This new approach differs from the traditional model in ministry philosophy and strategy:

• Instead of emphasizing a larger and continuously expanding centralized location, this model emphasizes extending the church by branching out through smaller sized congregations in various locations that share resources and philosophy of ministry.
• Instead of launching new, independent churches with little practical relationship or shared life, this model maintains a closer connection, association and partnership with its congregations and sites.
• Instead of multiplying senior pastors as separate leaders each with a ‘CEO’ style of leadership, this multi-site, multi-congregational church model shares leaders who work as a community of pastors/preachers where new leaders are mentored and led by the founding pastors and serve together with the same session.

Since we will be one Church that mean that all the sites and congregations will share:

• Values, philosophy and mission (our ‘DNA’).
• Leaders in a community of elders and a team of pastors/preachers led by the founding pastors.
• One membership roll.
• Key resources like staff, equipment, funding, budget, offices, etc.
• Legal and non-profit status.

These things will continue to be shared as long as the relationship is wanted. We believe that there will be real value to working together in this way, but if at any time any congregation or site want to set their own and separate direction, they would be free to do that. The network is purely filial and voluntary held together by these shared things and by the relationship they have chosen.

Being one church with many congregations will mean:

• Grace Community Church is no longer identified as one centralized location in Mills River but as all the various congregations in the region.  These congregations would develop their own sense of local identity, community and expression in connection with the shared structure and values.
• Each congregation may have its own worship site(s) and style, a pastor/preacher who is associated primarily but not exclusively with it, and certain elders and staff who attend its services.
• Each congregation would have a sub-budget set in accordance with its anticipated local funding and is responsible for meeting its obligations.

Being congregations with many sites means:

• A new worship site is normally the first step and a site may eventually develop into another congregation.
• Congregations would normally seek to limit their size and to grow by starting multiple worship sites as opportunity provides.

Two images familiar to our region capture the heart of this model:

• The Mountain Laurel has one trunk with many branches and produces various flowers.  It symbolizes the organic unity of our movement and its fruitfulness as well as the fragrance spread by its growth.  2 Cor. 2:14-16;  Eph. 5:2
• The Mountain Spring has one source and produces a unified stream, yet it branches into different locations as it moves out bringing life and vitality to everything it touches.  Psa. 46:4, 5; John 7:38