Although our church is not officially launching until September 13th, 2009 it’s going to take a diverse team of men, women, children, and families to build this movement from the ground up.
We began forming this team on March 1st, 2009 and have been hosting regular gatherings in our home, holding interest meetings throughout the city, and doing random acts of kindness that have helped us grow our team and show our love for the city (you can read more about our plan here).
This phase of our church has been crucial. We are literally laying the foundation for who and what The Gateway Church will eventually become. The cultural DNA of our church has begun to take form.
Last night we took another important step. I challenged everyone on the team to prayerfully commit to signing our Launch Team Covenant. The purpose of this covenant is to keep us focused on Christ and his mission. To reach out to Des Moines as a community united by his love.
Before going to the cross, Jesus prayed for his future church: “My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father” (John 17:21). Jesus’ dying wish was that his followers would be ONE.
The Church is not a social club, the Church is a team. It is a group of people bonded by a common experience and purpose -- people who have had a transformational encounter with Christ and chase after Him with all their heart.
It is my dream for The Gateway that we become a life-giving community on a mission together. A group of people devoted to living the life of Christ and proclaiming His gospel in both word and deed.
Our vision is to create a faith-community that unleashes the imagination, talents, visions and dreams of each of its members and acts as a catalyst for renewal in the city of Des Moines.
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