City Community Church, Exeter - Serving

Serving - Being a people with destiny

'..making Him known in Exeter and beyond'

When God planned the Church, He had in mind a community of world changers. In CCC there are five core beliefs that we have about ministry. They include:

'Ministry is about us all making a Kingdom difference in God's world'

God has put a desire within us all to make a difference that will go beyond out time here - a Kingdom difference. God has not created us to be a passive Church just waiting for His return, but a people where change happens in our world because we are here. We matter.

'Ministry is not just what happens on Sunday mornings but about life'

There is a rather odd idea that some of us have that God lives in a meeting that happens for one and a half hours on a Sunday. That is not what Jesus had in mind for His Church. He wants His people to have influence with others in the office, factory, college, school, the neighbourhood - wherever we live life.

'Ministry is open to all irrespective of gender or age'

God delights in using everyone - even those who feel second rate to fulfil his purposes. In CCC we feel that there are some important lessons from the Acts 2 Church. Pentecost ushered in a radical departure from what 'had been'. No longer was the empowering for ministry (including leadership) reserved for a few special people, but upon servants (social status is no longer important!), maidservants (astonishingly even females!). We are delighted to affirm and welcome all the gifts God has given within His body whoever has been entrusted with them. Gender, social status, or age, are no longer important.

'Ministry means serving and laying down our lives for others'

Ministry is more about others than me. Jesus, we are told, took a towel and served His disciples by washing their feet. He calls us (still) to do the same - to lay down our lives for others. That is normal for all His followers, and shows others what He is like.

'When the Church is working right, we are all more effective for God's Kingdom wherever we live our lives'

More about this later. But God planned the Church to be unlike anything else on earth. The early Church we are told, 'turned the world upside down'. There is much yet to be discovered about being the Church that truly empowers its members to greater effectiveness.