Your Next Steps
Our Mission: Leading People to Find and Follow Jesus
Whether you’re new to church or a long-time follower of Christ, it’s natural to ask the question “what’s my next step?”
Your Greatest Steps: Find & Follow Jesus
Find Jesus
The most important step is to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. Please contact us if you would like to know more about finding Jesus or being baptized.
Recognize your Sin
God desires a relationship with you. However, we cannot have that relationship apart from forgiveness of sin, and that forgiveness comes through accepting God’s son, Jesus Christ, as our savior and Lord.
God tells us in His Word the Bible that He created the world and humanity, and it was “very good.” However, our sin–the breaking of God’s law–has separated us from Him. No matter how good we think we are, God tells us we fall short because He is a perfect God. The Bible says “There is no one righteous…” (Romans 3:10). In fact, God says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Furthermore, the Bible says that we earn death and eternal separation from God because of our sin (Romans 6:23).
Repent and believe in Jesus
The incredible new is that God demonstrated His love by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us, even as “we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8)! Furthermore, God tells us that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
If salvation is a free gift that we cannot earn by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), how then do we accept this gift? Well, Jesus Himself tells us to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
“Repent” means to turn from our old life of sin, where we are in control, but broken. To “believe in the gospel” means to believe what Jesus said about Himself–that He was the Son of God who died for your sins, that He was buried, and that He rose from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Thus, He provided salvation for you if you are to give your life to Him as your savior and your lord.
We are told in Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raise him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Go public with your faith in Jesus
Baptism is the way that we “go public” with our faith, meaning to publicly proclaim that we now follow Jesus. Not only that, but baptism is a vivid picture of the gospel and how Jesus has changed our lives.
Again, please contact us if you would like to know more about finding Jesus or being baptized.
Follow Jesus
A follower of Jesus is known as a disciple, which carries the meaning of “learner, one who follows, student, apprentice.” At Stonebrook our goal is to use our various environments to help you cultivate these practices in your life.
Daily Devotion
The daily dedicated habit of spending time with God through reading the Bible and prayer
Prayer
Not only an appointment of prayer during daily devotions, but a life of regular prayer at any time, and for all reasons great and small
Generosity
The giving of our efforts and financial resources to the local church, and the kingdom of God
Service
Giving your time and talent to service in the local church and fulfilling its mission in the community at large
Witness
Regularly seeking people who are far from God, and sharing the gospel of Jesus and your testimony of finding Him.
Worship
The weekly collective praise and exhalation of God, as well as lifestyle worship of presenting yourself daily to God’s service
Spiritual Disciplines
Time honored disciplines of the faith such fasting, solitude, study, sabbath
Your Next Steps at Stonebrook
1. Discover Stonebrook Class
Commitment to the local church is important for your growth, and for the local church. Discover Stonebrook is our monthly class to learn more about our church and becoming a member. These classes occur the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 PM. No need to preregister. Children’s activities are also available.
2. Worship
The first rhythm is attending worship service. Worship is the collective gathering of the church body for praise and exaltation of God through the singing of songs, prayer, the preaching of God’s word.
3. Connect
As wonderful as it is to gather weekly and worship, we need more in our growth as a follower of Jesus. That’s where our Connect Groups come in. You can either choose a Connect Group–Class on Sunday morning, or a Connect Group–Home Group on various days throughout the week.
4. Serve
Everyone who is a regular attender of Stonebrook is also expected to serve as a volunteer. There are some service roles that are reserved for members, but many service roles can even be filled by those who are not yet members.
5. Deepen
Once you have found your place to serve, we encourage you to consider further deepening your understanding of God, and strengthen your walk with Christ. Here are the primary avenues for such pursuit:
Stonebrook Institute
Our Wednesday night classes to equip believers with a deeper understanding of the nature of God, and how to interact with culture for the sake of the gospel. Topics include: basic theology, apologetics (defending the faith), Biblical worldview, what the Bible says about cultural issues, how to study the Bible in-depth, and more. Stonebrook Institute meets on Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM.
GROW Groups
These are 3-to-4-person, gender-specific discipleship groups that regularly meet to strengthen your walk with Christ, and hold one-another accountable to growth in God’s Word and practice. Contact [email protected] for more information on joining a GROW group.
Women’s Bible Study
Semi-annual, Bible or Christian book study specifically for women. Connect with other women as you challenge one-another to strengthen your walk with Christ. Contact us for more information.
