From our inception in August of ‘07, we as Charis have been committed to being a gospel-centered, missional church.  By gospel-centered, we mean that the gospel is central to everything we are and everything we do.  The gospel is not only something we need in order to initially come to God, but our conviction is that understanding the gospel and believing it more deeply is what causes us to grow and live more radically devoted lives as God’s people.  The gospel is the key to everything for the Christian – it’s not the ABC’s of Christianity; it’s the A-Z.  It’s not something we move on from to something more advanced or profound.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is THE reality we live in light of. 

And by missional, we mean that we understand our calling to be God’s sent people to go and make the good news of Jesus known in Bloomington/Normal and beyond.  We believe that who we are as a church is rooted in the very mission of God to reconcile the world to Himself.  We understand that because we are Christians, we are sent on mission by God to be good news and proclaim good news to our community.  In John 17:18, Jesus says to His Father – “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”

In order to more fully realize this vision of being a church surrendered to our calling and mission in the gospel, this Fall we have begun Gospel Communities (GC’s).  GC’s are small groups of people committed to living their shared lives in Christ together on mission with God.  Or, to say it another way, GC’s are small groups within Charis devoted to learning what it means to be a community formed by the gospel, for the gospel, empowered through the gospel.     

Being a community formed by the gospel means that we have been formed by the work of God. The gospel is what has brought us together and united us.  Ephesians 1 says that it is the eternal purpose of God to unite all things in heaven and earth in Jesus, and He has started this process with us, the church.  Therefore, it is not simply preferences and personalities that have brought us together, but it is the plan and purpose of God and the work God has done through His Son that has brought us together.   

Being a community formed for the gospel means that we have been formed for the work of God.  We are a community formed to proclaim the excellencies of the God of the gospel (1 Peter 2:9).  We are a community sent on mission to make known the fact that God sent Jesus into the world (John 17:18-23).  We are a community that is to be the aroma of Christ and to spread the knowledge of God everywhere (2 Cor. 2:14,15).  We are a community that makes known the power and wisdom of God to “the rulers and authorities in heavenly places (Eph. 3:10).”

And being a community empowered through the gospel means that it is the truth of the gospel through the work of the Holy Spirit in us that transforms and empowers us to do the work of God.  Jesus himself continues to minister to us and through us by His presence and power through His Spirit.  We are the means or vehicle through which Jesus continues His ministry in the world.  The gospel continues to work and bear fruit in our lives as we walk by faith in the power of the Spirit.    

We have begun with three GC’s – one the west side of B/N, one on the east side, and one central.  Commitment to a GC is not commitment to a particular meeting (although GC’s will meet).  It is not a commitment to a Bible study (although GC’s will study the Bible).  It is a commitment to the gospel, to the mission, and to community.  We believe that the primary way God advances the gospel is through His people, devoting themselves to God and to one another.  This is the core of what Gospel Communities at Charis are about. 

For more info about GC’s, listen to the sermon A Gospel-Formed Community , or contact .  To join one of our three GC’s, visit our Upcoming Events page for info about a GC near you.