State-of-the-Church Address on the Core 4

Last Sunday, May 23, marked a unique milestone in the life of HPPC. As we celebrated Pentecost Sunday, a day when we emphasize unity through the Holy Spirit, Dr. Scates brought all 11 a.m. worship services together by preaching via live simulcast for the first time ever from the Sanctuary. His "State-of-the-Church" message for HPPC outlined vision, priorities and practical application as we look to the future. He explained that ten years ago this congregation believed, prayed and discerned that the Holy Spirit was calling us to be a particular kind of church...one whose utmost mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. So he shared his three main passions on which he prays HPPC will focus, with the understanding that this vision helps us achieve our mission.

In addition to the dozens of incredible ministries at HPPC, Dr. Scates believes the Holy Spirit has ignited three different passions that are crucial for our church:

  • Missions: to be one of the great missions & outreach churches in the world.
  • Youth Ministry: to have one of the greatest youth ministries in the world; where youth are discipled and brought to Christ before graduating from high school.
  • Becoming a Renaissance Church: Being a Church of Jesus Christ grounded in the fundamentals - prayer, the Bible, practicing The Lord's Supper - and celebrating the arts, worshipping through the service of our minds and thinking both locally and globally.
These goals seem lofty, so how do we do this? He summarized HPPC's core values, or Core 4, thatare guidelines for how we stay on track to meet these goals: Worship God, Grow in Christ, Build Community and Bless the World.

Core 4 Sermon Series

HPPC devoted an entire sermon series to the Core 4, October 18-November 8, 2009. This series dove into how the aspects of theCore 4 (Worship God, Grow in Christ, Build Community, Bless the World)impact our relationships with God and our mission as a church. If youmissed any of these four sermons, we encourage you to listen to them online.

C4DevoCover1.jpgTo accompany the sermon series, Core FourDevotional & Prayer Guide is also available. Pleasepick one up in the Hunt building at HPPC, or download a copy. It is a four-week journey we are asking the whole church to takeas we seek to unify around our mission.

 

Core 4

What's at your core?

Core-4---Core-4.jpgWhat is our mission as a church? Scripture answers that question in the Great Commission. As Jesus said, our job is to "go and make disciples." The logical next question to ask is: What does discipleship look like? That question, as it turns out, is also answered for us in scripture, and it points to the different aspects of the Core Four. Here are the Core Four practices in more detail:

Core-4---Worship-God.jpgIndividually we pray and read Scripture. As part of the body, in worship, we find a place and participate in one of the church's five weekly services. John 4:23-24 says, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth."

Discipleship path: The Holy Spirit connects people with Christ and a community of faith through worship, praise, and love of God.

Scripture references: John 4:23-24; 1 Cor. 10:31; Psalm 113:1-3; Romans 12:1; Matt. 22:34-40

Key Activities:

Core-4---Grow-in-christ.jpgEach person, and each one of us in the church body, can earnestly pursue knowing Jesus through prayer, Bible study, teaching ... and live out love for God and our neighbor. In Ephesians 4:22-24, Paul says to the church: "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Discipleship Path: The Holy Spirit transforms disciples to become more and more like Christ.

Scripture References: Eph. 4:22-24; Eph. 4:14-16, Romans 8:9-13; Colossians 1:15-20; 2 Cor. 3:18

Key Activities:

Core-4---Build-Community.jpgA community by definition is dynamic-alive with give and take. The Core Four opens ways for our members to actively invest their time, treasure, and talents in the church body and its ministries outside this immediate church. One early example is in Acts 2:42, 47: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer ... and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Discipleship Path: Empowered by the Holy Spirit, disciples use their time, talent, and treasures to build the community of faith.

Scripture References: Acts 2:42; Eph. 2:19-22; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 12:7, 27; John 13:34-35

Key Activities:

Core-4---Bless-the-World.jpgAs with Abraham, we're blessed to be a blessing. In our city, our community, and around the world, God calls us to serve Him by serving others with our time, talent, and treasures. The good news is that we never go alone. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells his disciples: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Discipleship Path: Empowered by the Holy Spirit, disciples transform people and impact the world with the good news and love of Jesus Christ.

Scriptural References: Matthew 28:18-20, 22:34-40; Gen. 1:27-28, 3:15, 12:1-3; John 3:16-17, 20:21; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Romans 8:20-23; Rev. 21:1-4, 22:1-3

Key Activities:

  • Make disciples: involve others in a Core 4 Journey,
  • Make a difference in the world: be a transformation agent in your relationships, home, and in the marketplace.
  • Serve in an externally focused ministry of HPPC or with one of its ministry partners.


Ministry Partners