Our Mission: Faith Bible Church is a loving community making disciples of Jesus Christ.
A disciple is a learner & follower of Christ, growing in obedience to Him & proclaiming Christ to others.
As a church we seek to accomplish our mission through a variety of means, especially,
Evangelism
Every disciple of Christ is called to make disciples of Christ (Matthew 28:18–20). God has sovereignly scattered us as individuals in our community to proclaim repentance and faith in Christ to those we encounter.
Equipping
The elders (also known as pastors and overseers) are to equip the members of the local church to do the work of ministry where the church builds itself up through evangelism and speaking the truth to one another in love (Eph 4:11–16).
This equipping primarily occurs at FBC through…
One Discipling Many
Sunday morning service
This is our primary means for the equipping of FBC, as it is described and commanded in the New Testament. Here the word is sung, preached, and pictured in the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Members of FBC should prioritize this gathering above other activities, because it is one of the primary means of grace the Scriptures describe.
Sunday equipping hour
Since the Sunday sermon is normally a consecutive expositional message through a book of the Bible, some key topics for the Christian life will not be able to be discussed directly. Thus, such topics are handled in the Sunday equipping hour before the main gathering.
Members of FBC are strongly encouraged to attend this time as this is another primary way the elders can equip the saints for the work of service.
One Discipling Few
Geographic discipleship groups in Hood River and The Dalles.
The primary aim of these groups is deep relational connection with the shepherding oversight of the group leader that cannot always occur on a Sunday morning. These groups may study a book of the Bible or some other topic aimed at Christian growth, but there time is intentionally set aside for people to hear each other’s prayer requests and to pray for one another. We value a spectrum of ages and life situations participating in these groups.
These groups are one key area where families can connect with more mature believers and parents for wisdom on how to nurture a family in a God-honoring way.
Other Groups
Members may organize other discipleship groups for one reason or another. While these may not be actively promoted by FBC, they are not discouraged and those who desire to form such groups are encouraged to consult with the elders.
One Discipling One
As a culture
Believers ought to seek out believers to speak the truth to one another in love. The biblical vision for this is men with men and women with women, the older discipling the younger (Titus 2:1–10). Both older and younger ought to regularly initiate discipling relationships, which may last for a season or indefinitely.
Such discipling relationships are naturally initiated through relationships built on Sunday morning and in the geographic discipleship groups.
A special emphasis is placed on discipling relationships between younger families and older families who have managed their households in a God-honoring way. More mature families and discipleship group leaders are a resource to younger families.
Biblical Counseling
Our church offers biblical counseling for members and non-members, with preference given to members. Biblical counseling is nothing more than intense discipleship to help a struggling believer regain their footing on their walk and to grow for Christ’s honor.