Our Guiding Vision
Worship God
God is the sole reason for our existence as a church. He is our creator, originator, and the one who gave us the birth as a church, the one who sustains us. Everything that we are and do centers around our worship of Him. Every fiber in our moral and spiritual life is an act of worship. Every deed that we do in this life is an act of worship of Him. We refuse to dichotomize our lives into secular and sacred. We are a holy people, a royal priesthood who are called upon to live holy lives in the church, at home and in the wider society as a demonstration of our worship of God.
Evangelize the city, nation
Evangelism is the lifeline of the church. A church will cease to exist when it ceases to evangelize. Evangelism encompasses the whole of our lifestyle. God has placed us in Kathmandu for a reason, and that is to reach our city. Realizing the significance of the city that we are in, it is also very clear that God has a wider purpose for us to fulfill and that is to reach out to the rest of our nation. With the best of our ability and the resources that the Lord will bring our ways, we shall endeavor to spread the goodness of the kingdom of God to every precious Nepali who is in need of the savior. Every member that comes to Hope Church has God-given gifts and talents to be harnessed and used for the glory of God and for the salvation of man. Every member of Hope Church is also the potential leader to lead others to Christ and make them mature in faith. With the principle of G12, we aim to reach the entire city of Kathmandu. Our dream is to pioneer 300 churches across Nepal that are able to sustain themselves and be able to reproduce. In order to be used by God to spread the good news, we shall employ all available media such as printing, radio, internet and television.
Serve the whole community
Our goal is to do good within our power to everyone; especially to those who are the household of faith. Starting from the church community, we shall extend our helping hands to the needy, weak, and the destitute in our wider community. We shall fulfill the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves. We shall see that every child that is in our reach is able to go to school. We shall create ways in which the weaker families can be helped in educating their children. We shall see ways in which the unemployed can find ways to employ themselves. We shall seek ways in which we can empower the women in our community. We shall open our hearts to support orphans and widows in our society. We shall create an atmosphere where family life can be strengthened, where individual personality is developed to the extent God has meant that to be. We shall be a source of positive motivation for the weak and the destitute to change their condition and empower them to fulfill the plan of God in their lives. We shall tap into the medical and the legal resources to serve the society. We shall work towards starting academy, schools, leadership and personality development institution. We shall produce leaders that are well rounded in their faith and profession.
Preach the full gospel of salvation, healing, deliverance and blessings.
In our expression of the faith handed to us, we shall preach the uncompromised word of God. The Bible is our final authority and our constitution. Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life and salvation is found in no one else. Jesus is our savior. Jesus is our healer. He is able to heal our spirits, our minds, our emotions, and our bodies. Jesus is our deliverer from sin, sickness, past abuse, damaged personality and all demonic oppression. There is no higher power what so ever apart from the power Jesus Christ. He has given His name for us to use that power in His name. Jesus has set us free from the curse of the law and has made us the heir of the blessings of Abraham. Poverty is a part of Satan¡¯s scheme of putting us into bondage and Jesus has set us free from it. We refuse to accept poverty as a piety. We recognize poverty as the most destructive evil that reduces the human dignity to the lowest point. We shall preach the message of salvation, healing, deliverance and blessings in Christ Jesus to build a dignified and sanctified human society while here on earth.
Be an agent of change in the development of our nation
We shall be proactive to eliminate the social evils such as caste system, discrimination towards the weak and the women, corruption in the places of government and society. We shall demonstrate the best possible example of a society where there is harmony, peace and tolerance of the views other than ours. We shall be proactive in preserving our environment. We shall be the example of good stewards of our personal, societal, and governmental assets that are in our reach. We shall channel our available resources in the development of a better person, a better family, a better neighborhood, and a better nation.
Our Vision, Strategies, and Priorities
Our Vision
1. To see God in the center of all what we ARE and DO. God is the reason for our existence as a local church, and our ministries are meant for the glory of God and salvation of man. We aim to exalt the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in our worship and everyday life so that He can draw all men to Himself.
2. God is a good God, and our vision is to demonstrate the goodness of God in our everyday life. God has set us free from the curse of the Law in Jesus Christ and now we are to demonstrate the Blessings of Abraham to the gentiles so that they also might come and be blessed. Poverty, Sickness, War, Corruption, and all kinds of social evil rob man of the very humanity God intended for him. Jesus is the only way to experience the goodness of God and our aim is to live a life that demonstrates this goodness of God in Christ Jesus. This kind of life is only possible when we have accepted the message of Faith, Hope and Love. Faith in Jesus Christ restores our relationship with God and provides hope against all our hopelessness. The heart that is filled with faith and hope is then capable of demonstrating love towards all fellow human beings. Our society will not be transformed until our hearts are transformed and the Cross of Jesus Christ provides the hope for this transformation.
