Q & A with

David Hederman

Teaching Pastor at Grace City Church

Why is Grace City a Church Partner of Mission First?

Grace City exists to Reach, Heal, Release for the glory of Christ and the good of the soul. It is one mission with three expressions. Mission First helps us accomplish all three.

We are called to reach. We reach out to those who've never heard of Christ love for them, telling them of Christ's love, grace, mercy, and redemption. Mission First helps this happen by providing places and projects where volunteers can come proclaim the gospel and reach out with Christ's love.

We are called to heal. We believe that God has called us to help heal those who may have walked away from His church. You will hear some say, "I love Christ, but I don't like His church." We want to be a place where someone can come home, connect back with a community of faith, and rediscover Christ's purpose for the church. Mission First aids in efforts to heal the de-churched as they see Grace City actively living out the gospel, serving in the community, engaged in the lives of those less fortunate. In short, Mission First helps us live out what we preach on Sundays.

We are called to release. We believe we are to release the churched. We do not want to be a body of believers content to keep our faith marginalized and contrained, as we know that God has redeemed us to live out our faith. Through Mission First, we have been able to release people out of the church building and back into the community as we partner with Mission First to be an outpost of hope, joy, and grace in a community that desperately needs it.

Do you feel it is important to place a priority on local missions? If so, why?

We feel it is vital for the church to place a priority on local missions. We believe we are commissioned to both local and global missions in Acts 1:8. By the church living out the gospel locally, through both word and deed, it strengthens its witness. This witness draws men and women to hope and life found in Christ.

Is it important for believers to be engaged in serving on a consistent basis? If so, why?

Throughout Christ's earthly ministry He constantly engages those around Him in acts of service. As we are called to be disciples of Christ, we are to mirror His actions, reflect His ways, and live out what we see Him do. We believe it is part of a healthy discipleship process to be engaged in acts of service. It is through serving that we live out and practice the scriptural truths learned.

Does being a Church Partner to Mission First expand your church's ability to serve others in the name of Christ? If so, how?

Grace City church has recently launched a number of Community Groups. Through our partnership with Mission First, any one of our groups, or a combination of our groups, can contact Mission First and connect with a service opportunity. As a church staff we are confident that our groups are doing kingdom work, are resourced properly, and have Christ-like examples to learn from as they work with the Mission First team. This significantly expands our ability to serve others as the leadership of Grace City is not solely responsible for organizing and resourcing every service initiative. Through Mission First we now have a partner to help us in this endeavor.