HGC - Members Page
9Marks
Harbor of Grace Church is a 9Marks Church. This means we are in agreement with the nine marks of a healthy church and are listed on the 9Marks Church search registry.
9Marks is an organization that seeks to promote nine marks (or characteristics) of a healthy church, based on biblical teaching. The organization was born out of the ministry of Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. When he came to Capitol Hill in the early ’90s, the church was in decline. Instead of doing the things that were normally recommended by church growth gurus (conducting surveys in the area, ministering to felt needs with new programs, etc.), Dever simply tried to rebuild the church along the lines of what he saw in the New Testament. Later, Dever published a booklet called Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, which many pastors found useful. The credibility of Dever’s approach grew and was endorsed by a number of notable Christian leaders including John Piper, John MacArthur, D. A. Carson, and Albert Mohler. In 1998 Dever launched the Center for Church Reform and later changed the name to 9Marks.
The purpose statement of 9Marks is: “9Marks is a ministry dedicated to equipping church leaders with a biblical vision and practical resources for displaying God’s glory to the nations through healthy churches.” Those resources include books, articles, book reviews, conferences, and recorded interviews. The nine characteristics are:
1. Expositional Teaching
2. Biblical Theology
3. The Gospel
4. Conversion
5. Evangelism
6. Membership
7. Discipline
8. Discipleship
9. Leadership
Churches who identify themselves as in agreement with 9Marks can register with the organization. A “church search” service allows people looking for that kind of church to find one in their area. Most churches that identify with 9Marks are Baptist or non-denominational, but some are Presbyterian, as well. 9Marks is not a denomination. It is not an affiliation. It is not a membership entity. 9Marks is an affirmation of a view of the characteristics which should describe and identify the New Testament Church. It is an agreement of purpose in pursuit of Christ’s command to “…make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..” Matthew 28:19-20
Link to 9Marks website
Church Search Example:
SBC
Harbor of Grace Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and is recognized as an SBC church in cooperation with other like-minded churches. In addition to many other ministries and cooperation opportunities, this includes supporting things like the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), the International Missions Board (IMB) and Disaster Relief (DR).
Our Church Covenant
Adopted in July of 2020.
Having, as we trust, been brought by Divine Grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to give up ourselves to Him, and having been baptized upon our profession of faith, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, relying on His gracious aid, willingly and joyfully declare and renew our covenant with each other.
We will work and pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace as we serve and pray for one another.
We will walk together in brotherly love, as members of this local church, demonstrating affectionate care and watchfulness over each other, admonishing and restoring one another when necessary.
We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, nor neglect to pray for ourselves and others.
We will endeavor to exemplify Christian discipleship, as disciples making disciples of Christ.
We will rejoice in each other's happiness and with tenderness and sympathy bear each other's burdens and sorrows.
We will seek, by Divine aid, to live carefully in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and remembering that as new creations in Christ, there is on us a special obligation now to lead a new and holy life.
We will work together for the continuance of a faithful evangelical ministry in this church, as we sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines.
We will contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.
We will, when we move from this place, unite with some other church as soon as possible, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.
May God continue His work here among and through us as we covenant together anew to serve Him here at Harbor of Grace Church.
2024 Bylaw Updates Pending Approval
Bylaw Committee Members:
Rob Lewis, Mike Roark, Chris Cavner, Kali Cavner, Ben Lueken, Brooklan Lueken, Eric Peterson, Randy Pinney
Bylaw Update Summary:
Our bylaws indicate that they must be reviewed every three years, and living according to the original HGC bylaws for our first three years has revealed three main areas in need of review. These areas needed either clarity, rewording, or expansion of the section to include detail and/or guidance which was not present. The three main sections of focus were:
1. Elders, pp. 13-14
a. Vetting – We included language concerning our vetting process which was not present originally.
b. Removal – We included language concerning due process and communication with the congregation before final removal.
c. Term Length – We added language to clarify how long a lay elder may serve and what we would do in the need of an emergency extension.
2. Deaconesses, p. 16
a. We cleaned up the language to allow for informal rather than formal recognition of deaconesses where we had “elected” language before. In this season of our church, we do not have a process for vetting or appointing deaconesses, and we felt the minimalist approach concerning this role was best for where we are today. That is: we recognize the possibility of and need for deaconesses, but want to avoid confusion where there is not a clear path for this non-ordained role.
3. Corporate Officers, pp. 16-17
a. We agreed to change this term length from one to three years to ensure continuity of care. We updated the language in all relevant places to reflect this change.
Bylaw Sections for Review:
