Our Spiritual Journey

At Windsor District Baptist Church we are a Christ-centered, gospel-driven, disciple-making church. This article outlines the discipleship pathway developed by Joanna Hoffman, Warren Johnson, and Jonathan Hoffman, in consultation with the church leadership.

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WHAT IS OUR VISION?

Our vision at WDBC is “to see all people transformed by God’s Word and Spirit for faith in Jesus Christ.”

We aim to see holistic spiritual transformation in each person’s life as a pattern of a life-long journey. The power for change comes by God’s Word and Spirit, in the context of the local church community.

For this reason we describe ourselves as “a family of faith following Christ to freedom.”

WHERE WILL WE SEE TRANSFORMATION?

Spiritual transformation is a Spirit-led journey into the ever increasing likeness of Jesus. As a leadership, we present this framework as a way to understand how the gospel of Jesus Christ works its transforming power in every area of our lives from the inside out.

Believers’ transformation into Christ-likeness will be increasingly evident across three spheres:
(1) in their personal life with an identity shaped by grace;
(2) in their faith community as members of God’s family, and
(3) in their public life as people whose orientation is to put Christ first.

The concepts represented in the diagram are biblically grounded and prayerfully considered; the result of yearlong discussions within our ministry team, spearheaded by Joanna Hoffman, our Minister of Community Life. [design credit: Janelle Keys]

HOW DOES TRANSFORMATION HAPPEN?

We are shaped by the gospel and so the gospel is at the core of all we do and believe at WDBC. In the gospel we see God’s heart of love, Christ’s attitude of humility, and the power of the Spirit to bring new life. It is the love of God that draws us forward into ongoing spiritual transformation through repeated, faith-filled, encounters with the gospel.

Developing biblical habits of faith encourages these encounters with the gospel. The habits of faith that we have articulated in this discipleship journey are: believing, embracing, practicing, modelling, serving, and proclaiming the gospel.

WHEN DOES TRANSFORMATION TAKE PLACE?

There is a rhythm to the Christian’s life seen from our first encounter with the gospel. From there, every season and every day we walk with Jesus we are invited into a cycle with three recurring phases: Call, Strengthening, and Response.

1. Call – We receive the gospel as a divine invitation originating outside of ourselves

2. Strengthening – Having heard the call, we are empowered by the gospel for life-shaping transformation, from the inside out, so that it grounds us in a new identity

3. Response – Having been strengthened, we actively respond to the gospel, gladly surrendering ourselves in service to its priorities across all spheres of life

“Our goal is to see holistic spiritual transformation in each person’s life as a pattern of a life-long journey.”

Being reshaped by the gospel is an ongoing process of God calling us deeper, from accepting this call to be strengthened by it and then responding accordingly, thus allowing transformation in all areas of our life.

WHAT’S NEXT?

We realize this is a lot of information to take in at once. It needs to be explored and explained from the foundation of God’s Word for the outworking of practical living.

A sermon series by Pastor Jonathan Hoffman over the next eight weeks will illustrate these six “Habits of Faith” as seen in the gospel of Luke.

Look for further information over social media, including a video, and other avenues explaining these components of our spiritual journey. There will be room to dialogue.

WHERE DO I START?

You might prayerfully consider these questions each day:

1. Where is Jesus calling you?

2. What of God’s truth strengthens you to follow this call?

3. How can you respond and what will that look like today?

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

— 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV