Your Next Big Steps
Here are a list of next Big Steps for you to take in your faith journey. Click any one of them to expand the content and learn more.
Lead a Small Group
Leading a Small Group is a great step to serving others AND growing deeper in your own relationship with Jesus Christ. Follow this link and fill out the interest form at https://parkwaysmallgroups.wufoo.com/forms/sign-me-up After that, one of our Small Groups team members will contact you soon to talk with you about how to get started!
Join a Small Group
Joining a Small Group is a wonderful way to get to know others as you study the Bible together. Registration for the fall semester of Small Groups begins next Sunday on August 25th. This week, take time to visit parkwayfellowship.com/smallgroups and view the catalogue of Small Groups which will be offered this fall. Make a note of what you’d like to sign up for, and be ready to go at 8:00 AM on Sunday, August 25th when registration opens. Small Groups need to be kept small (hence the name), so there are limits to the size of each group. And a pro-tip is to be ready to register at 8:00 AM when the form opens…it’s first come first serve, and once a group is full it’s no longer available.
If you have any questions, please contact Will Tucker at will.tucker@parkwayfellowship.com
Volunteer to Serve
Awesome! You’ll take the first steps in an exciting journey of using your gifts and your time to serve others! Like the boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish (John 6:9), God will take what you have to offer and use it to bless others in ways you can’t yet imagine!
Your entry will be routed to the appropriate departments and you should be contacted by someone within 1 week.
Join the Church
If you’re ready to take the next step and join Parkway Fellowship as a member, then there are 3 easy steps:
#1 – Be a Christ-Follower
All members of Parkway Fellowship must have received forgiveness of their sin from Jesus Christ and have chosen to commit the rest of their lives to follow Him. If you have not yet made this most important choice, please contact Gary Chevalier by calling the church office or going to Guest Services.
#2 – Be Baptized by Immersion
Each member of Parkway Fellowship should be baptized by immersion under water after choosing to receive forgiveness of their sin through Jesus Christ. We believe this follows the model set by Jesus and the New Testament. If you have not yet been baptized by immersion after choosing to follow Jesus Christ, then go to parkwayfellowship.com/baptism for more information or to sign up for the next baptism service.
#3 – Complete the Membership Class
Finally, all members of Parkway Fellowship must complete the Membership Class, which takes place once a month on a Sunday afternoon after church. Go to parkwayfellowship.com/membership to view the membership class dates and sign up!
Read Bible Daily
Reading God’s Word is an essential part of following Christ. The Bible is God’s Word to us, and the more we read and internalize it, the more it takes root in our soul and begins to guide our actions.
The easiest way to start reading the Bible Daily is through a Bible reading plan, and there are plenty out there to choose from! Most every Bible App has multiple options of guides to read the Bible every day – our favorite Bible App is YouVersion, but there are many others out there to choose from. BibleGateway.com and BibleHub.com are two excellent online Bible resources; or, if you prefer you can go to https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/ and select from one of the Bible Reading plans there.
You can also have the Bible read to you (in your car while you commute, when you get read in the morning, etc.) by choosing an audible plan such as the ones which can be found in the Daily Audio Bible App or at dailyaudiobible.com
The most important thing, though, is to just start reading Scripture somehow and let God’s Word begin to flow into your life!
Start Memorizing Scripture
Psalm 119:11 (NIV) says, “I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
It is a good practice to not only read God’s Word, but to memorize it as well. When Jesus was being tempted by evil one (Matthew 4), He responded by quoting God’s word. He didn’t have a Bible with Him, though – he’d learned the Scripture as a child. It is important for us to do the same.
Follow this link to a list of 35 short, easy to memorize Bible verses: https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/short-bible-verses/ There are also websites like biblegateway.com or biblehub.com which have free tools to help you learn to memorize scripture. Apps designed to assist you in learning scripture such as “Verses” are also available.
Go Into the Ministry
The Bible is filled with accounts of God calling ordinary men and women to use their gifts and talents to serve Him. Some of them God calls to a deeper commitment and ask them to leave their positions in the marketplace and come use their gifts and talents by serving Him on staff at a church or on the mission field. That someone may be you!
If you’ve been sensing recently that God may be calling you to pursue following Him in a full-time ministry staff position, please contact Gary Chevalier either via email (gary.chevalier@parkwayfellowship.com) or by calling the church office at 832.222.9282
Get Baptized
Once someone chooses to receive forgiveness of their sin from Jesus Christ and chooses to follow him, we believe that the Bible teaches he or she should then be baptized by immersion under water.
We believe this process follows the model set by Jesus and what we read in the rest of the New Testament. It also serves as a way for you to publicly demonstrate that you have chosen to follow Jesus. If you have not yet been baptized by immersion after choosing to follow Jesus Christ, then go to parkwayfellowship.com/baptism for more information or to sign up for the next baptism service.
Choose to Follow Christ
Choosing to receive forgiveness of sin from Jesus Christ and committing your life to follow Him is the best decision you can make!
There are 3 Basic Steps to following Jesus:
#1 – ADMIT
You must admit that you have committed sin and have not always lived according to the way God instructs us in the Bible. (Romans 3:23)
#2 – BELIEVE
Even though you have committed sins against God, you can receive forgiveness for those sins because Jesus Christ died on the cross to take the punishment for those sin. (Romans 5:28 & Romans 6:23)
#3 – COMMIT
Once you receive forgiveness of sin from Him, then you commit your life to follow Jesus as best as you can for the rest of your life. (Luke 9:23)
Are you ready to do that right now? If so, here is a sample prayer you can pray that will lead you into this relationship with Jesus:
“Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me, even when I’ve ignored You and gone my own way. I believe that You died on the cross for me. Forgive me for all my sins. Please come into my life-right now. I commit to follow You. Help me grow in my faith & trust in You. Amen”
Now that you’ve done that, please let us know so we can celebrate with you! Follow the link below and fill out the form – then we’ll contact you soon and help you get started on your own personal journey with Jesus!
