The Open Door Church is borne out of 11 years of operating in a community atmosphere with people who are searching, and doubting, but have a desire to KNOW if God is real. It has been initiated by a group of people who strive to walk with God and serve Him and their world. We believe that God loves all people and therefore we need to love all people. Love is an action word. We want to love our community by serving it. In doing so, we will communicate the love of our Lord in powerful ways.
What has God called us to accomplish?
"To plant a church in the Montreal area that will meet the needs of a
post-modern Generation."
One of our emphases will be on experiencing God rather than just learning about God. We will do this through the use of creative worship, participatory events, creative media, music, etc. Learning will take place, but the experience will create a desire to learn.
Community. Creating an atmosphere of belonging. We all need to know that we "belong" somewhere. We need a place where, we can give of ourselves and receive from others. We need a place where we are accepted and loved for who we are, and encouraged to grow. Community is a place where gifts need to be recognized and utilized, in order for people to feel that they are a part of something. Spiritual growth depends on us working together, laughing and crying together, praying together and lovingly holding each other accountable. Community can be a place where personal and spiritual growth is a value. We need each other in order to grow. Most of us will only go so far on our own, we need to be lovingly pushed to keep moving. Many people are wounded and need help to heal. We are committed to allowing a healing process to take place without encouraging woundedness to be a lifestyle.
We are all in a process of faith and searching. We believe that Jesus Christ is the answer people are looking for. We are committed to praying and encouraging people on their search, however long it may take.
Serving the Kingdom is acknowledging that God"s mission is much bigger than we are. It means blessing other churches in our area, praying for them and encouraging them. We will not focus on our differences, but rather our commonalities and foundational belief, being Jesus Christ, the crucified Son of God, Savior of the world. Serving the kingdom includes going into the world and feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and loving the unlovable, recognizing that this what Jesus called true religion and that the unfortunate are a part of Gods kingdom and have a special place in his heart. Sharing, of material wealth, food, and gifts is a high value. It is what the early church was called to. This is an important part of community. We are rich. Many are not. Scripture demands that we feed the poor and clothe the naked. We will strive to impact our community with the love of Jesus by showing who He is, before we speak of who He is. Much like Jesus did Himself.
This sharing is an imperative when it comes to faith. We are commanded to go into the world to make disciples. "What are you doing?" is an important question, we must be asking each other. How we are sharing the Love of God should be of great concern to us.
Sharing the Love of God is the foundation of all that we do. Our desire is that in everything we do, those who have questions will see a difference in the way we treat each other and them. This difference will cause them to question even further. Our mission is to share the love that is bestowed on us with everyone through action and word, so that they will experience God"s love and consider their relationship with Him.
How?
Through: