OUR MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY
 

Our philosophy of ministry is summarized by three words: Upreach, Inreach, and Outreach. These are one-word summaries of the three foundational passages from the Bible that represent the heart of what Riverside is all about. These passages are found in Matthew 22:34-40 and Matthew 28:16-20. They are commonly referred to as the "Great Commandments" and the "Great Commission." Taken together, they define the Christian life as a life of Love.





Upreach

Upreach has to do with what Jesus called the "first and greatest commandment."  He summarized the entire "law and the prophets" by saying that we are to love  God with everything that we have and are. Loving God is our most consuming and glorious calling. This has primary reference to our commitment to be, above everything else, a worshipping community. We are committed to developing worship that is "in spirit and in truth." Reality, not mere ritual, is our goal. If we could be known for any one thing, we would want it to be that we are a family of Christ-followers who love our Lord openly and unashamedly. He alone is worthy of our deepest affections.

Inreach

Jesus also gave a second "great" commandment, which he said was like the first. It calls us to "love our neighbors as we love ourselves." Love demonstrates that we are true followers of Jesus. Thus, at Riverside we are committed to become and to grow as a caring and discipling community. God has made us for relationship, with Himself and with each other. And yet, while there are very few things as satisfying as good relationships, there is nothing as hard to come by. Relationships require work. Relationships require openness, honesty, and vulnerability. And they take time. But these relationships are truly the foundation for the family of God.

Outreach

Outreach, the third "root" of our of ministry philosophy, concerns our commitment to become an outward-looking and outward-loving community. The very last words Jesus spoke to His disciples before He ascended were spoken as a commission to His followers to take the glorious Gospel of God's saving grace to every nation, beginning with our own hometown. History, as we know it, is bound up with God's commitment to redeem for Himself a people from every race, tribe, tongue, and nation. Thus, at Riverside we are excited about both home and world missions; ministries of proclamation and demonstration; church planting in the greater St. Louis area; and being a "sending and spending" church to the far corners of the earth. One of the main ways that we demonstrate the reality of our love for God is by loving all people who bear His image.

All three - Upreach, Inreach, and Outreach, are essential for a healthy, well-balanced church..

Riverside Church ● 13 West Moody Ave ● St Louis, MO  63119 ● 314.918.9922 ● info@riversidestl.org