If you want to know fully who we are. You are in the right place.
WE ARE A FAMILY OF FAMILIES, GOD’S FAMILY PREPARING THE WAY FOR JESUS THROUGH KNOWING CHRIST AND MAKING HIM KNOWN
Despite how these past years have unfolded for our family of families, who we are has not changed. Here at Church of God of Exeter, we are a community of believers who have experienced that the best way to live is with Jesus, in community, and on mission. Found in the heart of Central California, we have become God’s family so we can prepare the way for Him in the lives of others. We do this through knowing Jesus and making Him known. Thereby, we become the forerunners of the transformation in our city through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one disciple at a time. In this, we are a family of families seeking to bring new life in the name of Jesus Christ. Right where we have been planted for over 110 years, we seek to make disciples who make disciples by knowing Jesus and making Him known, going to Exeter, Tulare County, the Central Valley, and to the Ends of the Earth.
OUR MISSION
To know Christ and make Him known.
OUR VISION
To be the forerunners of the transformation in our city through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one disciple at a time.
OUR VALUES
WITH JESUS ~ IN COMMUNITY ~ ON MISSION
Our three core values lead us to three identities that frame how we see ourselves.
- In community, we are a FAMILY OF FAMILIES
- On mission, we are EVERYDAY MISSIONARIES
- With Jesus, we do this WITH HIM
While God defines our identity as a church, it is also shaped by many other factors. We love unity, holiness, and the presence of the Spirit of God because these are vital distinctions of our roots- in the greater movement of the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana. We value and seek discipleship, mission, and movements because these are essential for the Church’s flourishing today. We value gathering in small and big spaces, but we also value and seek to scatter locally and beyond because we see the Church in the New Testament moving this way.
All of this weaves us together to make us who we uniquely are as the Church of God of Exeter.
WHAT ARE WE BUILDING TOGETHER?
Together, we are building disciples who make disciples. Taking seriously the command given to us by Christ in Matthew 28:18-20,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (English Standard Version)
If we make a disciple, we unlock the potential for the dreams and desires that God has planted into each person, as Paul describes in Ephesians 2:10,
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (English Standard Version)
If we steward the disciple’s God has empowered us to make; we will release them to the world as missionaries, farmers, parents, teachers, journalists, pastors, church planters, artists, and civil servants. When we release these everyday missionaries, we will see mission outposts, businesses, homes, schools, magazines, the arts, cities, and churches planted and renewed, REVIVED!!!
We want to see:
EVERYONE BECOMING A DISCIPLE AND GROW IN THEIR KNOWING OF CHRIST.
We want to see:
EVERY DISCIPLE SHARES IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS BECOMING A DISCIPLE.
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
EXETER, TULARE COUNTY, THE CENTRAL VALLEY, & THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
As Jesus tells and commands of us His Church in Acts 1:8,
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (English Standard Version)
Because we live in Exeter, we see this community as our primary mission. We want to be a blessing to the city. We want to call the city back to God. We want to partner with Kingdom-minded individuals and groups to see Exeter flourish and excel in every good way.
This will look like families living in a particular neighborhood for the mission. It will also look like a business being established downtown for the sake of the Kingdom. It will look like teachers going into the school district with a Kingdom vision for the students or missional communities going into new regions in towns that need Kingdom impact. We are going as the children of God. We are going into the city. We are going for the sake of Jesus’ Kingdom to come here in Exeter and beyond.
It is essential to note Exeter is not the end of our target but the beginning. Exeter is simply a launching pad for the movement of God’s family to the ends of the Earth. Because of this…
…we are sending mission teams throughout the United States with para-church organizations like GameChurch
…we are going to La Concepcion in Honduras to partner with the work of Pastor Fredy and Alexandra Martinez and in partnership with Heart to Honduras
…we are going to China, Sudan, Haiti, and any place people from our family are responding to the call of the Father to go to.
…we are going because this is what it means and looks like to…
Be the forerunners of the transformation in our community through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, one disciple at a time!!!
If you want to know more about us, particularly what we believe, click here.
