GRACE FAMILY CHURCH PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

Our mission at GFC is to see people live Jesus centered lives. We believe this is accomplished by establishing every person, child, family, and marriage on the foundation of Jesus. In order for our foundation to be established on Jesus we must understand the Gospel - the good news message from Jesus and be willing to share the Gospel with others.

This Partnership agreement is best understood in the context of our Partnership Gathering, as this commitment simply outlines what we believe are biblical views on the idea of a partnership between our local church body and the people within it.

WHY PARTNERSHIP?

God has promised to build His Church. He promised it would not fail, and He has kept that promise. He is building His Church all over the world, and, as He builds it, the Church universal is assembling, gathering, meeting, and connecting in the form of local churches that meet in their own context. The Bible shows this happening from the onset of the releasing of the Church into the world. 

Grace Family is one of those local churches. We are a part of the Church universal, yet we are a local body functioning in our own context. 

GFC wants to be on mission for the gospel of Jesus Christ and help people know and follow Jesus. Not for our own fame, but to bring Glory to Jesus. However, being a church that accomplishes these godly goals does not just happen. It takes a partnership with men and women who understand the gospel and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Men and women who see the value and priority of the Church in the world. Men and women who understand that the local church is the hope of the world and want to partner with their local church in order to further the cause of Christ. Our hope is that this describes you and your desire to partner with GFC. 

Partnership is birthed out of the teachings in Scripture regarding the relationship between the local church body as an entity and the individual people that make up that entity. Partnership will help both the leadership/elders and individual partners of GFC live out their calling as members of the Body of Christ.

This partnership agreement functions as a teaching document and exists to:

• Establish the teaching and doctrinal parameters of Grace Family Church.
• Define what we believe a healthy church context looks like.
• Clarify the Biblical accountability for both leadership/elders and individual partners of GFC.

STATEMENT OF BASIC BELIEFS

1.GOD’S ABSOLUTES ARE ABSOLUTELY GOOD. - We are committed to Biblical Truth.

We seek to understand the intent of each biblical writer by using grammatical, historical, and contextual principles of interpretation, focused on Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, and oriented by grace. We accept the absolute authority of the Bible. We commit to an ongoing study, understanding and application of God’s unchanging truth in our constantly changing world, whether personal, social or cultural.

We affirm that true believers put their trust in Jesus Christ and are kept forever in the saving grace of God through His promises and His power. Every believer has been eternally justified, blessed with all spiritual blessings, and set free from all condemnation.

We affirm that the Holy Spirit’s works of baptizing, sealing and indwelling occur simultaneously with regeneration and are the possession of every true believer. The Holy Spirit gives each believer a unique combination of spiritual gifts for the purpose of serving God and people.

We affirm that Jesus Christ gave ordinances to the church:

• BAPTISM testifies to the reality of our salvation and identifies us as disciples of the Triune God. We therefore encourage the practice of triune immersion for believers baptism.

• COMMUNION testifies to our justification, sanctification and glorification, which are accomplished through Jesus Christ. We therefore encourage the practice of these symbols: the bread and cup and the washing of feet.

2.DISCIPLES GROW BETTER TOGETHER. - We are committed to Biblical Relationships.

We affirm that the Triune God serves as the perfect and ultimate model for human relationships. As a result, each person has equal value yet different roles, which are expressed in loving unity.

We affirm that differences in gifts and ministries are a manifestation of the multifaceted grace of God. As a result, we encourage all believers to use their gifts in ways that promote the unity, growth and ministry of the local church.

3.FOLLOWERS OF JESUS INVITE OTHERS TO FOLLOW JESUS. - We are committed to Biblical Mission.

We affirm that God’s plan is best summarized in Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations. This includes the evangelistic call to reconciliation with God by means of the completed work of Christ and the lifelong pursuit of obedience to God by means of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.

We affirm that God’s plan is most fully expressed through establishing healthy churches. Although practices may vary between cultures, healthy local churches are comprised of believers in Christ who assume a mutual commitment to worship, learning, service, prayer and witness.

We affirm God’s plan includes the recognition, training and releasing of spiritually qualified and appropriately trained leaders. While the specific gifts abilities and responsibilities of leaders may vary, all leaders must live as servants of God, shepherds of God’s people, and stewards of God’s resources.

We affirm that God’s plan includes our responsibility to express the compassion of Christ through proclaiming the Gospel in words while loving in deeds. We are committed to finding creative and practical ways to address the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of a fallen humanity.

LIFESTYLE COMMITMENTS OF PARTNERS AT GRACE FAMILY CHURCH

As partners we want to bring God glory as we link arms n ministry and make Jesus known in our community. In order to do this well, we believe all partners should seek to live Biblically healthy lives that reflect Christ. That is why below you will find a list of commitments we ask partners to agree to. This list is meant to help give a framework of Christian character and life rhythms we believe are important to help us function as healthy partners in our community.

