“A loving community of Christ-followers glorifying God together by making disciples of all nations.”
This statement sums up what we believe is Bridge’s biblical purpose. There are three key phrases in this statement and each one carries significant meaning:
A loving community of Christ-followers… This first part of our vision answers the question: “Who are we?” The God presented in the Bible is a God who believes in community–in fact the God of the Bible is a community: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit! From the time of Abraham in the Old Testament God has been calling a community to Himself, a people who would be holy and love Him with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. God’s love for His people is manifested in the sending of His only begotten Son, Jesus, to earth to fully and finally redeem us from sin. We are called to live in loving unity with and humility toward one another (Philippians 2:1-11) as a community of Christ-followers. This tells the world that we are truly God’s people (John 13:35).
…glorifying God Together… The second phrase of our vision answers the question: “What do we do?” Everything we are and do as a community of Christ-followers is intended to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Worship is far more than music; it’s seeking to put the magnificence of God on display in every area of life. Glorifying God together is our highest aim because God’s ultimate desire is to be worshiped by the humans He’s created in His own image. In desiring to be worshiped, God isn’t being conceited; He’s simply being true to who He is as the one and only Sovereign Creator and Master of the universe. For God to value anything more supremely than His own worship would be a denial of Himself as the only true and living God (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39).
…by making disciples of all nations. The third phrase of our vision statement moves us from who we are and what we do to answer two questions: “How do we do it?” and “Where do we do it?” This is our mission! How do we, a loving community of Christ-followers, glorify God together? As a living and gloriously vibrant Being, God’s glory must continue to expand. Christ’s appointed means of extending His glory is through the church who takes the good news of God’s love in the power of the Holy Spirit to all people everywhere (Acts 1:8), and seeks to make fully-devoted God-worshiping Christ-followers. Making disciples is more than teaching people the Bible; it’s about showing them God’s global pursuit of their souls and how they will find ultimate fulfillment by joining Him in pursuing still more souls. We do this everywhere and all the time. We do it both intentionally through planned times of teaching and sharing and unplanned encounters as the Spirit moves us to speak the gospel. We make disciples through formal Bible teaching as well as informal conversation and accountable relationships. We make disciples in large groups, small groups, and one-to-one meetings. We do it through local outreach projects and international missions experiences.