What and How

The "What and How" explains WHAT the purpose of The Alliance Church of Cheektowaga is all about and HOW we accomplish that purpose.  While every church strives to Worship God, love others (The Great Commandment) and take the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to lost people, baptizing them into the faith and making disciples, each church does this in slightly different ways.


Quite simply put - We strive to Reach people with the Gospel Message, Build believers, Equip workers, Multiply leaders, and Send the called ones.  We do this through developing an intentional four-tiered framework for this to occur through our ministries and culture.

REaching People

We exist to Reach People with the Life-Changing message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   Our first Core Value is, "Lost People matter to God.  He wants them found."  We want to be people who are working with God to help people hear His Life-Changing message and invite them to surrender their lives to Him.


“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  John 3:16-17.

 

Building the Believer

We desire to add to each person's faith, building upon the foundation of faith in Christ, and adding to what others have built so far.  We strive to meet people right where they are and help them take the next steps on their spiritual journey.


“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it.  Let each one take care how he builds upon it.”  1 Corinthians 3:10.


 

Equipping the Worker

By engaging every person in intentional one-on-one discipleship relationships, we strive to equip every believer to be mature in faith and effective in service.


"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry…”  Ephesians 4:11-12.

 

Multiply the Leader

Every church needs more leaders.  We intentionally build healthy leadership principles into believers who want to be part of Christ's Kingdom work.  We do this through an apprenticeship model that exists in each of our ministries.


“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”  2 Timothy 2:2.

 

Sending the Called Ones

What good would leadership development be if we didn't plan to send our leaders into ministry positions?!?!  The best part of an apprentice model is that we're always developing new leaders who can take over existing ministries or begin new ones - or they can be grafted into leadership positions within new church plants.


“I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”  Acts 26:18.

  

HOW

It's not enough for us to share WHAT we're doing as a church - we have to share HOW we're going to accomplish our vision as well.  Reaching, building, equipping, multiplying, and sending will be accomplished through a four-tiered ministry plan:


WORSHIP SUNDAY EVENINGS

Our Sunday Evening Worship Service is a starting point for our WHAT.  Here we come together to worship the Lord, be challenged by a message from God's Written Word, and then we have a discussion time following the message.  This discussion time is designed to answer questions, allow everyone to share perspectives and opinions, and share their own illustrations.


It's important for us to worship together as a family - and to have families in our church worship together.  We want to see families worshiping and growing together, engaging in spiritual conversations together.  So, we offer a nursery for young children on Sunday mornings, but invite older children to engage in worship, listen to the message, and be part of the discussions - right along with other family members.


LIFE GROUPS

Our Life Groups are a chance to deepen our relationships with God and with each other.  This time is focused on fellowship, prayer, study, and a focus on inviting others to be part of our community.  


ONE-ON-ONE DISCIPLESHIP

When we look at how Jesus taught His disciples we see that He spent more time with His core group than He did with the crowd.  When the Holy Spirit descended on this core group they leveraged Christ's teachings, followed His Commission, and changed the world.  When we engage in one-on-one discipleship we engage in the best learning environment possible.  Here the topic of learning can be tailored specifically for the spiritual maturity and interests of each student.  Rather than wait for the pastor to cover a topic in his sermon series, or a small group leader to begin a study, mature disciples of Christ can meet with others to engage in deeper study, prayer, discussion, encouragement, and missional living projects.


LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Most churches are starving for more leaders.  The best way to provide leaders for current and future ministries is to intentionally develop leadership.  We've developed a 3-year leadership development program.  The first year meets on Sunday nights as a small group option.  During this first year you'll learn how to thoroughly understand the WHAT and HOW of our church, including how to meet with others one-on-one to become more mature in your faith and help others become more mature in theirs.