Mission Statement

Without direction, people and organizations are left to wander aimlessly, hoping to accomplish something meaningful through their efforts. Thankfully, Jesus did not ever intend for His followers to be left to wonder about their direction. Before His ascension to heaven, Jesus gave the church a clear and lasting commission to accomplish in his absence. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told His disciples to,

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

The first step to becoming a disciple of Jesus is the necessary step of coming to KNOW Jesus in a personal way. This idea of “knowing Jesus” is not simply knowing a bunch of trivia facts about Jesus or having an intellectual understanding of who He is. This foundational step of “knowing Jesus” speaks to the importance of having a personal, relational knowledge of Jesus. If we are going to be a church who makes disciples, we must first see people come to repentance of sin and faith in Jesus. This means we must be a church full of evangelistic people who are sharing the good news of salvation with the world around them.

To be successful in this area, we must be intentional and we must be direct. There are many good things that churches do to involve people in the church's activities, but more importantly than being associated with a church, each individual must have a personal relationship with Jesus. Have you repented of your sin and come to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, as He paid the penalty for your sin on the cross as your substitute?

“And this is eternal life, that they KNOW you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

John 17:3

“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of KNOWING Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection.”

Philippians 3:8-10

Once a person comes to faith in Jesus through repentance and knows Jesus, the next step is for that new disciple to learn to FOLLOW Jesus as a believer. Following Jesus requires a few things to be successfully accomplished, but these are very important steps as a disciple begins to grow in their relationship with Jesus.

To FOLLOW Jesus means that a disciple must begin to learn the spiritual disciplines and see those start to take root in their life (to read/study the Bible, to pray and deepen their relationship with God, to learn to worship God and give Him value in their life, and to engage with “the family” (the church) as their support system). If the first step of knowing Jesus “brings a person to spiritual life,” then the step of FOLLOWING Jesus is the process of a new spiritual infant “growing up” in their faith.

To put "FOLLOWING Jesus” into simple terms, this step refers to many familiar “church programs like being involved in a study that helps an individual know what Jesus has asked us to do and helps them to FOLLOW His commands in their life. To attend a community group helps a disciple to live out those commands and to FOLLOW Jesus in the very tangible aspects of life. To “grow up” in our faith and mature in our relationship with Jesus, we must learn what Jesus has called us to and begin to make a habit of doing what He asks of us in our personal life.

“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

1 John 2:3-6

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and FOLLOW me.”

Luke 9:23

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they FOLLOW me.”

John 10:27

Once a disciple has come to know Jesus and is learning what it means to follow Him, the next step is for them to begin to SERVE Jesus in tangible ways. One of the marks of a maturing disciple is the reality that they begin to focus their attention on other people and give of themselves for the benefit of others.

Scripture is explicitly clear that God designed the church to support and care for the needs of one another and that we will not be able to successfully function on our own. The Holy Spirit gives Christians spiritual gifts at the time of their conversion, and we are commanded to use those gifts to SERVE others in our local church, in our community, and around the world. It is impossible for a disciple to be fully devoted and obedient to Christ if they have been gifted by the Holy Spirit to build up the church, but they refuse to use their gifts to SERVE those around them in some way.

The goal and expectation of The Rock is that as people grow in maturity as disciples of Jesus, they will successfully find their role of SERVING that God has gifted and called them to. This will look very different for each individual disciple, but all are expected to be SERVING the Lord and the church as they strive for maturity in their faith.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace”

1 Peter 4:10

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.”

Romans 12:4-6

The final part of the RockCC mission is to see people come to OBEY Jesus. While there is some degree of “obedience” to Jesus required in every step of this mission, the specific focus of this step is to see mature disciples of Jesus OBEY HIS COMMAND TO GO MAKE MORE DISCIPLES.

There is a scientific principle that we see throughout nature that applies to our mission statement- Mature things reproduce. Whether one is considering plants, animals, or humans, the reality is that as organisms mature and become fully developed, there are processes that God placed in the natural order to allow an organism to reproduce.

The spiritual growth cycle of a disciple is no different. As someone comes know Jesus and learns to follow and serve Him, they are growing towards maturity. The result of that maturing process is that, as we reach spiritual maturity, we are each tasked with playing a role in Jesus’ command to “Go and make disciples.” As you have been taught, you should now be willing to share what you have learned with others.

Mature disciples are expected to be sharing the gospel regularly, helping others to KNOW Jesus. Mature disciples are expected to assist others as they learn to FOLLOW Jesus, walking alongside brothers/sisters and helping them to mature. Mature disciples are also expected to champion the cause of the church (The bride of Christ) and encourage others to SERVE Jesus by using their spiritual gifts to build and support His church. The goal of the “OBEY” step is to see mature disciples at RockCC committed to “reproducing themselves in a third spiritual generation.”

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Matthew 28:18-20

“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

2 Timothy 2:2