about us
We believe what God has done in Jesus is good news that changes everything. The gospel is good news, not just true news.
our name
At the beginning of humanity our first parents made a tragic decision. They believed lie that life could be found outside of God’s will. They were cast out of the Garden east. As the story continue humans continued to rebel and continued to move farther east from God’s creational intent.
A Little Farther West is a Texas country song by Walt Wilkins about the Kingdom of God. Its about headed back in the right direction towards God’s wise intent for us. Back to the garden where humans walked with God in the cool of the evening. Back where there was not relational strife. Back where the world worked as it was designed to work. Since Jesus Christ has come, has fulfilled everything the law required and has died in our place a new kingdom has arrived. We announce that kingdom and we embody it. It’s already here and it’s not yet fully realized. But when the Kingdom is expanding it looks like the reversal of every broken thing. A return to home. It looks like Aledo flourishing spiritually, relationally, emotionally and physically. Healthy relationships with one another, multiplying to fill the earth and cultivating the earth with cogency with God.
OUR VISION
We exist to see the Kingdom of God increasing farther west until every man, woman and child in Aledo, Texas is enjoying Him forever. This will look like: Many people meeting Jesus for the first time, neighborhoods without need, relationships flourishing, outsiders welcomed in, lives coming to more resemble Jesus, new churches being planted in the: The West Valley, The State of Texas, & throughout North America and the World.
our MISSION
Jesus our King said go and make disciples (Matt 28:18-20). So we do. This our mission. We live all of life with a missional orientation. We are constantly asking The Lord to reveal who He has placed in our path to share about Himself. How we are to love? How we are to love? No one is off-limits or too far gone. In fact, Jesus loved us when we were His enemies and prayed for those who killed Him. We are committed to living on mission not as isolated individuals, but as a groups of friends in networks of relationships because we’re better together and it takes all of us to demonstrate how the kingdom operates in relationships.
Our Values
gospel formation
In Ephesians 2:19-20 we are reminded that we are members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. Farther West is established on the foundation of Christ and the Apostle’s teaching. This “deposit” we have been handed is to remain unchanged as it is our lifeblood as a community of faith. The Story of God provides the church with a countercultural, true story to live out together as Jesus’ witnesses to the presence of the new creation.
REIGN
What makes the Kingdom different? Christ! He’s gloriously different in that His central operating value is love, not self. The Kingdom is experienced as a spirit of generosity and concern for the marginalized. It’s a sphere where the brokenness of the world is being reversed through the power of the Gospel. The strong lay down their lives for the weak. The outsider is welcomed in. In the Kingdom, Christ’s life and way is proving supreme in every space where we live, work, learn and play.
hoLY SPIRIT EMPOWERED
We have been adopted as sons/daughters and by the indwelling Holy Spirit cry out “Abba, Father.” The indwelling Holy Spirit graciously sanctifies, lovingly leads, comforts, convicts, and empowers all who are brought to faith in Christ so that they might live in obedience to all Christ commanded. The Holy Spirit empowers the mission of making disciples. We are learning we do our best work attentive to God in prayer.
DECENTRALIZED
The transfer of authority and control has shifted from a few leaders in the center to all disciples filling all places even to the margins. Places, like a singular church building, can also unnecessarily centralize the locus of a church. We’ve intentionally decided not to own church property or to be defined by a building as a living embodiment of core conviction; we are the church, we don’t go to church. We worship and make disciples in all of life where we live, work, learn and play. All disciples have permission to live out their Gospel identifies in innovative ways wherever God sends them. There is no franchise, cookie-cutter way of being the people of God in the world. We are learning to trust the Spirit to lead us into the good work he has prepared for us to do.
SIMPLICITY FOR GENEROSITY
We welcome strangers and are a friend of sinners. We intentionally pursue the inclusion of outsiders in the spirit of Christ, who came for us when we were estranged and rebellious. We grieve every person who is not currently living in relationship with the God who created them in His image. People matter to God and only experience the fullness of life and purpose while connected to God, His church and his purposes. We are generous when we remember God has given us more than we need. Jesus, though rich became poor to make us rich (2 Cor 8:9). We keep our overhead intentional low in order to maximize our investment in the poor and in the development of others.
slowing toward integration
We have to let our souls catch up with our bodies. We often live disconnected from our values and most important relationships. Slowing down is the only way we’ve found to reorient. To live the life God has called us to we’ve found we have to under-schedule our lives so we can enjoy Jesus and live in light of His Kingdom values. We desire to live integrated lives of meaning in the place where we live, amongst the families God’s given us in love for neighbors and strangers as they cross our paths. We simply can’t do this while in a hurry. While frantic. While overwhelmed. So we are learning to how to slow down.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PART OF FARTHER WEST CHURCH?
gather
In simple, participatory worship gatherings: We gather as the Family of God and seekers, sinners, and skeptics are welcome to gather with us. We slow down and eat together. We discuss and teach the scriptures we all read the previous week, and we worship God together through psalms, songs, celebrations, communion, meals, and prayer. We value participation over production value. We encourage every member to arrive having prayed in advance about how they might give as we gather. In this way all are able to receive. It’s God’s design and our privilege to contribute our gifts even as we edified both others.
grow
We are intentional about seeing each member growing up into maturity in their faith.
Through personal communion with the triune God.
Through Family Discipleship - We acknowledge the developmental differences between adults and children and lovingly accommodate the youth. Parents are always primary, but where parents are unbelieving or when supplementary support is needed, the rest of the church comes alongside families in the discipleship of children. We’re intentional about equipping and empowering adult volunteers for discipleship environments geared towards children and youth.
In DNA Groups - We encourage all members to engage in same-sex triads (3 men together, 3 women together. for Discipleship, Nurture and Accountability. A DNA Group usually consists of three people—men with men, women with women—within a particular community on mission, who meet together regularly to be known and to bring the gospel to bear on each other’s lives so that they grow in and live out their gospel identity.
During Intentional Retreats/Short-term Mission - Retreats and short-term mission are environments that allow to to go deeper with God, one another and in ministry. Trip to Israel, Renewal Retreats to connect with God, and mission trips to Mexico are all environments where we are intentionally.
give
Our time, talent and treasure. We serve with our time and talent like Jesus, who was among us as one who serves. We give of our treasure in alignment with our LORD who though rich, became poor so that we might be rich in Him. We experience more of God Kingdom as we investing God’s money and our hearts into Gospel ministry and care for the poor.
go
On mission in the everyday stuff of life. Each member of Farther West is called to prayerfully consider what mission they are to be on in obedience to Jesus’ call to make disciples and to invite others to join them as a Missional Community. God is a person to be enjoyed and to follow, everyday. orienting our community around the specific mission of God in Disciples of Jesus increasingly submit to Him in all of life, are being changed by Him, obey Him, and teach others to do the same.
leadership
The following five families are the core team of Farther West Church
Ross and Stacy Conner and kids
Josh and Evette Snowden and kids
Josh and Ashley Dacus and kids
Clint and Courtney Dorris and kids
Trent and Meaghan Messer and kids
The local church is to be led by a team of multiple elders. As Farther West is being planted we are holding off on installing elders until potential leaders have been examined for their qualification. In the interim, the following external elders are providing leadership, accountability and wisdom until internal elders are being raised up: