Purpose
New Hope Baptist Church exists to honor God by making and maturing disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).
Focus
In order to accomplish this purpose, we focus our attention in four directions:
- Upward
We desire to focus our attention upward to God in worship. As Creator and Redeemer, our God is worthy of our worship and praise. When we gather as the church, we seek to worship God in spirit and in truth through music, intercessory prayer, public reading of Scripture, and preaching that is biblically driven and Christ centered (John 4:23-24; Psalm 150; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:1-2).
- Inward
We desire to focus our attention inward to the needs of the body of Christ. Our inward focus involves several key elements:
- Discipleship – We seek to disciple believers in the Lord Jesus Christ through formal, structured times of instruction such as Sunday School as well as through more informal times of instruction such as small group studies and one-on-one mentoring (Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:41-42).
- Fellowship – We desire to be the body of Christ, encouraging one another and partnering together to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Philippians 1:4-5).
- Accountability – We strive to encourage one another to remain faithful to their Lord Jesus Christ and to his body, the church (Acts 2:41-42; Hebrews 10:23-25).
- Outward
We desire to focus our attention outward to an unbelieving world, proclaiming to every person the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The biblical mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person, gathering those who believe into local churches where they can be baptized, discipled, and mentored in the Christian faith so that they may go out to begin the process all over again. This mission must be carried out locally and around the world. Locally, New Hope Baptist Church seeks to reach its community by reaching our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family with the biblical gospel. Globally, New Hope Baptist Church partners with the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention to promote the spread of the gospel around the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).
- Downward
We desire to focus our attention downward as we seek to follow our Savior’s example of serving one another in love and compassion. This service is first directed to the needs of our own body as we seek to meet the needs of those within our church. We also look for productive ways to serve others, providing a powerful witness to the love of Christ (John 13:3-17; Galatians 6:10).
