Why does the Church Exist?

“Tradition, Fear, stereotypes, complacency, fatigue and short term thinking hobble a ministry and prevent vision from emerging or from being widely accepted. As a leader you have the responsibility to overcome the inhibitors of God’s vision.”[1] George Barna

To reach new people you need new churches. The New Testament shows the expansion of the church primarily through the starting of new churches. Individuals are changed by the Gospel, and then they go to others with that good news. As new people are reached in new places, new churches spring up. When the church in Jerusalem was scattered by the great persecution following Stephen's martyrdom, "those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went" (Acts 8:4). Paul later devoted his ministry to planting new churches wherever there were groups of people who had not heard the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. He said, "It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation" (Romans 15:20). To the church in Corinth he opened his heart when he wrote, "Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the Gospel in the regions beyond you" (II Corinthians 10:15,16). We believe this pattern still holds today. It must shape our ministry priorities for reaching the people of our target area.

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[1] Barna, George, The Power of Vision, 119

What Are Our Core Values?

Our Vision: To Show Off The Glory Of Christ In Every Area Of Life through:

·Christo-centrism

·Conversions

·Community

·Commitment

·Culturally Relevant Ministry

Christo-centrism (Col 1): Epiphany Fellowship will encourage and stress the need to emphasize the centrality of Jesus Christ and the uniqueness of Him as both Fully God and Fully Man with whom we worship and take our P’s & Q’s.

Conversions (Acts 2:47): Epiphany Fellowship will seek to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ through Missions and Evangelism. The hope is that the fellowship, love of the saints, and godly living will attract unbelievers to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our desire is that new converts will feel like they are entering a family not just an organization.

Community (Acts 2:44): Epiphany Fellowship will seek to build a healthy environment by which believers may fellowship with other believers, with Christ at the center (1John 1). The desire is that all members of Epiphany Fellowship never go through life with unmet needs.

Commitment (Act 2:42): Epiphany Fellowship will be committed to the teaching and application of the Apostolic doctrine by Making Disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit in order to see Christ formed in the lives of the body. We will also seek to be an ongoing learning organism ( 1 Jn. 1:1-4, 2:24).

Culturally Relevant Ministry (1Chron. 12:32, 1Cor. 9:15-27): Epiphany Fellowship will Contextualize its ministry by sound exegesis of the biblical text and exegesis of the culture for the purpose of reaching the lost and discipling them. We will be culturally relevant without violating Scripture.

What's "Epiphany" Mean?

The first Epiphany describes Christ birth into the world.

The second Epiphany refers to Christ conquering the world while displaying his Glory.

In this present age, those who have been changed by his first coming are to be “Living Epiphanies or Glory Reflectors” which affirm the reality of the second coming of Jesus.

Why Plant in Camden?

The fact is, Camden is in desperate need of a true gospel witness. Through the Father’s eternal plan, the Son’s magnificent cross-work, and the Holy Spirit’s power, we aim to invade the darkness of the city with a full orbed gospel mission. More importantly, the word of God compels us to move forward in this endeavor. Under the influence of a violent and thug-driven culture, Camden has been darkened to the gospel in recent decades. You can see decline as you see the growth of liberal theology, and the advancement of a man-centered social agenda throughout the city. Simply stated, existing churches have little or no congregation left. We long to see the reality of the reign of Christ be realized in Camden. Here we are Lord-Send us!