Mission: Our Mission is what God has called us to do at Westland FMC, which is uniting with Jesus to restore lives to joy-filled wholeness (or as the bible talks about, making disciples).
Vision: Vision is where we are headed. Our vision of “Becoming a Life-Giving Orchard…” was discerned by our Leadership Team through prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit for where Jesus is wanting to take us as a church.
Core Values: Our Core Values are the unchanging, foundational principles of who we are as a church.
Vital Signs: We know the importance of checking our physical vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.). Our Vital Signs are spiritual measures that we believe are crucial to living the healthy, joy-filled life that Jesus wants us all to experience. We self-reflect on our spiritual vital signs to make sure we are sharing in the life Jesus makes possible.
Orchard: Our Vision is to become a “Life-Giving Orchard”. So why the orchard image, and what does it mean? Apple orchards are something us Michigan residents have probably visited. At an orchard you will find different varieties of apple trees. You will find healthy trees producing apples. And you will find new trees that have been planted from apple seeds that are growing and maturing, but may not yet be producing fruit.
Westland FMC is one tree in God’s grand orchard. But on a local/regional level, we believe that God wants to work through us (and in collaboration with other trees in the orchard) to multiply new trees. A tree is representative of a church. Not necessarily what you traditionally think of as “church”. But also new types of churches that meet people where they are, rather than expecting them to come to our church building.
New trees in the orchard are the results of individuals within our church…
Neighboring: Living out Christlike love and compassion toward those around you — your literal neighbors, coworkers, classmates, and community members — by building relationships, showing hospitality, meeting needs, eating meals with people in the community, and sharing the Gospel through both words and actions.
Connecting: Actively building relationships within the body of Christ and with God — fostering unity, accountability, and community through shared worship, prayer, holy fellowship, and service.
Growing: Pursuing spiritual maturity and transformation by deepening your relationship with Jesus, studying Scripture, engaging in prayer, and allowing the Holy Spirit to shape your character and actions.
Hubs: When a church is sending out resources (people, finances, teams, training, etc.) to launch new churches or fresh expressions of church, we consider that church to be a hub. WFMC is a hub as we now have several churches and fresh expressions of church, connected to us that we continue to resource and partner with. We envision a day when some of these churches and fresh expressions of church become resourcing hubs themselves, multiplying churches to the 3rd and 4th generation.
Fresh Expressions: Types of church that are often creative in ways of reaching and ministering to people who wouldn’t come to a “traditional” church. Fresh Expressions often (though not always), meet in places that aren’t church buildings (i.e. community centers, coffee shops, homes, etc.).
Discipling: Discipling is the intentional process of helping someone grow as a follower of Jesus Christ through the power of the Spirit — guiding them to know Jesus more deeply, obey His teachings, and live out their faith in everyday life. It involves teaching, modeling, mentoring, and walking alongside others in their spiritual journey.
Spirit-Empowered Missionary: Someone who is fully awakened to who they were created to be, and can be, through the power of the Holy Spirit at work within them. A Spirit-empowered missionary is prayerfully listening and then actively partnering with the Holy Spirit to point people to Jesus where they live, learn, work, and play.
Multiplication: Healthy organisms multiply. Healthy churches don’t just grow bigger, they multiply. Healthy leaders don’t hang on to power, they reproduce themselves and invest in raising up new leaders. Healthy disciples don’t just grow deeper in their walk with Jesus, they also help others do the same.
Sacraments: Sacraments are a Means of Grace by which God’s promised movement, through the tangible, takes place. These are promises located in Scripture that are connected to visible signs. Each sacrament is a means of grace because they are initiated by the Holy Spirit to quicken, strengthen, and confirm our faith in Christ.
Communion: Is the sacrament where we remember, celebrate, give thanks, and participate in what Christ has done for us through the cross and empty tomb by using the elements of bread and juice, which are filled with the Spirit.
All people of any age who believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, or desire to meet Jesus, are welcome at the table of the Lord.
Baptism: Is the sacrament where one declares by means of water, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that you have been forgiven of sin, united to Christ, incorporated into the Church, received the Holy Spirit, and are a new creation. This is done within the body of Christ - not individually.
Anybody who has not already been baptized may be baptized if they believe in the full gospel of Jesus Christ. You can be baptized by pouring of water, immersion (dunking), or sprinkling. If you have already been baptized, God has done a mighty work in you! However, if you would like to confirm or affirm a previous baptism we will gladly make time for such a joyous occasion, and if you have a desire to be baptized again, we will gladly talk more with you about this.
Finally, growing in the baptismal covenant and in the call to ministry in daily life is a lifelong process and is carried on through all activities. We commit to walking with you as a part of your faith community, when you are baptized, to move you along in this process through the grace of God.
When you receive this gift of Jesus Christ, we believe it is paramount for you to respond by the sacrament of water baptism in the near future. We do not believe this has to take much water (a small amount will do, although when there is a lot of water available this is preferred) but, we do believe baptism must be done in the midst of numerous people because you are publicly declaring what Jesus has done in your life. The act of baptism is simply being washed with water, which not only symbolizes the cleansing of your sin in Jesus but also that you are a new creation, born again as John 3 addresses. Through baptism God makes His grace especially available to people that he might be in a covenant relationship with them. Do not misunderstand us though: baptism does not save you (just look at the thief on the cross next to Jesus in Luke 23:42-43 where Jesus tells him that he will be in paradise). In being baptized we are also living into some of Jesus' final words in Matthew where he tells his disciples to share the good news by making followers of Jesus through baptizing people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as well as teaching all that Jesus did and commanded. Receiving baptism publicly is a declaration to all that you are associated with Jesus, just as circumcision in the Old Testament showed that the Israelites were in covenant with God (Yahweh). This is the beginning of unpacking the gift God has given to you. There is only one problem with all of this – what about children who do not have the capacity to choose Jesus, such as an infant.
