Discipleship Ministry

Jesus told us,  "to go into all the wordl and make DISCIPLES...."  He did not just tell us to make converts.  At the River we are committed to helping each person  have absolute assurance of their salvation and to grow in their relationship with the Lord. Our committment to discipleship is reflected in everything we do.  We help Christians develop in six areas of their Christian life:

• Belonging: Connecting to the Body of Christ is fundamentally important for a solid, vibrant Christian life.  The Bible calls it "Koinenia" or Communion. It is more than just "going ot church," or sharing a piece of cracker and cup of juice. "Belonging" means the individual and the group are incomplete without each other.
• Wholeness: Life is tough.  Issues like divorce, abuse, bad relationships, poor childhoods, unfortunate life circumstances and even bad religious experiences have left multitudes wounded, body, soul and spirit.  Jesus healed people physically, spiritually and emotionally in the Bible; and He still does today.  Many people or so broken through life experiences that they cannot serve God without healing in many areas of their life first.  The word for SALVATION carries with it total wholeness, not just a ticket to heaven. One key focus at the River is to help people become whole again so they can releate to God and the Body of Christ.
• Worship:  Worship is more than a few songs on Sunday morning.  Worship is a lifestyle that involves our whole lives, including: time, resources, attention and life purpose. Praisrers become worshippers and worshippers become servers.
• Spiritual Growth: There are two types of spiritual growth. The forst is personal. The Bible encourages us to "Grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ."  We are also told to that as a body we are "to grow up together into the head, whihc is Jesus."  Spiritual groth encompasses both of these dynamics.  We accomplish this through Bible study, prayer, fellowship and helping people find their place in the body, while recognizing the places He has prepard for others.
• Sharing:  We encourage every member of the congregation to learn to participate in the gatheirngs. Learning to share (Koinenia - communion) is one of the first steps to active service of the Lord.  The congregation is encouraged to share testimonies, scripture readings, songs, gifts of the Holy Spirit, short teachings, objects lessons and more as they are lead by the Holy Spirit. We have monthly "Nugget Nights" where members of the congregation get to share for 15 mintues each as a way of learning to grow in the Word.
• Serving:  We do not believe Christianity is a 'spectator sport.'  We believe every Christian should actively serve the Lord during their life. One of our purposes is to help each member find their spiritual gifts and calling.  As the gists and calling sof God are developed His will for a person's life is fulfilled.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Over the years discipleship has gotten a bad name because of excess and abuse of authority. Many people have gone to the opposite extreme of neglecting true discipleship altogether.  When this happens churches may grow in numbers, but they never grow in true spiritual maturity. Discipleship is one of the key missing ingredients in many churches and in the lives of many christians today. True Biblical discipleship is never a forced issue.  Jesus never forced anyone, He simply said, "follow me."  They either did or din't.  We do not control people's lives, but rather offer teaching, fellowship, opportunity, accountability and love that Christians might be strong dissciples of Jesus Christ.