GRACED FAMILY CHAPEL
You are welcome to the Membership Course for prospective members of Graced Family Chapel. As you should know, we are a fully functional online and onsite Church. Our embers are not restricted to those who worship in our physical meeting. However, every member of our Church undergoes the same preparatory process before being admitted into membership.
To make it possible and easy for our online prospects to complete the membership process, we have created this simple Course material to enable you to have a complete idea of what it means to be a member of our family church, including the responsibilities we owe you and what we expect of you.
You are to read the contents carefully and prayerfully to decide if you would like to become part of our global family. The material enables you to be acquainted with our Church. It’s a self-study material.
As you study, and you have any questions, please send WhatsApp to +234-8033261363 or email: member@gracedfamily.org.ng
We shall get back to you immediately.
MEMBERSHIP COURSE OUTLINE
The Church
- What is a Church (1 Tim.3:15, Eph.2:19)?
- Who is the Owner of the Church?
- Who can be a member of a Church?
- What is the Chapel of Grace Transformation Ministry?
Our Statements
- Our Purpose: Why we exist
- Our Vision: What we intend to accomplish
- Our Faith: What We Believe
- Our Values: What informs what we practice
Our Strategy
- Brief History of Chapel of Grace Transformation Ministry
- Who we are trying to reach (our target)
- Introduction to Individual Development Process (IDP)
Our Structure
How the Ministry is organized for growth
Membership
- Requirements for Membership
- Benefits of being a member
- Responsibilities of membership
- How to get involved in Ministry once you become a member
The Church
What is a Church? (1Tim.3:15, Eph.2:19)
The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Holy Spirit with divine appointments for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Individual local assemblies like ours are a part of the Body of Christ.
The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth. It is the Household of God. The Church can also be seen as God’s embassy on earth, through which He directs the affairs of men.
Who can be a member of a Church?
While anyone is permitted to attend a church, only those who have received Jesus as Lord and Saviour are identified as members of the Church. Members of the Church have their names written down in the Lamb’s Book of life in Heaven.
The Holy Spirit is the one that joins a person to the Body of Christ as the person receives Jesus and is born again.
What is the Chapel of Grace Transformation Ministry?
Chapel of Grace Transformation Ministry Inc. exists to bring individuals to the knowledge of Jesus Christ; nurture them; prepare them; and support each one to fulfill their ministry. We have the mandate “to raise the foundations of many generations through teaching and preaching the Word and engagement in social works. Graced Family Chapel is our brand name, while Chapel of Grace Transformation Ministry is our registered name.
We are in ministry to raise ministers for the Kingdom in their respective places of private and public engagement.
We aim to provide a place where individuals like you can find love, acceptance, and encouragement in Christ to enable you to fulfill God’s purpose for your life.
A Brief History of Graced Family Chapel
Graced Family Chapel, aka Chapel of Grace Transformation Ministry, is the outworking of a mandate that God gave to His servant, Joseph C. Ibekwe on February 17, 1995.
During a session of three days of fasting and personal inquiry while in Lagos, God spoke specifically to him from Isaiah 58:12b in this manner: “Go raise the foundations of many generations; those that come out of you shall build the old waste places, and you shall be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of the paths to dwell in”.
On further inquiry, the Lord explained to him that he was to propagate what He called the ‘Social Gospel’. This vision initially led him to inaugurate a non-governmental organization on April 17, 1995, called the Foundation for Leadership & Education Development – FLED.
In April 2012, the Lord began speaking to him concerning starting a Church to provide a different platform to actualize the mandate given to him in 1995. At this time he was serving as the Supervisor of the Teens Church, at the Living Faith Church Nyanya, Abuja, where he and his wife, Maryann, were ordained as Deacon and Deaconess.
Upon this, he consulted with the Resident pastor, Dr. Rotimi, who prayed for him and asked him to take a short break from Church activities to be with the Lord to get clarity on how to go about the new assignment. He obeyed and took off for a while. During this period, he was able to develop the Ministry’s focus and operational structure.
Before starting this Ministry, he and his wife served in several Ministries including The Household of God Church, Christ Chapel International Churches, Living Faith Church, Abuja, etc.
The Ministry was incorporated in September 2012 but started holding Sunday services on May 13, 2013, in Abuja.
Our Statements
Our Purpose: Why we exist
As part of the larger Body of Christ, we exist to transform lives for kingdom impact.
We are a purpose-driven, multi-dimensional ministry that works to meet the spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and economic needs of those who come in contact with us (John 3:16; 10:10b).
Our Mission: What we intend to accomplish
Our mission is “to raise ministers through a seamless combination of spirituality and social action”.
Therefore, our mission is five-fold:
- To Reach and save the lost, disciple, and expose them to diverse ministries.
- To Meet the needs of people (physical, material, intellectual, etc), in any way, we can.
- To build actively productive citizens who are spiritually and socially responsible.
- To Raise ministers for kingdom assignments.
- To Support ministers to engage in their ministries.
Our Faith: What We Believe
As a Church and Ministry, we believe in:
1) The Holy Trinity
2) The Deity of Christ
3) The Virgin Birth
4) The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
5) The Verbal Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures
6) The Genesis Account of Creation
7) Justification by Faith
8) The Blood Atonement
9) The Necessity of Repentance and the New Birth
10) The Free Will of Man
11 The Sanctity of Male-Female Marriage
12) The Necessity of Perseverance and a Holy Life
13) The Great Commission
14) The Church as the Universal Body of Christ, with local Assemblies
15) The Second Coming of Christ
16) The Resurrection of the Body
17) The Eternal Bliss of the Saved in Heaven
18) An Eternal Hell for the Unsaved
Our Values: What informs what we practice
- Prosperity of the spirit, soul, and body
- Righteousness
- Integrity (walking the talk)
- Sanctification
Our Strategy
Who we are trying to reach (Our target)
The main targets of this Ministry are:
- Non-believers.
- Nominal Christians that have no specific local church.
- Believers looking for where to grow and develop their ministry skills.
The Individual Development Process (IDP)
The Individual Development Process (IDP) is a structured process that allows our members to develop themselves and grow within the system. It is about how we build and prepare our people for responsible Christian life and ministry. It is a deliberate plan to help you become the best you can be for the Lord and His Kingdom.
IDP is a Six-step development process that members of our Family go through.
It comprises the following stages:
- Believers Foundation Class
- Membership Class
- Discipleship School
- School of Ministry
- School of Missions
- Strategic Leadership Training
Our Structure
How the Ministry is organized for growth
The Ministry is structured around specific ministry purposes, not on traditional departments. We have Directorates working to realize the Ministry’s purposes. Each Directorate is headed by a Director.
There are six main Directorates
- The Music Directorate
- The membership Directorate
- The Discipleship Directorate
- The Ministry Directorate
- The Missions Directorate
- The Educational Directorate
Membership
- Requirements for Membership
- Benefits of being a member
- Responsibilities of membership
- How to get involved in Ministry after becoming a Member.
REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP
To be accepted as a member of this church, individuals must fulfill the following requirements:
- Must have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
- Complete Membership Application
- Must be Baptized in water by immersion – either here or elsewhere
- Must attend Believers Foundation Class – either here or elsewhere
- Attend Membership Class
- Sign Membership Covenant
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
- You are identified as an individual not just a number in the crowd (Eph. 2:19, Rom. 12:5)
- The church provides you an extended family to turn to for support and prayer in times of crisis; and to encourage you in your walk with God (Gal. 6:1-2, Heb. 10: 24-25).
- Membership allows you to discover and use your talents and gifts in ministry within and outside this local church (1 Cor. 12: 4-27).
- Membership of this Church places you under the spiritual protection of Godly leaders (Heb. 13:17; Acts 20; 28-29).
- It gives you the accountability you need to grow as a believer (Eph. 5:21).
- The church enables you to have a positive impact on the community as you participate in outreaches, events, conferences, and service activities.
- Importantly, there’s spiritual fellowship and association with other positive, wholesome, and spiritually minded people who provide support, mentoring, counsel, and friendship.
- The ministry stands with you in times of personal life challenges and supports you to in all matters relating to your physical, material, financial, and social well-being.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERSHIP
As a member of this Church, you have responsibilities. Responsibilities are areas the Church expects a new member to aspire to and grow in. A new member may take months or years to become fully mature in carrying out all the responsibilities of membership. The following are areas a new member can work towards:
- Regularly attend and participate in weekly church meetings. Participate in worship, prayer, and growth opportunities that are offered.
- Live a Godly life, with the Lord’s help, as a testimony to the power of God. As you do, you’ll notice and those around you will notice the blessing of God in your life.
- Reach out to others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Tell your friends, co-workers, neighbours, and family how the Lord is working in your life, and use your church to do it.
- Give tithes and offerings regularly. This shows you acknowledge the Lord as the source of your finances and is a key to releasing financial blessings in your life.
- Participate in activities and opportunities. As soon as possible, begin to be involved in any service in the church.
- Contribute to the work of the church as a member of a small group, ministry, or committee.
- Participate in social/fellowship activities. Get to know your new family and let them get to know you!
HOW TO GET INVOLVED IN MINISTRY
The Church has different Ministry Groups through which each member can join to develop their life ministries. By joining a Ministry or Small Group in the Church, it’s easy to learn firsthand and prove your faithfulness in small things, in preparation for higher responsibilities in the Kingdom. Faithfulness in Ministry starts from the bottom.
To join any of the Ministries in the Church, what you need to do is check the different advertised Ministries and locate the one that appeals to you. The leaders will help you with what next to do.
Every member is encouraged to join at least one Ministry Group.
Review Questions
1. Mention the five-fold mission of the Graced Family Chapel.
2. Who are the main target of people that the Graced Family Chapel seeks to join as members?
3. Mention three benefits of being a member of the Graced Family Chapel.
4. Mention four responsibilities of a member of the Graced Family Chapel.
5. Give two reasons you want to be admitted as a Member of Graced Family Chapel.
Once you complete the self-study, please send your answers with your name to: member@gracedfamily.org.ng
We look forward to having you join us soon!
... Always with you