The Vision and Mission of First Baptist Church of Linden

Hebrews 10:24-25 CSB - "[24] And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, [25] not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching." This verse has so much application to it, with the primary application typically being an encouragement to have the fellowship of believers within a local church body. This is a powerful reminder of not only our call to be a part of a church, but also a powerful reminder of the calling God has placed on His church to “provoke love and good works” amongst one another. Because of such an important and direct calling, it is important for us as a church to make sure our ultimate vision and mission is aligned and focused on the vision and mission of Christ. Our church vision describes where we are going and what we believe God is calling our church to become according to His Word. Our church mission is what we are doing to accomplish the vision we have set. So, what is the vision and mission of First Baptist Church of Linden?

Our Vision

Our vision statement is “To become a church where every person feels like family, every believer grows in Christ, and our community sees the love of Jesus in action.” This is broken down into three areas. The first is for every person to feel like family. When someone puts their faith in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:19 CSB - "[19] So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God's household," We have a vision that everyone that walks through our church doors becomes like part of our local family and a part of the global Church family, which includes all believers. But attending church is not the end goal of the Christian life. The end goal, as described in 2 Peter 3:18 for the believer is to grow in Christ. 2 Peter 3:18 CSB - "[18] But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity." This is an ongoing process often referred to as discipleship or progressive sanctification. In basic terms, we as believers are constantly in a process of growing in spiritual maturity as we become more like Christ, and we believe that it is our duty as a local church to help each other to grow in maturity. Arguably one of the most important tasks for the church is for our community to see the love of Jesus in action. Why? Because love is the foundation of the Gospel! The love of Jesus is at the very heart of the Gospel and as Christians we are given the Great Commission of Matthew 28 to go out and make disciples in the world. Perhaps you have heard the old adage, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” As a church, we believe on the foundation of 1 John 4:19 CSB - "[19] We love because he first loved us,” that we are to share the love of Christ we have received with the lost in our community. We want our community to experience the transformative power of the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ that changes lives forever! Romans 5:8 CSB - "[8] But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Now, we share that love with our community by doing outreach and by sharing the Gospel (the Good News of Jesus Christ) to everyone in our path. 

Our Mission

Our mission statement is broken down into 4 words: pray, serve, love and grow. If you have been to a Sunday morning service or even watched online, we have these banners up on the wall behind the pulpit as a reminder of what our daily mission is. When the Church first began it says that the first Christians devoted themselves to prayer (Acts. 2:42). This is not a task that stopped, it is a calling to all of us as Christians and at First Baptist Church of Linden to pray constantly (1 Thes. 5:17). Prayer is a powerful gift, given by God to us, to call upon God for direction, action, and just simply to praise Him in all things. Serving was at the core of the heart of Jesus. Jesus constantly taught His disciples to be servants. He even tells them this: Mark 10:43-45 CSB - "[43] "But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, [44] "and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. [45] "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."" Jesus Himself modeled what it means to serve in all things. That is why serving others in church and outside of church is part of our mission, what we do on a regular basis. Another aspect of our mission is to grow. 2 Pet. 3:18 CSB tells us, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This is an ongoing task of all Christians. Part of our mission at FBC Linden is to help each other grow as Christians through accountability and discipleship. We don’t want to just show up to church and never change, never get closer to Christ or His character, rather, we believe we continue in our lives to grow in Christ. A task that will never be fully accomplished here on this earth. That is why much of what we do is focused on helping each other as born-again believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Ultimately though if there is one word that summarizes everything we do, it would be love. Love is the foundation of everything we do as a church. It is the love of Christ shown to us through the Gospel that motivates us to do all other tasks that God had called us to do through Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 13:13 CSB - "[13] Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love -- but the greatest of these is love." Jesus showed us what true love is, and He is our basis for love for one another and the community around us. 

Join Us in the Mission! 

Our vision is “To become a church where every person feels like family, every believer grows in Christ, and our community sees the love of Jesus in action.” And the way we live this out in our actions is by our mission to: Pray, serve, love and grow! Are we perfect? Absolutely not, but do we love Jesus and strive to be more mature followers of Him every day? Absolutely! And, we would love for you to be a part of our church and a part of our vision and mission for the Lord! Ephesians 3:20-21 CSB - "[20] Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us -- [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."