Beliefs on Infant Baptism: We believe infants who have devoted followers of Jesus as parents can be baptized into the faith of Jesus Christ too. This idea stems from circumcision as ordained by God in the Old Testament. Infants were circumcised if they were born to Israelite parents. This, in a very physical way, showed which people belonged to God. But, as these people got older, they could choose to turn their back on Yahweh and even denounce a desire to be connected with the Israelites – choosing to go to Egypt, Syria or any other number of places. In the same way that these infants were in the community and eventually had to choose to stay and believe in Yahweh or not, this is what is available to those infants baptized at a young age in the Christian faith. Just as we are given a gift, they are given the same gift. It is our job to help them unpack the gift and ultimately choose to keep it for themselves as they get older, confirming a belief in Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and life. So, let us really unwrap this gift now, tearing off the tape and seeing everything we have been given.
Worship: We believe that how we live is an act of worship. In Romans chapter 12, Paul urges believers to offer their bodies as “living sacrifices” and this is our spiritual worship — so, while praising God communally is of great importance, so is everything we do individually, from our finances, our education, our families, our homes, and beyond.
Prayer: Prayer is our lifeline, and it never stops — in fact, a goal of ours is to be known as a praying church: one that is constantly in conversation with the Father. This is exactly what prayer is - communicating with God. However, we must remember in all things that communication is a two-way street where we both speak to the Lord and listen to the Lord.
Communal Worship: Communal worship is when the people of Christ gather to express praise, prayer, and devotion to God. It is when believers come together — in churches, homes, or other spaces — to honor God through singing, Scripture, sacraments, teaching, prayer, shared fellowship, and being sent out to the world.
Giving: Giving is a joyful, intentional act of worship and stewardship — offering our resources (time, talents, and finances) back to God in response to His grace. It reflects a heart transformed by Christ and a commitment to support the mission of the Church and care for others.
Church: In the New Testament, the Greek word translated as church at times (ekklesia) means “assembly” or “called-out ones.” The church is not a building, but the community of believers in Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47) called out of the world to be like Christ. This includes all people throughout time and space that believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ who gives His Spirit to dwell in us until His return, or our death, where we will be with the triune God for ever.
Holiness: Our denominational family describes holiness the way it’s intended to be: Life-Giving Holiness. Holiness isn’t a boring life where I don’t get to do certain things, holiness is about growing in deeper experience of God’s love, in a way that continues to transform us. Holiness is both personal and for the world around us. As the new life of Jesus continues to transform us, we become active ambassadors for Jesus in the world around us, engaging in our communities and world to see God’s kingdom come and his will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven.
Sanctification: Is the saving work of God in our lives, which begins the moment we follow Jesus until the moment we are with Him in glory. The Holy Spirit is active in us in this process, transforming us so that our lives look increasingly like Jesus. This process isn’t all about what we do, but how we partner with what the Holy Spirit can do in our lives. In this process of sanctification God sets us free to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Trinity: There is but one living and true God, the maker and preserver of all things. And in the unity of this Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one in eternity, deity, and purpose; everlasting, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit - Each of these “persons” have distinct characteristics and they are yet, all one. You might say God the Father is “outside” of us, God in Jesus is “with” us, and God in the Holy Spirit is “in” us. The beautiful thing is these are not different ways God shows up at different times. God can simultaneously be “outside” of us, with us in the flesh, and dwelling within us. This is the beautiful mystery of our faith. Where one is, all 3 are present. Where all 3 are, one is present.
The role of Jesus is vital in our faith, as he came in the flesh and took upon himself the sin and wrongdoing of the whole world, being killed up on a cross in ~33AD. However, Jesus did not stay dead! On the third day after his death, he rose bodily from the dead. Now, any who believe in him will not perish but receive eternal life, and his indwelling Spirit.
The role of the Holy Spirit, poured out on us in the gift of accepting Jesus Christ, has numerous parts to unveil. Primarily, the Holy Spirit dwells in you to bear fruit (John 15). This fruit takes many different forms but essentially boils down to two things – looking like Jesus (Romans 6:22 & 1 John 3:6-8) and manifesting the power of God, like Jesus. As for looking like Jesus, this fruit is summed up nicely in Galatians 5:22 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” All of this fruit comes as we grow in prayer. You see, the Holy Spirit prays on our behalf to the Father, and in connecting constantly with the Spirit we not only join in His prayer but also join the prayer of the Spirit with our own prayer. Prayer is ultimately the lifeline of the Christian life. Without the Spirit filling us and Jesus connecting us to the Father, prayer is useless. But with the Spirit, prayer becomes the most lifegiving communication between us and our Father.
Now, in regard to manifesting the power of Jesus, as in John 14 where Jesus suggests we can do GREATER things than he – the man who walked on water, this is multilayered. Peter in Acts, and more significantly Paul in 1 Corinthians, Romans and elsewhere, speak of this power of Christ and what it looks like - which includes miracles, healing, prophesying, teaching, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, tongues, interpretation of tongues, visions, dreams, administration, faith, discerning between spirits, and more. The Spirit empowers us to see these things become reality in different ways through those fully surrendered to Jesus.
