About Gather Lynchburg

One Church

• We are One Church… We are united in Purpose, Vision, and Priorities.
• We are One Church… We are, without question, a church – a called out body of believers in Jesus Christ who gather in a variety of settings simply “To Know God, and to Make Him Known.”

Many Homes

• We come from, and gather in, homes throughout Lynchburg and the surrounding communities, yet we are one body.
• The Gather Lynchburg family is diverse in background, age, race, experiences, education level, careers, and social status – as it should be!

Our purpose is quite simple… “To Know God and to Make Him Known.”

Certainly, there are no greater or more important pursuits in life than to know God for yourself and to lead other to do the same. It’s all about having a personal relationship with Christ, and then intentionally reaching and discipling others to know Him as well.

Knowing that God desires His people to worship Him with their lives…

• We lead people to connect to the transforming power of new life in Christ.
• We disciple people to grow into mature, reproducing followers of Christ.
• We equip people to serve His Kingdom and His Church.
• We release people to go and fulfill their God-ordained purpose.

Our Values (What We Prioritize) are based on scripture and serve as the central, guiding beliefs and principles that determine how we fulfill our Purpose (Why We Exist) and carry out our Vision (Who We Are).

The book of Acts, especially Acts 2:42-47, gives us a biblical pattern for the priorities and practices of the New Testament Church.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Since we believe this passage, as well as other Bible passages, provide a pattern for the priorities and practices of the church, we have adopted the following Values.

• Intentional Discipleship
• Devotion
• The Awe of God
• Holy Spirit Empowerment
• Radical Generosity
• Gathering
• Praise and Worship
• Expansion

Scripture makes it clear that the New Testament church gathered weekly to study the Scriptures, pray, and give, so we gather on Sundays for corporate worship, mutual giving and service, fellowship, prayer, and for instruction and encouragement from God’s Word.

The New Testament church also gathered communally in homes throughout the region to live and spiritually thrive in diverse discipleship groups, so we gather similarly in homes throughout the community for more personal fellowship, prayer, instruction in God’s Word and for individualized pastoral care.

The New Testament church also met to minister to specific groups in specific settings, so we too meet specifically in a variety of settings for specialized ministry tailored to the church and the community.

Finally, Jesus Himself set the pattern for meeting privately with his closest disciples to pour His life into them and to hold them accountable for the things He was teaching them. We recognize this invaluable aspect of discipleship and encourage all believers to meet regularly and privately with a few others for more intimate discipleship.

In summary, we Gather…

• Corporately on Sundays for worship, fellowship, prayer, and to study Scripture together. (Big Church)
• Communally throughout the week for more personal fellowship, prayer, instruction in God’s Word and individualized pastoral care. (House Churches)
• Specifically in a variety of ministry settings inside and outside the church facility for both the body of Christ and the community. (Special Ministries)
• Privately with a few others to pray for and encourage each another and to promote mutual accountability and individualized discipleship and spiritual growth. (Accountability Groups / Bands)