with neighbors all matter to God.
Vocation (Where we work): God wants to transform everything through the power of the gospel, including our workplace, whether you’re an accountant or a college student, a full-time parent or a government official, an artist or an athlete.
Recreation (Where we play and rest): The gospel changes how we rest and play because we see it as an opportunity to declare God’s greatness and enjoy all he has given us.
Restoration (Where there is need and brokenness): The gospel calls us to enter into this hurting, weary world that is filled with brokenness, and strive to bring about restoration.
Multiplication (Where we multiply): The gospel brings about new life and so we seek to multiply our ministries, talents, and resources to the ends of the earth.
Though we are just getting started, Refuge Church will not be content until the promise of the prophet Habakkuk is fulfilled:
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. – Habakkuk 2:14
Will you join us on this mission?