3. Transforming the whole church into an evangelistic band: We believe that the message of salvation is handed to the church after Christ finished the work. Therefore, every member of a local church is called and commissioned to carry out her or his duty of preaching the gospel and teaching the new believer to become a mature disciple of Jesus Christ. Every member is a potential leader and equipper of the saints. With the implementation of the principle of the government of 12, we want to see the salvation of our capital city. We also want to see God's kingdom come through pioneering many new churches across Nepal. Pioneering missionaries will be trained in Hope Church and then commissioned to the places where God calls them to go. We will always work in agreement with the already established churches in those areas where we feel God leading us to pioneer new churches.
4. Working with other local and national churches: We want to see a culture of mutual cooperation among the already established churches so that we can build and edify each other for greater effectiveness and fruitfulness. The age old proverb "United we stand, divided we fall" is a warning for us to heed. The church in Nepal needs to come to God together with a repentant heart and an expectant spirit for God to save our nation. No single church or group of churches can claim victory individually. We have to accept the call of God to be the keepers of our brothers, not the killers of our brothers.
5. Mass Media Ministry: We want to utilize the available means to advance the kingdom of God. Internet broadcasting, Radio and Television broadcasting must be used to spread the message of Faith, Hope and Love. Audio/visual tools will be utilized to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to a wider public as well as for the local church.
6. Publication: Hope Church aims to produce and publish relevant Christian literature for the wider body of Christ in Nepal. Our Daily Bread is just a beginning of such attempt. A Christian Newspaper, a Journal of practical issues facing the Church and society in Nepal, Christian literature for the spiritual formation and Biblical Commentaries are our dreams.
7. Social responsibility: Hope Church will attempt to provide whatever assistance possible to the needy children so that they can get decent education. Adult literacy program will help the public to be able to read and write and will help them to read and understand the word of God. Awareness for a cleaner living environment, building a respectful society, creating a culture of service and nation building are our core social values. We will strive to serve the underprivileged such as orphans, physically challenged, aged and the widow. We will aim to improve the living standard of our rural and agricultural communities by channeling our resources and expertise to them.
Our Strategies
1. Hope Church in Kathmandu must be able to stand up on her own feet. The numerical growth of Hope Church is equally important as her spiritual growth. Because it is God who brings the growth, we will fulfill our responsibility of evangelizing this part of the city. We will conduct door to door evangelism, person to person evangelism. We will conduct fasting prayers, whole night prayers. We will conduct prayer walks and spiritual warfare. With the help of the G12 principles, believers will be taught to be soul winners. Seminars and workshops will be conducted to equip the believers for ministries. We will look for new and innovative ways to be connected with the local population of our city. We will ask God to save the rich and the poor alike so that the wealth of the rich also will be sanctified and used for the work of God's kingdom. Hope Church members will be taught to give all they can. We will challenge the culture of depending on outside donations by teaching our members to be better stewards of the material blessings God has given to us. We believe that it is better to give then to receive and God has ordained the system of Tithes for the smooth functioning of the work of the ministry. Tithe is the minimum requirement to see the genuine faithfulness of a believer. We are blessed by God in order to be a blessing to others. Therefore, the success of Hope Church holds the key for our further dreams and visions.
2. Media Ministry: The message of faith, hope and love has to be presented to the maximum number of people. Faith in God will result in the salvation of the soul. Only after knowing Jesus will they have hope for their spiritual and material life. Once they see this hope become real by faith, then only people will be motivated to love fellow human beings and share their blessings. For this, Internet broadcasting, Radio, and TV has to be used. We will train and equip the human resources for these essential parts of our ministry. We will prepare the needed infrastructure from where we can launch such programs. We will aim to buy limited time on the airwave for the TV and Radio. Printed materials also will be used to uplift the morale of our members and community at large.
3. Evangelistic Outreaches and Believers' Conventions: We want to minister the whole Church of Jesus Christ in Nepal. For that, we will build good relationship with other churches and organization where we can conduct outreaches through film shows and other activities. We will also conduct believers' conventions wherever possible. We want to share the message of faith, hope and love to the believers so that their faith will be a living faith; they will have hope for a better life, better church, better society and a better nation. We want to preach the message of faith so that the Christian population in Nepal can have confidence in itself as the people of God who are redeemed from the curse of the law through Jesus Christ.
4. Leadership Development: Either through formal or informal training, we will develop a mentoring relationship in the development of future leadership. We will aim to impart the vision we have to the new generation so that they can carry on and take it beyond the work we have begun. We aim to train every member in our church to be a disciple and a soul winner. We believe that every member of our church has God-given gifts and talents to be harnessed and used for the glory of God and for the salvation of man. With the principle of the government of the 12, every member comes to us with the possibility of becoming a contributing leader in the body of Christ. We aim to see an apostolic leadership develop under the mentorship of our senior pastor. Men, women and youth streams of leadership will be the key to take our church into the world to preach the gospel, to heal the sick, to cast the evil spirits, to cleanse the lepers and to raise the dead.
