C@C VISION

Church at Carbondale was established in 1990 as a “fun place to get serious with God for those who have given up on church, but not on God.”  We recognized that 95% of the valley’s population didn’t attend church anywhere.  Through conversations we discovered that most had attended church at some time previously in their lives, and either had a bad experience or regarded church as:

• church as boring and irrelevant

• church music as out-of-date and uninspiring

• church as pushy, dogmatic and guilt-driven

• church attenders as holier-than-thou hypocrites judgmental toward others,

• the church as more interested in people's money than in helping people.

Yet, most everyone who lives in our valley has moved here, drawn by the beauty of the creation, and with a heart hunger to connect with God.  So, we told them, “We’re not like you’re your previous experience with church, we’re a fun place to get serious with God.”

Through the years we’ve added a few new components to our original vision.  “We’re a fun place to get serious with God where you can develop a life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.”   We discovered that people wanted and needed something more than just attending church.  Jesus died so we could experience a reconciliation with God and have an experiential relationship with Him, not just learning doctrine or attending church. 

You’ve heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  But have you read, John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”  Jesus didn’t die to establish a religion, but to offer a restored relationship between us and God and between us and others! 

That’s why we became committed to relational discipleship.  Jesus modeled discipleship with his 12 closest followers and commanded us to make disciples.  Relational discipleship happens all through the week and all over the valley, in homes, coffee shops, businesses, parks, on hiking trails, golf courses, etc.  It’s anytime when two or three discipleship buddies get together to process their live in light of God’s Word in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  It’s such a priority for us that we have a ‘Covenant together with the Holy Spirit’ where we commit to daily Bible reading, weekly meeting with a discipleship buddy and monthly doing something for someone in the community for Christ’ sake. 

Coinciding with the planning and construction of the Gathering Center, (see C@C history) God revealed to us a new picture of the reality He’s preparing for us.  He revealed that there are four marks of a Holy Spirit empowered church that He is drawing us into experiencing: 

1.    Lives transformed into Christ-likeness through relational discipleship by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2.    Loving one another as Christ loves us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

3.    Healings and miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit.

4.    Lots of new people becoming followers of Jesus, born-again by the Holy Spirit. 

We’re beginning to experience His promises in each of these four marks and we’re excited as He fulfills these in us, for us and for us to carry throughout the community!