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Fellowship
Worship Community does not believe that the church needs to spend an overt
amount of time in developing fellowship in the church, although it needs to
encourage it and deal with breaks in fellowship as needed. We believe
fellowship is a natural outpouring of sharing time together, and sharing life
and ministry together. (1 John 1:7) Specific avenues of fellowship can be
addressed within the structure of other church activities.
Unity
Unity is essential to a healthy church. When unity is disrupted, biblical church
discipline will be expected, although proceeded through with great prayer and
caution (Matt 18; 1 Cor 5). In essential matters, the pastor and church
covenant holds precedent, leaving little option for the breaking party. In
non-essential matters, disagreement can be allowed, but when disagreement becomes
divisive, the issue must be addressed. As a whole, in regards to
maintaining unity, the pastor ought to seek to understand the various factions
in a particular issue and to communicate this understanding to the church in an
appropriate manner. Ephesians exhorts believers to "bear with one another"
in order to "maintain the unity of the Spirit" (Ephesians 4:2-3). In a body of
separate minds, different perspectives are inevitable, but a desire to understand
the other perspectives can yield lasting unity.
Care
Congregational care is primarily the responsibility of the small-group structures
within the church, which seems to be the model created in Acts 6:1-7 with the
choosing of the seven. However, in matters of great significance such as
death or family break-ups, the primary church leadership should be involved at
some level (1 Peter 5:1-4). Preservation in and restoration to the
fellowship of believers is the end goal, whenever possible (Galatians 6:1-2).
Rebuilding the biblical family unit is also a high priority in care
ministries. Additionally, the pastor must sense an obligation to his
leadership. Even in seemingly insignificant issues, the pastor must take
care of his leadership. Overall, a community that takes care of its own will
become a community attractive to outsiders. No community holds more
potential in this area than the community of believers. If we truly love
Jesus, we will take care of his people (John 21:15-19).
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The WC model is an ongoing process and will be under development for several years. Check back often to see the growing vision and detailed plans for how the vision will be carried out.