What is our DNA?

Last night at church, Pastor Ken had shared, what we call, our church’s DNA. Instead of a mission statement (expressing how a church seeks to be ambassadors for Jesus) our DNA represents who we are, not necessarily what we do. Rather than talking about how our church “fulfills a mission”, we believe that our DNA expresses how we “be” the church. So long as we continue “being” the church, at Open Door, we will inevitably fulfill the LORD’s mission He has for us in our community!

So, what is our DNA? I’m glad you asked! As Pastor Ken explained, our DNA is broken down into three markers: Great Grace, Global Missions, and Genuine Family.

Great Grace. As a church, we believe that God’s grace extends to all people, everywhere. Regarding how one receives eternal life, and becomes a child of God, we believe the Bible clearly teaches that all people must make a volitional choice to accept the Gospel message. Additionally, we believe that when Jesus died upon the cross, He died for the sins of the whole world, not simply for a select group of people. Now, this doesn’t mean that all people are saved, only that all people are savable; again, one must believe in the Gospel message to receive eternal life. Even though Jesus died on Friday, we are eternally grateful knowing that on Sunday He rose victoriously from the grave!

Not only is God’s grace exhibited through His gift of eternal life, but that by understanding how God’s grace was poured out upon all mankind, so too should we, as believers, seek to give grace to all people as well. This grace doesn’t remove the necessity to seek to live a holy life, but instead, for those believers who stumble in their walk, it’s through grace that we seek to reach them, to bring them back into fellowship with God. Moving not in condemnation but seeking to disciple through grace.

Global Missions. As a church, we believe missions is the heartbeat of God. Numerous times in the Bible, we see a call to go and reach other people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This means going across the street and going across the seas, telling people the Good News. At Open Door, we do this through various means.

First, we have a vibrant mission’s program, where we have taken on over a dozen missionaries that we support each month. Also, through Pastor Ken's leading, and the LORD's calling, we have financially supported the building of churches and ministries overseas. God has used our people to build churches in Ghana, Ethiopia, & Myanmar (Burma), to build a children’s orphanage in Nigeria, and to build an evangelism & education center in the Manila North Cemetery. Yes, you read that right! Ministering to the families who, sadly, are having to live in a cemetery. But thankfully, through this Manila ministry, many people have been able to move out of the cemetery, into the Filipino society, acquiring jobs, college degrees, and moving into houses! For missions locally, we pass out Gospel tracts multiple times a year, and have outreach events where we provide free food, engage with the community for prayer, and much more!

Genuine Family. As a church, we believe that discipleship happens best in a family atmosphere. We seek to teach & equip parents, and those in leadership positions, biblical principles to guide them in leading their homes, workplaces, and spheres of influence. We also have many ministries that seek to build upon a genuine family connection amongst the people at Open Door. Our church invests time in one another through meals, events, activities, retreats, ministries, prayer, homeschooling, and more. One of the common things we hear from visitors is that Open Door is a “friendly church.” That’s a wonderful thing to hear!

So, that is our DNA, the essence of who we are at Open Door Baptist Church. Rather than simply a mission statement, our DNA reveals who we are as a local group of Jesus-loving, Jesus-following believers. Everything we do at Open Door is centered around one, or more, of these DNA markers, because we seek to continue “being” the church. While many churches seek to “build” their church, we simply want to “be” the church and leave the growth of the church in God’s hands.

(you can watch Pastor Ken's message below)