Koinonia Christian Fellowship Vision Statement 3.21
This document is still in development. We would welcome prayerful input, (if any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God). Mark Kraus Salisbury, NC 704 213 8358 markandcharity@gmail.com
Recognizing the need for greater discipleship, closer fellowship, and more accountability in the
church, we endeavor by the Lord’s grace and guidance to be believers that reach for those ideals.
- Jesus said his disciples will be known by their love for each other. We desire that
unfeigned love would reign in our hearts and for this cause we put away gossip and evil
speaking. - We strive to maintain a deep sense of dependence on God’s Holy Spirit both
individually and as a congregation. We believe there is no spiritual life without the Spirit
of God. We actively seek His presence and His guidance within the parameters
established in the Word of God. - We believe God wants His people to be a praying people. We emphasize the need
for intercession and personal communion with God. We pray often together in our
scheduled meetings, our homes, and otherwise. We believe fasting is an important part
of the Christian life and we encourage private and corporate days of fasting and prayer. - We desire to cultivate a high respect for the Word of God. We believe the Bible
is inspired by God and we attempt to make practical application to all the teachings of
the New Testament. - We live in close proximity to each other and strive for an atmosphere of close,
intentional community because we believe it facilitates the intentional community,
frequent fellowship, and mutual accountability that we strive for. Seeing Kingdom
Christians living in intentional community is intriguing to people in our independent and
self centered culture, and is attractive to seekers because they see people connected to
something larger than themselves. - We want to fulfill our responsibility in carrying out the great commission. We
wish to make disciples of Jesus locally and in foreign lands. Our vision is to impact our
surrounding community starting with our closest neighbors and radiating out. Our goal
is that a majority of our church members be disciples from the community. - We believe that the functioning church includes both families and singles serving
the church with their several gifts. Singles have a unique gifting to the body in giving
themselves fully to the Lord, and are able to serve Him without distraction. - We view the church meetings as primarily for the church and its spiritual
edification and not necessarily for evangelism of unbelievers. Although the saints are
encouraged to bring to our public meetings those who are seeking the Lord, evangelism
is primarily a daily activity that could include bible studies, hosting neighborhood
meals, taking the gospel from door to door, helping with neighbors needs, etc. Our
midweek meetings are for the members only and include a time of confessing our faults
one to another and praying one for another. - We believe we are adopted into the family of God and are therefore brothers and
sisters in an even truer sense than natural kin. As a statement of that fact and as a
witness to our brotherhood, we address each other as Brother and Sister and greet each
other with a kiss of charity and teach our children to do the same. - We seek each other’s good in every area of our lives. As members together of the
body of Christ, we do not believe that freedom in Christ means we may do as we please.
We are accountable to each other in our finances, vocations, investments, attire,
ministries, child training, internet usage, and much more. We find freedom in submitting
to each other in the body of Christ. We seek to cultivate community concepts and share
each others burdens, and material goods, fulfilling the law of Christ. - This world has its culture, and we believe its influence on us is detrimental. We
intentionally choose to create our own culture based on Gods’ mind, with the words we
use, the activities we participate in, the work we do, the atmosphere in our homes, and
much more. We teach why we do what we do because it is essential to passing on truth
to the next generation. - We believe that ordained elders are servants and examples to the flock and that
spiritual authority comes from God and is recognized by the Church. We believe in a
plurality of elders, for no man is complete in himself and that the elders delegate
responsibilities to the members according to the giftings that God gives for the
edification of the body. - We choose, at the onset, to prepare for church multiplication when reaching 12
families/singles, and send out at least 4 families to start a new church when we reach
approximately 15. - We believe in participatory meetings where the believers use their God given
gifts to edify the body and that the church meeting is not just a sermon center. We
encourage the brothers and sisters to share testimonies in our meetings, of God working
in them and through them. (Acts 14:27) - We encourage free interaction between the young and the old, as scriptures
command the older to teach the younger. We reject the exclusivity of the youth group
mentality and encourage whole families to interact with each other. - We believe that it is primarily the role of the fathers to disciple and lead their
families and that living a life of consecration to the Lord is possible, such that our
children will desire to know the God of their fathers. If a father is struggling with the
responsibilities of his role, then the elders will come along side and do their part to help.
The Christian home is a powerful testimony in this broken world that God is
alive and working in the believers. For that reason we believe that our homes can be
places of ministry to the lost. - We believe that social media and internet used for entertainment is a tool of the
enemy that robs us of time, degrades family relationships, influences our values, and
chokes out the Word. The internet should be seen as an inherently dangerous–though
useful–tool, and not a toy. We seek to be free of social media and decrease instead of
increase our dependence on internet usage whenever possible. - We believe that church membership is a declaration of those who have
voluntarily committed themselves to the local body and its vision statement, practices,
and brotherhood agreements. We believe it should be clear to those desiring to join us
what our vision is so that they can make an informed decision whether or not to cast in
their lot with us. We believe that allowing long term visitors who do not wish to join us
can be detrimental to them as well as to the local church. In a short period of time it
should be clear whether those visiting wish to join us or receive help to find a church
that fits their vision. - We believe that the local body should have fellowship with other like minded
churches. We intentionally align ourselves with other Christians who endeavor to follow
the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. We have cast our lot with the historic
pilgrim church. This means that often our interactions are with conservative Anabaptists. - Separation from the world and citizenship in the kingdom of God makes us
distinct in many areas including dress for both men and women.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth
the law, happy is he.