We would like to see the urban poor being empowered as they experience God’s plan for a just, humane, and a caring society.
We would like to mobilize a holistic and contextualized church planting movement in the urban poor communities, and join God’s work in transforming lives and communities, where people come to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, impact their families, and communities, and give glory to God!
We would like to share to the Gospel, and teach them about the Christian life and morals, especially to start from the children in the community so that they can make an impact in their community.
Christ is the head of the body, and we are a body with many members (Ephesians 1:22, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). As Christians, and as part of the body of Christ, we should respond to God’s calling by recognizing the interconnectedness of churches wherein we can partner with one another in order to fulfill God’s purpose and mission for us. The church should practice hospitality and compassion to one another which includes those who are in need. We need to minister to one another, and care for one another. As part of our calling as a local church, is our solidarity with the poor and the oppressed where God is using us to bring transformation in the communities.
We are a body of believers who are centered in Christ through community, fellowship, worship, prayer, study of the Word of God, and service. The people are the church because it refers to the walking, talking, breathing body of believers in the community (Jonathan Booklet 2015).
In local community context, it is important that the approach in church planting strategy is holistic to bring transformation in the lives of the people. Discipleship should deal with the social, the economic, and the spiritual aspects of their lives. This holistic approach sees the wholeness of a person with its parts interrelated. It integrates the physical, spiritual, social, mental, and the emotional dimensions of the human being.
According to Paredes, “salvation is liberation from all forms of oppression in the spiritual, physical, political, social, and economic dimensions of life in the world”. God desires the full redemption of persons, and social structures. There is a need to address the total development of the people and community, and empower them as they face issues with hunger, injustice, ignorance, and hopelessness. We need to raise awareness of the people’s worth, and need to empower the people so that they can enrich their own lives, the conditions of their families, and the community (Lua, 2000).