Next Steps
First Step
Follow Jesus
Some of the first words that Jesus spoke to His disciples were “Follow me.” This was an invitation from Jesus for people to be with Him and to become like Him. This invitation is important because of the reality of sin. We experience brokenness, separation from God, and a distortedness in the image of God with which we were created. But the good news of the Bible says that Jesus came to save us from that sin and He accomplished that salvation through His death and resurrection. To receive that salvation today, Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
If this is you, we at Connect Church invite you to confess your faith in Jesus, be baptized, and join the community of disciples at Connect who are following Him. To learn more, click the link below to fill out a short form, and a member of our Next Steps Team will connect with you.
Next Steps
The Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines are defined by Don Whitney as “practices found in the Scripture that promote spiritual growth among believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ.” We like to think of spiritual disciplines like physical exercise. Physical exercise is engaging in movements that aid us in becoming physically healthy and strong. Spiritual disciples are movements we engage in to anchor us in the healing and strength of Jesus which aids us in becoming like Jesus in character and action. They are spiritual because they are movements of grace that engage our relationship with Jesus. They are disciplines because they take effort and commitment.
Want to learn more about spiritual disciplines? Click the link below to find teachings that will help you understand and practice these disciplines.
Connect Communities
We view the church through this definition given by Tim Chester: the church is “a community of broken people finding family around a meal under the tree of Calvary.” Church is not just about attending a “worship service,” but about serving and being served around a table. The church must be a safe community where all people can be real about life and real about Jesus together.
The setup of these communities is taken from the practices of the early church. We scatter throughout the city of Pella in people’s homes or in public spaces, break bread through a meal, talk about life and Jesus, and pray together.
If you would like to join or host a Connect Community, click the link below to fill out a short form, and someone from the Next Steps Team will connect with you.
Team Work
The church is beautiful when the church is diverse. There is beauty in nature because there is such diversity among trees, flowers, animals, and landscapes. We want to celebrate the diversity of people (gender, color, personality, and giftedness) when we team up to engage in gospel ministry together. We have teams where you are needed with your particular skills, including working with children, music, audio-visual media, administration, hospitality, and much more!
Interested in joining a ministry team? Complete the form below and someone from our staff will connect with you.