Fellowship Raleigh




Vision

We are not simply about getting a building, hanging our sign, and coming up with clever ways to offer a new flavor of church in Raleigh. Our dream is to be a Biblical and passionate local church of Jesus Christ that is a blessing to the people and culture of Raleigh. It is not enough to dream about starting a big successful church. That alone doesn't wake us up in the morning. When we close our eyes to envision our future we see a vivid picture where Raleigh is being transformed by the people and ministries that are flowing out of our church.

Mission Focused
Fellowship Raleigh is and always will be a local church that is focused on our mission, which is taken straight from God's Word and is:

"To glorify God through making passionate disciples of Jesus Christ who love God, one another, and the world."

Value Driven
Fellowship Raleigh is guided by our six biblical pillars. At Fellowship Raleigh, big and small decisions and adjustments along the way will be made in light of our pillars, which are taken straight from God's Word.

Multi-Generational (Families & College Students) 
We desire to intentionally and powerfully blend the energy, passion, and on-the-go activism of college students and young adults with the wisdom, maturity, and resources of established families in Raleigh. We want to equip college students and sends them out as missionaries in the workplace and also to encourage age-diverse relationships of mentoring, teaching, accountability, and encouragement.

Gospel Boldness
We see evangelism and conversion as the norm and not the exception. We want to push everyone to avoid inward focused "island living". We encourage everyone to build "relational bridges" over which they can confidently share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their family, neighbors, co-workers, friends, and the world.

Radical Service
Fellowship Groups (Small Groups) build relationships with and provide meaningful service to others in need. We aim to initiate large service projects that meet the real felt needs in the community and make a measurable difference in the name of Jesus Christ.

A Movement
A movement is when Christians band together, move towards a common vision, and trust God for an impact greater than their own individual ministries. Obviously Fellowship Raleigh will not be able to reach everyone. We hope God will allow us to play a part in a movement of church plants with common vision, values, and mission in the Triangle area, North Carolina, our country and our world.

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Why plant a new church in Raleigh where there are already many churches?  It is important that we clearly answer this question for ourselves and for others who ask.  For us, planting Fellowship Raleigh is a matter of obedience to God, because we feel He has clearly called us to do this.  Some of the realities and facts God used to convince us and call us to plant this church are explained below through the acronym N.E.W.

Need - Because there are so many people in Raleigh without Christ, there is a need for strong new churches that champion the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

  • Jesus told his followers to make disciples in the context of the local church
  • 475 people move to Raleigh every week
  • 80% of the 370,000 people in Raleigh do NOT regularly attend any church
  • 88% of the 370,000 people in Raleigh do NOT attend a Bible and Gospel teaching church
  • There are many churches, but 80% of all churches in the U.S. are plateaued or declining 

Effectiveness - Because there are so many people in Raleigh without Christ there is an urgent need to invest in the most effective method of sharing the Gospel, which is planting new churches:  

  • Church plants must share the Gospel to grow and survive
  • Less internal maintenance provides more freedom to focus on sharing the Gospel 
  • Newer and less established social networks are more welcoming to new people who are curious about the Gospel 
  • Less entrenched in traditions, which can distract from sharing the Gospel
  • Church plants see 10 new believers in Jesus per 100 members (compared to 3/100 for established churches)

World - Because of the many people in the world without Christ we should plant strong new churches to champion the Gospel in strategic world cities like Raleigh: 

  • Simple fact: strategic cities shape the world
  • If you reach strategic cities with the Gospel, then you can reach the world (Apostle Paul's strategy)
  • Raleigh is a strategic world city
  • 100,000 college students in the Triangle; 50,000 in Raleigh
  • Highest PhD per capita in the world of cities over 70,000
  • 50% of adults have at least a Bachelors degree (compared to 25% nationally)