5. Rural Church development: We will work to strengthen the rural Christian communities so that they can become the catalyst for a holistic development of their entire communities.
6. Educational Development: Starting Christian Schools is the best answer, but at the moment we aim to begin small hostels in key locations where students from various lower income and rural families can come and stay and study in a Christian environment. Many urban families live in one room with 3 to 5 children in average. Such children have no space to develop their academic or mental skills. A hostel for such students will provide them living, boarding and studying space with Christian supervision and guidance for their academic and spiritual growth. Many rural communities have no proper schools within their walk-able distance. A hostel for such will be a great way to provide the best possible chance for their children to get good education. For such rural communities, we will aim to have a hostel in the district headquarter.
Our Priorities
1. Completion of Hope Church Construction: We need space for the smooth operation of our strategies. Hope Church building and compound need to be completed as soon as possible so that this space can be best utilized. The roof work, setting up of two Crosses on top of the building, putting a proper wall and filling the compound with mud and leveling it are the pressing need of this hour. Then we need to paint the building so that the materials will not be destroyed soon. The interior of the church has to be developed for a better sound system and noise reduction. Church members have to pray for these needs and give whatever they can towards the completion of these tasks. We need a miraculous provision from God to be able to complete it. The approximate amount for these works could be between 10 to 15 hundred thousand rupees. Once the compound is leveled and completed, we will put a tin roof over it so that we can use that space for sports, recreation, movie show, cafeteria and parking.
2. Prayer/Fasting/Evangelism Programs: We need to strengthen start our early morning prayers, whole night prayers, and fasting prayers. Along with it we also need to start evangelism in various ways such as door to door, person to person. We need to make the believers aware of their roles and responsibilities towards Church and the kingdom of God. We need to uplift the spirits of the believers to have faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ.
3. Coordination of various ministries of Hope Church: Sunday school needs to be developed, Men's Fellowship, Women's Fellowship and Youth Fellowships need to be better motivated and brought into the main vision of the Church. Life Groups (Home Cells) need to have proper teaching materials that will help the government of 12 function smoothly. These cells ultimately need to function like a mini church. Under each fellowship there needs to be various activities that are helpful for the physical and spiritual development of each member in order to make each member a future Life group leader.
4. Christian Hostels: This is another pressing need of the hour. We want to start one hostel in Sindhuli district headquarter for the children of our rural churches where there is no proper school. We also want to start the similar hostel in Hope Church compound for the urban families who are living in one or two rooms with many children. For this we have to first complete the compound and make other arrangement in the church. In Sindhuli we have to rent a house and hire a good Christian family (couple) who can supervise and guide the children (For long run, we need own building). For the rural children, we will have to provide the basic needs for schooling, food, and board. Approximate monthly cost can be somewhere about 15 thousand rupees a month for 10 students living in the hostel. The agricultural land of Sindhuli Hope Church will be used to grow food and vegetables for such hostel children in the future. The expense for the hostel for Kathmandu will be higher than that of Sindhuli. Beside hostels, we hope to provide possible scholarship to the needy and promising students. We hope to work in cooperation with other organizations that have the similar goals and vision so that we can have better result in changing the future generation.
5. Audio/Visual and Publication Ministry: Our Daily Bread needs to be properly organized and systematized. Translation, publishing and distribution costs are rising. We need to regulate the donors and monthly contributors in an effective ways so that we become financially efficient for the long run. Audio/Visual materials are very effective for the better communication of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to train people for this task. We also need to form a team for recording and implementing the film shows in various parts of Nepal. For this, we need a vehicle (possibly a Four-wheeled Drive - Jeep) that can travel long distance and rough roads. By using films, we will conduct evangelistic outreaches and believers conventions. Therefore, a vehicle is most needed at this time for a team to be able to travel with our equipments. We need to pray and ask God to provide us a vehicle. We need to also plan for producing printed materials for the wider Christian population.
6. Radio/Internet and TV Ministry: We need to plan and prepare for the Radio and TV ministry. We need to set up a recording studio for the radio. We need to gear our Saturday worship service towards a televised ministry. For that we need to train personnel and start recording and editing our Saturday worship service. Our existing online audio ministry needs better coordination so that many Nepalese who are living outside of Nepal can be reached with the message of faith, hope and love.
Conclusion
Every member of our church can study this document and then reflect on it. We will try to explain anything that is not clear, and at the end, we want all our members to catch the vision God has for our future together. Let's seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness together and then all other things will be added unto us. Let's not focus on what is impossible, but focus on what God can do through a people dedicated to seek His Kingdom and Righteousness. Jesus said "Everything is possible for him who believes" (Mk.9:23). Let's choose to believe the promises of God.
