JPBC has adopted a model of discipleship that teaches and facilitates members’ love for one another through our deacons.
Our discipleship takes place through two main areas: through corporate worship and fellowship and through members’ discipleship and care.
Discipleship takes place as we gather together to hear from God and care for one another in our corporate worship on Sunday morning, our focused studies in Sunday school, and in our fellowship time on Wednesday night. These three services are what the pastor likes to call the corporate diet of the church. This three services provides a unique way to feed, encourage, and edify the body.
Our discipleship starts with our corporate worship service on the Lord’s Day. This is the main course in our corporate diet where we gather to fulfill what God clearly prescribes for us in Scripture. The service centers on the preaching of God’s Word as we all gather seeking to hear God speak to us. The preaching is expositional, Christ-centered, and focuses on applying the Word to our lives today. For more on the pastor’s vision for preaching please look here.
The music is chosen to lead the congregation in praising God and is chosen to prepare us to hear the message. We incorporate different kinds of led prayers in the service such as prayers of praise, confession, thanksgiving, and repentance. The morning worship service is also where we participate in the ordinances of our Lord, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
The Sunday School hour precedes the worship service, starting at 9:30. These classes range from walking through a book of the Bible to a class that prays for the hour. The venue of Sunday School provides for more discussion and sharing time. Some classes are gender and age specific. Others are coed and open to all ages. We hope to offer a rotation of open classes that will include New and Old Testament studies, theological topics, counseling, discipleship, family and evangelism.
Our Life Together is the Wednesday evening gathering that compliments the Sunday worship and gives the church an opportunity to experience Christ in one another and learn together. We begin at 5:15 for fellowship and dinner.
We will typically have a brief time of singing and begin our time of prayer for one another at 6pm. This time of prayer compliments the prayers on Sunday morning because the church members pray for one another.
Following our time of prayer for one another, the pastor leads the church through a study ending at 7:15. The study will range from a topical series to inductively working through a book of the Bible. We have studied the vision of the church and are currently in a series that helps believes understand how to read the Bible devotionally.
We are called to worship and be discipled corporately, and we are called to love and serve one another. If we are one of Christ’s disciples, we are called to disciple and be discipled by others. Further, scripture tells us that we each have primary responsibility for our brothers and sisters within our local covenanted body at JPBC. The leadership at JPBC is committed to creating a culture of personal discipleship. We envision a church where our members are actively involved in each others’ lives for the purpose of encouragement, correction, accountability, and showing each other grace and forgiveness in the gospel. As leaders, we are called to equip and encourage the saints in this work for purposes of building up the entire body under the headship of Christ.
All in? Members are encouraged to contact their deacons if there’s ever want or need. Your Deacon will facilitate, organize, and participate in the discipleship and fellowship of each member.