These asks are not an indication of salvation but are the asks of Grace Family Church. If your desire is to meet all of these qualifications, but a life circumstance is preventing you, we invite you to pursue a meeting/conversation with an elder or pastor. Our desire is not to elevate or exclude certain people from others but to commit to a deep partnership with one another in order to fulfill the role we believe God has given us in building his Kingdom.

AS A PARTNER, YOU COMMIT TO: 

• Submit to the authority of the Scriptures as the final authority on all issues. (2 Tim 3:16) 
• Regularly practice spiritual disciplines that include Bible reading, prayer, generosity and fellowship that reflect a pursuit of the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 15:1-11) 
• Be baptized after deciding to follow Jesus (conversion) by immersion. (Matthew 28:19) 
• Celebrate Communion. (John 13:17, 1 Corinthians. 11:20 22, 23, 33 34; Jude 12) 
• Regularly participate in the life of Grace Family by attending weekly services (a guide of 2/3 of weekend services in a year), engaging in a small group or LifeGroup, regularly participating in non-weekend gatherings, and serving with the ministries of Grace Family that exist both in and outside of this church. (Hebrews 10:24-25) 
• Steward the resources God has given you. This includes time, talents, spiritual gifts, and finances. This will be demonstrated by sacrificial and voluntary serving and regular financial giving (a guide of 10 percent of income given to kingdom work). (1 Corinthians 16:2) 
• Pursue holiness in all areas of life as an act of worship, including, but not limited to, the following: (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Peter 1:16) 
• Pursuing a Biblical view of sexuality and pursuing abstention from practices such as adultery, premarital sex, and pornography. (1 Cor. 16:8) 
• Working to preserve your marriage covenant. This means working alongside Grace Family for counsel before pursuing divorce and conforming to NT standards for divorce. (Matt. 19:3-12) 
• Refraining from illegal drug use, drunkenness, gossip, and other sinful behavior as the Bible dictates. (Eph. 5:18, Eph 4:29, Phil 4:8) 
• Leveraging and using tools like social media, recreation, and your vocation in ways that honor the Lord and promotes unity. (Eph 4:29) 
• Being above reproach in business dealings. (1 Peter 1:16, Romans 12:2, Prov 11:1) 
• Confession and repentance of sin. (James 5:16)
• Share the Gospel message of Jesus with others so that they meet Him (evangelism). This includes being intentional in inviting others to weekend services and groups, serving others and speaking the Gospel message to others. (Acts 1:8)
• Submit to the leadership/elders of the church and pursue unity and peace within the church. (Hebrews 13:17)
• Submit to the procedures of church discipline with the hope of repentance and restoration. (Matthew 18:15-17)
• Do the following should you leave the church:
• Notify a Life Group leader, Pastor, or Elder of the church. (Philippians 2:4)

COMMITMENT OF GRACE FAMILY LEADERSHIP/ELDERS TO GRACE FAMILY BODY

The leadership/elders of a local body are entrusted with leading, equipping, protecting, and caring for the corporate church body and her individual partners. 

In addition to agreeing to fulfill the commitments of partners (as outlined above), our leadership/elders commit to: 

• Prayerfully seek God’s will for our church while stewarding her resources to the best of their ability based on the Spirit’s leading and their study of the Scriptures. (1 Peter 5:1-4) 
• Care for the partners of the church and lead those partners into growth in grace, truth, and love. (1 Peter 5:1-4) 
• Provide teaching and counsel from the whole counsel of Scripture. (Acts 20:27) 
• Equip and call partners to the work of the ministry. (Eph. 4:11-13) 
• Set an example and join other partners in fulfilling the obligations of church partnership. (1 Timothy 3:1-7) 
• Lovingly exercise church discipline when necessary. (Galatians 6:1, 1 Corinthians 5:4-5, Matthew 18:15-17) 
• Commit to challenging, encouraging, and sharpening one another to promote a healthy leadership environment characterized by humility and servanthood. (Mark 10:42-43)

COMMITMENT OF PARTNERS TO PARTNERS

God designed us not only to need Him, but to need each other as well. We believe we work best when we live life in community. In light of that, Partners of our church should:

• Work to support and care for other partners as they attempt to live out the obligations of being a partner. (Galatians 6:2) 
• Graciously address another partner in an appropriate way if that partner repeatedly ignores the obligations of being a partner. (Matthew 18:15-17) 
• Promote unity and support of leadership/elders to other partners. (Hebrews 13:17) 

TERM OF PARTNERSHIP

We believe partnership is meant to be current and vibrant. In light of that; 

• Ministry Partnership is for one year (January through December). At the end of that term, leadership will ask if you desire to continue being a ministry partner (and qualify). Ministry Partners must recommit each year to be on the role of Ministry Partners. 
• You must be at least 16 years old to be a Ministry Partner. 

COVENANT AGREEMENT

Yes, I desire to covenant to be a Ministry Partner at Grace Family Church for 2024. By God’s grace and through the empowerment of His Spirit, I aim to fulfill this covenant as outlined as above.