Our Vision
While every church should have the same mission (though it may be stated in different ways), Vision describes how we will uniquely accomplish our mission. Every local biblical church shares a mission similar to Cordova Community Church. But that is where similarities may cease. How will CCC reach those away from God? Will our worship be traditional or contemporary? Will we focus on large group gatherings or small group intimacy? These questions lead us to determine what the vision of this church will be. While never forgetting that this is God’s church, not our own, we believe that He has called Cordova Community Church to reach and teach people in a specific way.
Our vision is to accomplish the purpose God gave our church by an emphasis on Growth Groups, Church Planting, and Youth and Children’s ministries.
Fulfilling our Purpose
While everyone is welcomed and wanted, the decisions concerning the practices and methodology of the CCC will be determined by asking the question, “What will best serve God in reaching the unchurched of this demographic of people? If our demographic changes, we will seek to change with it. Using a variety of contemporary formats, we desire to reach the believer, as well as those far from God, with a message that is as satisfying to the head as it is to the heart, and brings them toward maturity in Christ.
We will meet in “Growth Groups” (Small Groups)
“They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” Acts 2:46-47 (NLT)
Like the cells that make up our physical bodies, our Growth Groups carry our DNA and are the foundation of the Body of Christ at CCC. Christianity is inherently relational both in outreach and discipleship. Our Growth Groups are where relationships are built and intimacy is nurtured. Growth Groups are made up of 12-16 adults, along with children and teens, who gather weekly, to share, pray, serve and discuss the Word of God.
The Growth Group Leaders serve as group shepherds. “Community-wide” Shepherds will be chosen from those who serve as Growth Group Shepherds. Faithful participation in a Growth Group (with some exceptions) is an expected commitment of all Partners.
We will plant other churches
Even a casual reading of the book of Acts reveals that a prominent strategy for expanding the Kingdom is the planting of new churches. Church growth research suggests the same today. CCC desires to be a church-planting church. We do not have goals to become the largest congregation of God’s people. We have dreams of being a major partner with God in reaching people who do not have a personal relationship with him. As a result, we seek to plant culturally relevant churches wherever God may lead us, either through the desires of a church planter or a location desiring a church plant. Ultimately, it is our goal to have a church planted in every nation under heaven. While there is no specific timetable, we will move as directed by the Holy Spirit. This dream may exceed our lifetime but it is a dream that will drive this church for years to come. Presently we are the sponsoring church for Chad and Amy Westerholm who are, with others, planting churches among the Makua in Mozambique.
We will focus on Children and Youth in order to save the next generation
The research is clear. The overwhelming majority of people who make a faith commitment to Jesus do so before adulthood. This figure is 95% or higher. Therefore, we will place a primary focus on discipling youth and Children. Youth and children are not sought simply in order to reach the parents. Youth and children are sought in order to save the next generation. We pray that as a result many parents of this generation will also come to know God. We desire to partner with parents
We will focus on relational ministry, rather than programs
While Church will always be an “inviting community” and all are encouraged to “Come and See,” what God is doing among us, Jesus told the church to “Go into all the World” (Mt. 28:18). Jesus left heaven to come among us and to seek us. We cannot model Jesus to the world if we confine him to a building. That’s why we want to be a “Go and Do” church.
While Church will always be an “inviting community” and all are encouraged to “Come and See,” what God is doing among us, Jesus told the church to “Go into all the World” (Mt. 28:18). Jesus left heaven to come among us and to seek us. We cannot model Jesus to the world if we confine him to a building. That’s why we want to be a “Go and Do” church.
Our concern for community reaches beyond the CCC faith family. We are concerned with those who are disadvantaged and disenfranchised in the world. CCC will always reflect the heart of God for the poor. Recorded history of God’s work continually emphasizes his concern for the poor and downtrodden (See James 1:27; Luke 6:20; 10:25-37). Our primary emphases at this time are the ministries of Agape Child and Family Services and HopeWorks.