(What we want to see happen)
A glimpse of heaven on earth as we see the gospel of the invisible Kingdom of Heaven, transform us, our church, our city, our culture and our world to the Glory of God.
(How we go about making our vision a reality)
Making disciples who make a difference in Washington and the World to the glory of God.
Developing fully devoted followers of Christ who glorify God, who grow in grace, who grow in groups and who grow in giving their gifts and the gospel.
…by loving the lost (evangelism) and the least (mercy & justice); loving and engaging life and encouraging learning (cultural renewal); and loving and equipping leaders (resourcing today’s and tomorrow’s change agents).
…through new Christians who follow new callings and live grace driven lives in the marketplace and through new churches which form new counter-cultural communities that demonstrate the gospel’s distinctly different approach to life in issues like power, sex, money, forgiveness, etc.
…to the glory of God: We don’t exist for ourselves but for the glory of God and the growth of his kingdom.
Thy Kingdom Come
The foundational values of our ministry must be based upon biblical principle. Our distinctive convictions define our ministry and the kind of church we are.
We do not exist for ourselves but for:
Our entire ministry is energized by this one principle with complementary facets: the glory of the King produces growth (I Corinthians 14:24-25) and the growth of the Kingdom glorifies the King (John 15:8).
The message of the cross is the message of the Gospel (I Corinthians 1:18, Romans 1:18) and the means by which we accomplish our mission: it is the message of salvation for the unbeliever and the means of sanctification for the believer. The power of the Gospel message is unleashed by faith (Galatians 3:5).
The results of ministry are changed lives-not simply nice people, but new people who have been reborn and transformed through the work of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the sacraments. This is our objective and the gauge by which we evaluate each ministry for every age and people group. It is not enough merely to ensure that the truth is taught; we must see evidence of changed lives.
We are committed to being a vital, biblical community which is distinct from the larger community in which we are located (I Corinthians 1:2). In that the visible church consists of those who profess true Christianity and their children, we are committed to equipping and strengthening Christian families as well as Christian singles.
Because the church is “God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19), we purpose to connect each person in every age and people group in life-changing fellowship with Christ’s people (I John 1:2-7). Every MPC Community should be:
Life-change occurs in the context of the church, in which people grow not only in knowing the King’s commandments but also in practicing them. This kind of community is not built by our efforts alone but by the work of the Spirit through the Gospel of grace. And it is established and strengthened by the laity who have been equipped for the work of ministry in their respective gifts and callings (Ephesians 4:1-16).
Since we are here not for ourselves, but for those whom Christ came to redeem, we purpose to welcome warmly our friends and associates who don’t yet believe and to encourage, not merely tolerate, sincere spiritual inquiry.
Believing that evangelism is a process rather than a program, we purpose to communicate persuasively and personally and to employ creative use of varied media, the performing arts, and special events. Evangelism is the by-product of our entire Gospel ministry.
We believe that only the Gospel can bring about significant solutions to our social brokenness. Because of sin, our human community experiences racism, class conflict, poverty, ethnic “cleansing,” cultural superiority, etc. Our Savior set the standard for self-sacrifice in that He became poor that we might be made rich through His poverty (II Corinthians 8:9).
We are committed to cultural transformation brought about by laity in the marketplace who view their vocations as holy callings in which they, as salt and light, express the message of the cross.
We believe that McLean Presbyterian Church is a small part of the Kingdom of God growing throughout the world because of the power of the Gospel (Matthew 13:1-23; 11, 12.). We purpose to be a church with Kingdom perspective and global vision and are committed to fulfilling a significant role in world evangelism. Therefore, we purpose to: