"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

 (Jn. 15:4 ESV) 

These words, along with the entire Vine/Branch section of John 15, drive our church's vision. Here is how we state it. 

"Grace Community Church exists to lead people to an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ so they may abound in fruitfulness to God’s glory and their most profound joy." (John 15:1-11) 

Abiding in Christ is to remain, live, and flourish in a dependent, faith relationship with Him. When we repent and believe upon Christ, we can be sure that we are now in Him. The New Testament often expresses this relationship as being "in Him." 

From conversion forward, the new Christian then grows and deepens in that relationship to Christ. Paul put this growth process in the following way. "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." (Col. 2:6 ESV)

When we abide in Christ, Jesus says, we will bear much fruit. In other words, we will abound. We will abound in fruit that will last. This abundant, fruit-bearing outcome not only gives us joy, but it glorifies God and adorns the gospel with praise. 

 Therefore, the church exists so that men and women can hear the gospel and thereby come into that abiding relationship. Once we lead a person to Christ, we want to make sure that they are growing in that relationship. 

 Whatever we do as a church, those two aspects of abiding and abounding are our aim. Our values, our theology, and our methods all fit within that biblical, Christ-focused, vision.