GCF's Unique Purpose

Best met by church

• Church services/weekly corporate worship
• Sacraments
• Ministry to all age groups
• Pastoral counseling
• Sending missionaries
• Family
• Community-oriented (networking, evangelism, service to needy)
• Broad (v. narrow)
• Ministry training
• Theological instruction
• Generational mentoring
• Preaching
• Permanence/longevity of members
• Maintaining
• Doctrinal specificity
• Comprehensive/generalized spiritual formation

Appropriate to Graduate fellowship

• Integration of faith & learning/vocation
• Specific age group
• Apologetics for intellectuals/academics
• Interdenominational fellowship
• Support in face of ?intellectual persecution?
• Release from pressures of research, perspective, balance
• Evangelism/witness to graduate students
• Vigorous intellectual discussion
• Accountability, peer discipleship/co-mentoring
• Leadership development
• Prayer support in areas particular to setting
• Stability of group (despite turnover) amidst transient population
• Current academic issues, authors, resources
• Community service on a student?s schedule
• Focused Bible studies

Last updated October 18, 2008
Please address comments and suggestions to Steve Hicks (s d h 33 ©REMOVE THIS PHRASE·corn e ll ·e d u )