Intro: The history of MH and how it shapes our theology and methodology. From MN to Italy to Bay View.

The experiences of the formation of the church created foundational ideas that govern what we do and who we are.

Acts 2:42-43 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

Simplicity. True community of believers who love God and choose to love each other rooted in the word of God. (John 3:33-34, 1 John 4:7-10)

Transparency. Not political organization and not a corporation. (2 Cor 8:19-21, James 2:1-4)

Unity. Protection of unity through mercy. (1 Cor 1:10, Phil 2:1-4, Eph 4:2-6)

Fidelity. Foundation is our commitment to faithfulness to the word of God. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Charismatic/Continuationist

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. John 16

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8

Intro: Mercy Hill Church has 3 broad theological positions that spring from our commitment to the centrality of Scripture. Continuationist/Charismatic, Reformed and Missional. The charismatic is probably the first in its impact on the formation of MH.

Basic definition of continuationism is that the Holy Spirit continues to work in the church in the same manner we see evidenced in the first century church. (Acts 2:38-47, Acts 4:8-12, Acts 10:9-20,34-48, Acts 16:6-10)

This theology establishes 4 philosophical positions that have worked to uniquely establish principles:

A faith in a continuationist theology requires a fidelity to the process of Spirit inspiration over ‘best practices’.

Our primary ‘doctrine’ as it relates to our approach to the Holy Spirit in community is that He can do whatever He wants and whatever He doesn’t want..

Faith in the activity of the Holy Spirit leads us to a ministry philosophy that is not about bigger or more but about following Spirit’s leading…

A belief in the continuing work of the Holy Spirit requires a ‘resting’ in His work to disciple and perfect the church Body as we continue to be faithful to both God’s word and our calling.

This theology leads us to 3 definitive practices:

We practice a dependency on prayer. (Acts 4:23-31, Acts 13:1-4)

We rely on the Gifts of the Spirit for the edification of the Church (1 Cor. 12:4-11, 27-31)*

We pray expectantly for healing. (James 5:13-16)

13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. I Timothy 5

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Psalm 115

Intro: Mercy Hill Church identifies with reformed theology. The starting point of which is rooted in the sovereignty of God and the concept of the 5 Solas (scriptura, fide, gratia, Chirsto, Deo Gloria). In addition we would generally embrace the doctrines of ‘tulip’* historically associated with ‘reformed theology’. The three below are the most foundational to MHs theology.

Total Depravity is roughly the theology that man can do nothing to redeem himself. That man in his sin can only bring forth sin apart from the work of Christ. (John 3:5-8, Eph 2:1-5, Rom 3:9-12)

Election/Predestination is embraced by MH as the process of salvation. Simply put, we believe that God has chosen from the foundation of time to empower His church to be saved through the ablility to see and choose His grace in contrast to the death of sin. (John 1:12-13, John 6:44-47, 63-65, Romans 8:28-30)

Security of Believers as MH believes and teaches, is the belief that those who have truly been transformed by the renewing of their minds becoming new creatures through the knowledge of God’s goodness will not return to the destruction of the world. (Eph 1:11-14, Romans 8:35-39, John 6:38-40)

Note: The word Gospel is mentioned 101 times in the New Testament and is first introduced by Jesus in the book of Matthew.

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Galatians 1

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1

Intro: The cornerstone of the teaching at Mercy Hill Church is the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Gospel means ‘good news’ and the simplest way to describe our view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the life, the work, the teachings and the promises of Jesus Christ. That the Gospel is embodied in Christ and becomes both our message and method of Christian discipleship.

Our view of Gospel centrism flows from our reformed view and produces 3 important Gospel ‘distinctives’ at Mercy Hill Church:

The Gospel is more than just the message of Salvation (Romans 1:16-17)

The Gospel is the ‘landing point’ of all our messages (Mark 16:15, 1 Cor 1:17-19)

The Gospel is the means of all discipleship and Christian living. (Phil 1:27-28)

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matt 28

23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders[a] for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples. Acts 14

Intro: The term ‘missional’ is a fairly recent coined term that is used in the American church culture and as a result carries with it a variety of meaning depending on context and audience. For Mercy Hill we simply mean that the church is missionally minded. And the mission we are on is to spread the Gospel message wherever and whenever the opportunity arises. One of our primary values is to be on mission to see the establishment of healthy Gospel centered communities creating healthy Gospel centered believers.

This approach translates in two primary ways here at Mercy Hill:

I. Church Planting*

Church planting is at the center of the first century church’s mission because it is the primary way Christians were developed and we believe that should still at the center of the church’s mission today. (Acts 2, Acts 17:1-4, 10-14, Acts 19:1-10)

Church planting is the best way to create new converts and the best way to develop new leadership. (Acts 9:28-31, Acts 20:17-38)

We prioritize resources for church planting. (money, people, leaders)

II. Missions

Missions at MH is seen as being local, national and international. (Acts 1:7-8)

Missions at MH prioritizes church planting and relational connections.

Missions at MH looks to develop and support short term, mid-term and long term endeavors.

Missions at MH is funded from both budgeted line items and designated giving.

*Church planting is the establishment of new churches for new communities.

21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. Titus 1

Intro: Mercy Hill church practices governance by a counsel of elders. Simply put it is the idea that the church is led pastorally by a group of elders that serve in plurality and equality. We do not have a CEO, a Senior Pastor or an Executive committee. Nor are we led by democratic vote. The head of the church is Jesus and a group of spiritual men are tasked with determining Christ direction for the church through biblical study, prayer and counsel. We believe this structure is modeled in biblical teaching.

1. Pastoral Leadership: According to the New Testament, elders lead the church, teach and preach the Word, protect the church from false teachers, exhort and admonish the saints in sound doctrine, visit the sick and pray, and judge doctrinal issues. In biblical terminology, elders shepherd, oversee, lead, and care for the local church. (Acts 1:16-22, 1 Peter 5:1-5)

2. Shared Leadership: Shared leadership should not be a new concept to a Bible-reading Christian. Shared leadership is rooted in the Old Testament institution of the elders of Israel and in Jesus’ founding of the apostolate. It is a highly significant but often overlooked fact that our Lord did not appoint one man to lead His church. He personally appointed and trained twelve men. Jesus Christ gave the church plurality of leadership. (see verses above)

3. Male Leadership: For the Bible-believing Christian, the primary example of male leadership is found in the person of Jesus Christ in addition during His earthly ministry, Jesus trained and appointed twelve men whom He called "apostles" (Luke 6:13). Jesus’ choice of an all-male apostolate affirmed the creation order as presented in Genesis 2:18-25. No where in scripture, either in prescription or narration, do we find a female serving in the role of elder. (1 Tim 2:12)

4. Qualified Leadership: The overriding concern of the New Testament in relation to church leadership is to ensure that the right kind of men will serve as elders and deacons. The offices of God’s church are not honorary positions bestowed on individuals who have attended church faithfully or who are senior in years. Nor are these offices to be viewed as church-board positions to be filled with good friends, rich donors, or charismatic personalities. Nor are they positions that only graduate seminary students can fill. The church offices--both eldership and deaconship--are open to all men who meet the apostolic, biblical requirements. (1 Tim 3:1-7)

5. Servant Leadership: New Testament, Christlike elders are to be servant leaders, not rulers or dictators. God doesn’t want His people to be used by petty, self-serving tyrants. Elders are to choose a life of service on behalf of others. Like the servant Christ, they are to sacrifice their time and energy for the good of others. Only elders who are loving, humble servants can genuinely manifest the incomparable life of Jesus Christ to their congregations and a watching world. (1 Peter 5:2-6)

Week 7: Church Membership Pt. 1

Intro: Church membership is a concept that is meant to capture accountability in two directions: members responsibility to the body and the bodies responsibility to members. This includes the responsibility of church leaders to members and the responsibility of church members to church leaders. (Heb 13:15-17, 1 Peter 5:1-5, Acts 20:28-30). Throughout MH history we have wrestled with the best way to live this out.

1. Attend regularly (Heb 10:23-25, Eph 5:19) The Christian life REQUIRES gathering one with another. There is no way to fulfill many, many instructions to the church without being in regular attendance fostering personal relationships.

2. Give faithfully (2 Cor 9:6-12, 1 Timothy 5:17-18, 1 Cor 9:13-14) Jesus Christ in Matthew 6 declares, where your treasure is there will your heart be also. The truth being declared by Christ here is that our spending reflects our values. The church is meant to be a priority for the members of the body of Christ. Provision for ministers and provision for the advancement of the Gospel should be near and dear to the hearts of every Christian.

3. Engage in Community (1 Thess 5:11-14, Gal 6:1-2) The requirements of Christian engagement goes far beyond sitting in an auditorium receiving spiritual feeding. It requires knowing one another on a personal enough level to confess one to another, pray for one another, meet each other’s needs and carry each other’s burdens. Being a part of the church requires a level of intimacy that cannot be achieved through simple large group attendance.

4. Find a place of ministry (Eph 4:11-16, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14) All members of God’s church are called to be ministers of His Gospel. Within the body of Christ, the Church, each of us is to bring our gifts for the building up and edification of the body and when we do not engage, using our gifting for the growth of the Body of Christ the body suffers. We are all members of the Body of Christ.

Mercy Hill Church: History and Theology

Week 8: Church Membership II

MEMBERSHIP COMMITMENT

Mercy Hill Church is committed to being the church by uniting lost and hurting children to their heavenly Father through the work of Christ. We do this by cultivating spiritual development through the merciful application of God’s word in Gospel community and by creating an environment where the Holy Spirit’s presence is free to be both experienced and shared. Mercy Hill Church is committed to a philosophy of church that values community and focuses on the development of people rather than the expansion of the organization. We are not focused on building a church, but rather, focused on BEING the church. Membership at Mercy Hill is as a commitment to God’s design for the role of ‘The Church’ in each of our lives and a greater unity within our church family. As followers of Jesus we are called “the body of Christ”; collectively we are His body. Investing in community, being known and knowing others within the body of Christ is something to which we are called. We are to be a living parable of Jesus’ love here on earth. Membership is a mutual commitment between you and the church.

The Elders/Pastors commit:

To prayerfully seek God’s direction for our church community

To care for you and our church and seek to grow in grace, truth, and love

To teach and counsel from the whole of Scripture

To steward our resources to the best of our ability

To lovingly exercise discipline when necessary for the health of the church as a whole

I commit:

UNITY: To strive to protect the unity of the church by living in accordance with the Gospel by pursuing reconciliation when an offense occurs between myself and another member. I will meet with an elder or staff member of Mercy Hill before terminating membership, and to bring conflicts or grievances directly to an Elder. Likewise, I will strive to process and listen to God in community rather than breaking fellowship independent of church leadership.

COMMUNITY: To being known and knowing others by regularly participating in weekend services and engaging in Gospel-centered relationships within the Church. I will commit to building community through participating in regular church functions such as joining a community group at Mercy Hill, Church family Night, Spirit Led, Tarry, and other Church functions as my schedule allows.

SERVE & MINISTRY: To find a place to serve in the ministry of Mercy Hill and to walk with a heart of love, concern and care for my brothers and sisters in Christ.

GIVE: To give generously and consistently of my finances, time, and resources for the sake of the Gospel in participation with Mercy Hill.

SUBMIT to ELDERS: To recognize the Elders of Mercy Hill (who are submitted one to another and to the word of God) as my spiritual elders and therein recognize their leadership and spiritual authority in my life, in tandem with scripture and the working of The Holy Spirit. Similarly, I allow for exhortation, correction, or difficult conversations with me as the need or concern arises.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY: To support the mission of Mercy Hill and its core doctrines as outlined in the Mercy Hill Membership Class, which I have already either attended or listened to with an attentive and open mind (and asked all relevant questions as it relates to understanding Mercy Hill core doctrines). Likewise, I commit to pursue the Lord Jesus Christ and spiritual growth through:

Love for the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), Prayerfulness (Philippians 4:6-7), Teachability (Psalm 1:1-6), Lifestyle of Worship (Romans 12:1-2), Promotion of Community (Romans 12:3-8), Financial Generosity (2 Corinthians 8:7), and Willingness and Openness and used of the Holy Spirit to edify the Church (1 Cor 14:1, 1 Cor 12:4-11)