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Vision

On March 1, 2009 Valley Church celebrated fifty years of God being faithful to His peole. Valley’s history of being a strong Bible based church with a firm commitment to missions is a testimony to God’s blessing and to the faithfulness of His people. Starting in January of 2008, the elders asked the Lord for His vision for Valley Church into the NEXT fifty years.

The ministry at Valley is built on the foundation of the Word of God expressed in nine doctrinal statements. These are the unshakable truths from the Bible from which we will not waver. Two verses from the book of Colossians have been foundational in shaping the ministry at Valley Church. Colossians 1:18 - so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Colossians 1:28-29 - We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

Before He left to return to heaven, Jesus told his disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19 20. These verses form the foundation of our mission statement. This is the reason why Valley Church exists.

The mission statement for Valley Church of Cupertino is “Making disciples who know God, who are becoming like Christ and who are working to make Him known in Silicon Valley and beyond.”

Our mission statement has three distinct parts.

  1. KNOWING - “Making disciples who know God…”
  2. GROWING – “…who are becoming like Christ…”
  3. SHOWING – “…who are working to make Him known in Silicon Valley and beyond.”

Building on the foundation of Valley’s past, and after a year of prayer, fasting, and study of God’s Word, the elders have sought to better articulate a “picture” of the future we believe God wants us to move toward as we fulfill our mission of making disciples.

The vision statement for Valley Church is “For the world to authentically EXPERIENCE the love of Jesus as missional disciples from Valley Church passionately EXPRESS the love of Jesus to people in Silicon Valley and beyond.” A simple and memorable way to communicate the vision is “To experience and express the love of Jesus.”

Our plan is to focus the energy, people, and resources of Valley Church toward this mission, this vision and this goal as we fulfill the Great Commission. Under God’s direction and help, this is the kind of Christians and the kind of church we desire to be:

  1. KNOWING - Passionate relationship with God - Every person will passionately experience a deep, personal, obedient, and growing relationship with God. (learn more)
  2. GROWING - Transformational friendships with others - Every person will experience satisfying and significant relationships that provide opportunities for support, encouragement, service, and outreach. (learn more)
  3. SHOWING - Incarnational witness to the world - Every person will be actively expressing the love of God in such a way that every member of his or her community experiences the love of God. (learn more)

This is the Missio Dei – the mission of God. Because the church is God’s people, we are to be like Him. Jesus was the original “sent one” from God to redeem His creation. His plan for salvation through Christ is the highest expression of love – He wants the world to experience His love and forgiveness.

God’s plan to reach the world is to make “disciples” – those who follow Christ and continue the work He started. We do that through a vital, living, and passionate relationship with Him.

As we learn more about Jesus, we are transformed from the inside out to be more like Him. We believe that happens best in relationships with other people. God’s “called out” people come together for support, encouragement, and accountability.

And Jesus made it clear that we are to express the Gospel to the whole world. We are sent into the world just as He was sent from the Father. In Acts 1:8 he laid it out, “Jerusalem, AND Judea, AND Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. It’s not Jerusalem “OR” Judea… Neither is it Jerusalem “THEN” Judea… It’s “AND.”

This is what it means to be “missional”. It is the idea that the Great Commission is an assignment for every person in the church and it is to every person in the world. “Missional” is a word that takes the “mission” of a “mission statement” – purpose or reason for being, and combines it with the word “missionary” – coming from the root word “sent one”.

Being “…missional disciples…” differs from being Christians who support missionaries or even a “missions minded” church. The question is “To what extent is our church a ‘sent’ community in which each believer is reaching out to the world locally, regionally, and globally?” In a missional church, the church IS mission rather than DOES mission. Mission shifts from being a function or program of the church to the primary reason for its existence.