Grow: A Philosophy and Practice of Growing

As we seek to Grow in our faith to “Live and Love like Jesus,” we embrace values that help us in that pursuit. We believe that spiritual Growth occurs best when we recall that the Growth God provides for us is:

Based on the Bible When we Grow in the knowledge of God and in relationship to toward God we are following and learning from God Himself in His own words, revealed in the Bible (2 Corinthians 10:15; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Peter 2:1-3; 2 Peter 3:18).

Honoring to God When we Grow in Christ, our lives bring honor to God because we reflect the teachings and character of God (Romans 4:20; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:18-19).

Transformational; it changes us As we Grow, we change. We experience our Growth from the inside out. Our Growth happens first in our hearts and minds, then in our actions and relationships. We change to be more like Jesus when we Grow (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4; 2 Peter 1:5-8).

Fruitful in service and kindness Our Growth takes us out of our comfort zones and brings us to a place where we have a better appreciation for serving others just as Jesus did (John 15:1-17; Ephesians 4:11-13;1 Peter 4:7-11).

Character building As we Grow to become more like Jesus, others will notice Christ in us (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Acts 6:1-4; 1 Timothy 5:24-25; Colossians 1:27).

Growing at Mountain View Community Church (MVCC)

At MVCC, we are convinced that Growing is a process. For our church, the part we play in helping people Grow comes from several important truths God has detailed in the Bible:

We are designed by God to Grow God created us with the capacity to Grow in knowledge, ability, and responsibility. In fact, God’s first instruction to Adam and Eve was to engage in Growth (Genesis 1:28). God’s desire for each of us is that we Grow in several ways. He wants us to Grow in knowledge (Proverbs 1:7; 2 Peter 3:18), maturity (Ephesians 4:11-13), wisdom (Philippians 1:10), relationship (Romans 15:5), and unity (John 17:20-23).

Our Growth is the way we get to know God in deeper and more satisfying ways To deepen our relationship with God we must Grow in the knowledge of who He is, just as we need to Grow in our knowledge of others to have a vibrant relationship with them. In the Bible, God is clear to say that knowledge of Him and a changed life are how we Grow (Philemon 6; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 2:1-8; Titus 1:1-3; Colossians 1:10).

We value Growth and actively provide opportunities for anyone to Grow at MVCC. We believe that without Growth on the part of its people, the purpose of God’s Church can’t be accomplished.

How do we help people Grow at MVCC?

At MVCC we realize that everyone Grows in differing ways and at different rates. Our desire is to provide options where everyone can choose which alternatives work best for them. Here are several of the Growth opportunities MVCC offers:

We have designed our worship services at MVCC to offer Growth to all people regardless of their spiritual place in life. Appealing to a wide range of knowledge is challenging, but we try to have a bit of something for everyone. Most important to our worship services is that we bring to life God’s words as He gave them to us in the Bible.

One thing we think is enormously important to Growth is joining one of our Life Groups. Life Groups are ongoing communities of people who study the Word together as well as live in connection and support of one another. The relationships that are formed in Life Groups and the interaction that comes through those relationships often result in the greatest Growth for many people.

Another way Growth is encouraged at MVCC is through Life Courses. Life Courses are classes on a specific topic and they have a set start and completion date. These are classes where biblical knowledge and group interaction are available and encouraged. Our Life Courses are offered for various levels of maturity. We offer everything from new believer’s courses to Leadership courses so people, where they are in their spiritual journey can continue to pursue Growth.

We believe that receiving knowledge and engaging in relationship are important to Growth, but there is more. We Grow best when we give back to others. We encourage everyone who wants to Grow to become a part of a ministry and actively give back to friends, family, the church and our community.

Growing is how we “grow up”. When it comes to our spiritual lives, if we don’t Grow forward, we will head backward. Our conviction is that everyone who seeks to “Live and Love like Jesus” must be actively Growing in order to have success.