Mission and Vision of ACOP

[Chris]

I think to extend God’s grace in my local context is to understand that people are in different places in their knowledge of and walk with the Lord and accordingly to live a life that demonstrates patience and a welcoming attitude while also representing the love and light of Jesus.

The vision and mission provide the organization a clear idea of where things are headed, while also providing practical ways to get there. By the organization being on the same page, it provides greater strength and effectiveness through unity.

True apostolic teams are kingdom-motivated and exist to equip and empower others. Their greatest accomplishments can often be found in the success of others and the organization as a whole.

[Sarah]

Respond in paragraph format to the following prompt(s):

• "ACOP is a global movement of passionate people extending God's grace and igniting hope in every community." What does it mean to extend God's grace in your local context? How about globally?

I believe that I can extend God’s grace in my local context in a number of ways. Jordan mentioned how leadership is the catalyst, and I think that I can show grace to the youth and worship leaders I am leading so that they can in turn share it with the people they are walking with day to day. I also think I can do this by asking myself (like Wes mentioned), how did Jesus show grace? I can see that Jesus cared for the sick, saw people that others walked past, helped people walk in new beginnings and so much more. I think I can do this in the church I work in but also around 17th ave and the community around the church. In my current context, I think I can do this globally by advocating for and making space for globally workers as well as supporting them prayerfully and financially. Finally, even within CFG we have so many different cultures and people groups represented, so I think I can show grace globally by being more intentional with the global community that is right at my front door.

[Taliya]

1. In my local context, extending God’s grace looks like knowing His grace and incorporating it into my personal relationships. For example, in my workplace, friendships, and church community, this would look like inclusivity, genuine friendship, sharing the gospel, and being supportive and encouraging. I think it is so important to not judge others by their life circumstances or their religious beliefs and to rather extend God’s grace and love them where they are at. Obviously not watering down any truth of the gospel, but not having expectation on others in our relationships. In a global context, i think the same concept applies but also emersing yourself in culture, learning the language, understanding the needs of the community you are in and being led to meet those needs, and showing the character of God through your own.

2. I think the vision for the future of an organization and the mission of how it is getting there paint a picture of what that organization needs to look like to uphold the mission and reach the vision. In other words, the culture of an organization are the characteristics or the “personality” that the organization should look like.

3. Apostolic teams are so important because there needs to be balance in ministry. Someone with strong gifts in one area may be laking in another area. With a team where there are many different gifts and a like mind, no area of ministry will be overlooked. There will be preachers, teachers, prayer, organization, accountability, etc.

[Nate]

In my local context at Eston College, extending grace and igniting hope looks like modeling Jesus well and helping to mentor fellow students who are earlier in their discipleship journey. It also looks like looking ahead, trying to think of how to apply my learning to future ministry contexts.

Mission and vision affect the culture by giving us a common goal, something bigger than ourselves. Everyone wants to be a part of something bigger, to feel that their actions have significance and are working towards something. When the organization has an effective vision it gives our actions meaning and direction. We can begin to say “this action directly worked toward the fulfilling of this mission.”

An apostolic team is important because they can provide leadership that (hopefully!) isn’t going to stagnate. When a leadership team is apostolic they are going to be attentive to the spirit, the spirit who wants to do something new, who wants to keep things fresh and shake us up every now and then. When our leadership team is like this, they will help the organization to stay fresh, relevant, and effective.