Vision
Portland Biblical Community is an Acts 2:42-47 (Adoration | Community | Training | Service) church: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…” This is further explained in the pdxbc Shaping Values. |
| Creating Structure that Cultivates Creativity |
| We believe that it is the responsibility of our leadership to create a church structure which fosters creativity and explicit dependence upon God while equipping and empowering followers of Christ for ministry in everyday life. Many church structures have an addiction to meetings in the sense that everything revolves around formal gatherings. While we value gathering together, the purpose is solely to encourage each other to live our missional calling (Matthew 28:18-20). |
| Reflecting on Ancient Wisdom |
| We value the ancient roots of our faith. We did not invent our mission. Rather we received it. We are stirred by the Spirit of God as we learn from the life stories of those who have taken the journey already: Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Ruth, Luke, John, Stephen, Aquila, Priscilla, Apollos, Barnabus, Paul, as well as others through the ages who have lived faithful lives devoted to God. Jesus is the climax of the story and the head of our mission today. |
| Engaging the Current Renaissance |
| The Renaissance movement birthed a whole new era of thinking, knowing, and perceiving, and, in many ways, a fresh wave of creativity and invention was birthed. In the same way, we have entered a new era in which our understanding is expanding in how we gain knowledge and see reality. We are called to understand our times and engage with the world in which we find ourselves with great wisdom. Jesus once said that you cannot pour new wine into old wineskins, because the new wine would not be able to be contained in the old wineskins. Shifts in culture require adjustments and innovation in methodology. The message of God is such that it can never be contained to a particular people or a specific time, but it is cosmic in nature, meant for all people in all times. However, we are to learn from the past, engage in the present, and prepare for the future. Our context, the Scripture, the Spirit, and the community of God help us to determine the best way in which we live out the story of God faithfully and effectively. |
| Issuing in the Coming Restoration |
| Shalom is the way in which the prophets talked about a day when all things would be put right again. All that had become corrupt and polluted would be re-made in such a way that it would take our breath away. Through imagery and story, their words painted a picture of how things are supposed to be. People would no longer be looked at as tools and property in the hands of the powerful, but as those made in the very image of God. People would cease creating and ruling their own kingdoms, but would gladly enter the kingdom of God so that peace would prevail in the world. They pictured a world in which the environment that was originally created good would become freed of the curse. They spoke of a place in which people would genuinely love each other. When Jesus entered the scene, He began speaking and teaching with a full understanding of the coming Shalom. When his followers asked him how to pray, one of the profound statements he made was that we should actually pray that these things would come about. He said to pray, “May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” He was telling his followers to pray for the coming shalom, pray that the world would be made right again – that peace and beauty would prevail over violence and corruption. In the same way, Jesus invites us all to become active participants in bringing the hope of the prophets to reality. And though we won’t see the fullness of that reality immediately, we can live with great hope that Jesus will finish what he started. Until then, we are to pray and work so that what is true in heaven would be true on earth. |
| Our church structure weaves together four key elements: |
| Disciples: Jesus calls all to be disciples (learners) irrespective of age. Equippers: Train the disciples in godliness and character for the work of service. Gatherings: The different contexts of the formal and informal life of the church. Ministries: Equip and empower the church to fulfill its mission faithfully. |
| Educational Analogy | Athletic Analogy | Artistic Analogy |
| The disciples would be the students. The equippers would be the teachers, those who have learned through pursuing knowledge and practicing what they know. Teachers help students to progress. The gatherings would be the classroom (expanded to the world). The ministries would be different majors or disciplines: graphic design, communication, music, etc. | The disciples are the athletes. The athlete desires to win the prize and, in this case, that means becoming the servant of all. The equippers are the coaches who help the athletes reach their full potential. The gatherings are the practices, the time in which the community gathers to live out their faith in the world. The ministries are the teams. | The disciples are the artists. Artists continually work to improve their craft. Mentors are the equippers who inspire and encourage further development. The gatherings are the different guilds and the ministries are the different disciplines. |
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