Our Vision

	A Five-Year Vision for First UMC

OUR MISSION

The mission of the First United Methodist Church of Portage is to empower people from all walks of life to develop their personal and spiritual growth through Jesus Christ.

OUR VISION

WORSHIP: Rooted in our Wesleyan tradition, we will worship authentically with rich and diverse practices, seeking transformation of the congregation and the individual.

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24).

DISCIPLESHIP (EVANGELISM & SPIRITUAL FORMATION): We will invite all people to follow Jesus Christ and to grow in faith as Christians.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

EDUCATION: We will faithfully teach all ages the historic faith in relevant and creative ways that apply to our everyday lives.

You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others (2 Timothy 2:1-2).

MISSION (LOCAL & GLOBAL): Until all have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we will reach out in ministries of compassion and grace, seeking a just and peaceful society.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:14-17).