A few years ago, the leadership team of the Greater Philadelphia Church of Christ (GPCC), coined the phrase, “a healthy church is supported by the three-legged stool of saving the lost, strengthening the saved and serving the poor.” Since then, James Campbell, Lead Evangelist, has steadily inspired the GPCC and its members with this holistic approach to holiness.
Leg 1: Evangelistic outreach is recognized as an important and essential role of the New Testament church. During the past year, the GPCC has used the small group mechanism of FOCUS (Family, Outreach, Community and US) groups as the everyday evangelistic tool for sharing the gospel with neighbors and friends. Special days of evangelistic emphasis are also carefully planned into the church calendar, including SuperBowl Sunday, Mens’ and Womens’ Days and a Community Open House Sunday to keep the spark of evangelism burning in the fellowship. Domestic and foreign missions are also are important priority as the GPCC gave more than $235,000 last year to support churches in India and to plant the Nittany Valley Church of Christ in State College, Pennsylvania.
Leg 2: Strengthening the church membership is being accomplished through vibrant and inspiring preaching and teaching provided by GPCC’s Evangelists, Elders and Ministry Interns and a special focus on powerful worship services. An emphasis on Kids Kingdom, Teen Ministry and parenting classes meets the needs of families with children. The church has also invested in Marriage Dynamics training to establish marriage support classes in each region of the church. The Singles ministry and Campus Ministry receive special stipends in the church budget to support the activities of these special areas of ministry. Elder John Gaines and his wife, Eve, have mobilized the seniors in the GPCC fellowship through the Cedars of Lebanon ministry. A recent development has been the establishment of a Bereavement Ministry to address increasing instances of grief and loss within our fellowship.
Through this multi-pronged, holistic approach to ministry, the GPCC has discovered new truths in Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthian church to recognize that “the body (of Christ) is a unit, though it is made up of many parts . . . in fact, God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” 1 Cor 12:12, 18. In between these verses, Paul makes the powerful point that all members of the body “belong” and all are “needed.” As we enter the new year, GPCC’s leadership team is renewing its commitment to practicing “holistic holiness” and honoring the wonder of God’s diverse plan for the growth and maturing of the body of Christ.
Randy Jordan
Greater Philadelphia Church of Christ website
Click here to link to a thought provoking article from Leadership Journal: Take Time to Be What? by Gordon MacDonald
