The Senior Pastor
Kenneth McMillan
The Core Values
Core values are characteristics that we feel God highly values for The Link Church.
We work to make these a part of all we do.
v Dependency on God
v Honesty in all things
v Relationships that are real
v Diversity in the body
v Relevance to the culture
v Empowerment of the believer
The Church’s Organization
We follow Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to establish the kingdom of God. All of us can also be a part of that work, as we obey him and do the five works that he did himself; evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship and ministry. These are the five tasks around which the Link is structured. We believe our call from God is to lead the lost to Christ and progressively onward to spiritual maturity and kingdom work through these tasks in a planned and intentional way.
Based upon God’s structure of Kingdom work, The Link is structured into five departments: worship, discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, and ministry. God uses these five works at The Link Church, the basis for its structure, to transform those who choose to follow Jesus, from new belief to practical and mature godliness.
Evangelism: Proclaiming that God’s government is here and that Jesus is the only way to him.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” Mat 28:19a
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) It is our privilege to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the city of Macon. God exists, and we can know his salvation from our guilt of sin as well as our troubles of today. But, there is only one whom he has appointed to be the entrance (our “Link” so to speak) into his presence. His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the good news we share. You can know God’s love also, through the salvation and lordship of Christ.
Worship: Giving God glory and service.
Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38
The Link holds worship services on Sundays at 11:30 AM. The worship centers around praise and singing, fellowship in the body, prayer, and the ministry of God’s Word.
Worship music and singing is led by a worship team which feels called to minister in worship. The music is purposely designed to be culturally balanced, contemporary, and above all strongly geared towards moving the church into a spirit of worship. The Link Church also holds weekly, church wide Tuesday prayer services focusing on kingdom issues and church health.
Fellowship: Joining the people of God in mutual support.
“…baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Matthew 28:19b
God’s Church is his answer to fellowship. At the Link, you can find friendship and belonging with God’s people, who are interested not just in who you are, but in what God wants us all to become. Whether it is in a small Bible study class, over a plate of food at a fellowship event, or in sharing a helping ministry with someone, there are many opportunities for you to find fellowship.
Discipleship: Learning to live in agreement with God’s ways.
“Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” Matthew 28:20
The Link has Sunday School at 10:15 Sundays, followed by worship at 11:30am. A second discipleship time occurs on Tuesday at 6:30pm with Prayer Time and then Bible Study at 7:00pm. God’s Word is central to all the teaching at The Link Church, because we know that mankind doesn’t have the wisdom to fix his own life. He needs an unfailing standard of truth as his judge. God’s Word, the Bible, is the truth that can transform his life.
Ministry: Serving people in love.
“And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Mat 22:39
My little children, let us not love in word, or in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18
These are some of the ministries at The Link Church, by which we serve other people.
The Van Ministry, running twice weekly, is an important ministry at The Link, supporting some of The Link’s more impoverished and disabled members and visitors.
The Men’s Ministry meets monthly and is designed to strengthen the men in the church, helping them step out in faith for kingdom work. It also reaches out to prospective men for the gospel’s sake, and is a tool to teach and train The Link’s boys as well.
The Women’s Ministry meets monthly and, being structured on the same five works as The Link, seeks to be a platform from which the ladies of the church can fellowship with one another and support one another in ministry efforts.
The Relief Ministry involves helping the homeless, the poor, and the troubled, both in the church and in the city. It is an avenue for evangelism and although it is predominately led by the pastor, sometimes church members are put in leadership of particular cases for training purposes or because they can be more effective in the situation.
Mulberry Street Outreach The Link works with a local Methodist outreach that feeds the homeless and gives the gospel.
Macon Baptist Ministry Center The Link, among other churches, helps in this Associational assistance ministry, but is often the church which reaches out to and follows up with the people.
Jesus Christ
We are Christians, followers of Jesus, the Son of God. We believe God’s Word when it says that only though Jesus can a person have a relationship with God. He is Savior and Lord. Below is the truth of God’s good news, the gospel. It is the core of what Christians believe, and although the various faiths of Christianity may differ (Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Charismatic, etc.) this central faith is what makes all Christians family together in God. Here is the gospel in two different forms…
What Do Christians Really Believe?
1. God exists. He has spoken and requires man to live in agreement with Him.
For thus says the Lord who created the heavens; God himself who formed the earth and made it...”I am the Lord; and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:18
For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20
2. Man rejected God and rebelled.
Because that, when they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Romans 1:21-22
3. God’s righteousness and justice require judgment.
For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23
4. Hope was found in God sending his own son.
Behold, a virgin will be with child, and will bring forth a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1:23
5. Jesus, the sinless Son of God, became a substitute for our judgment.
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died
for the ungodly. Romans 5:6
Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation (appeasement) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. Romans 3:25
6. Jesus rose from the dead.
"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. Acts 10:39-40 (NIV)
7. Jesus is Lord and is going to return to rule over all things.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Acts 2:36
And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then will all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30
8. Do you believe?
Then Peter said to them “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission (pardon) of sins and you will receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:38
For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13
Salvation involves the redemption (purchasing back) of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by his own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration (being born again of God’s Spirit), justification (obtaining righteousness through Jesus Christ), sanctification (learning to live in obedience before God), and glorification (resurrection from the dead to an incorruptible body and continued eternal life with God).
What Were the First Words of Jesus Ministry?
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15
These were the first words that Jesus, the Son of God, came speaking. They were the introduction to his teaching and the foundation for all he did. It is the message of every church and every Christian. But, what does it mean?
“The time is fulfilled…”
It had been foretold from the very beginning of Man’s history that God would send us a savior (one who saves) to bring us back into a right relationship with him. That time came when Jesus arrived. The problem was that few gave attention to God’s great work, letting the time pass them by.
It’s the same today. We often pay little attention to spiritual things. We let our jobs and leisure take away our attention from the most important matter in life: Our relationship with God, himself.
“…and the kingdom of God is at hand.”
When God sent his Son, he was establishing his government, because he was sending Jesus to be king. Jesus’ first coming was as a meek servant king, sacrificing himself for his people. Then, after he was crucified and rose from the dead, he ascended back up to the Father in heaven, where he waits to return in a very different way: As conquering and ruling king forever.
It is our choice, each day, how we live under and relate to the King of all governments and people. His kingdom is in force right now, and we will all have to stand before him on that day soon to come.
“Repent...”
We know that God exists and that we, his creation, owe him everything. We know that Jesus has been set as Lord over all of us. We know that the Bible is God’s word concerning how we should live. In spite of all this, we all have chosen to walk in rebellion. We have been unthankful to God, we make choices in direct contradiction to his will, and we purposely choose to run our lives independent of him. The worst of all, though, is willfully ignoring the God who made us.
Jesus called for repentance, meaning to stop our willful disobedience (sin) and to humble ourselves before him. We must change from doing wrong; such things as lying and deceit, wrong anger, premarital sex or adultery, slander, greed, foul language, and arrogance. Whether in our thoughts or in action, and to a greater or lesser degree, we find these and other sins at work in us. The end result of every sin is judgment from God and death, for God who is pure in every way cannot help but to eternally condemn us for them. What good then is repentance if we are already condemned?
“...and believe in the gospel.”
Knowing that we were helpless to save ourselves, and because of his love for the world, God sent his son, Jesus, to live in the perfectly right way that we have failed. Jesus then allowed himself to be offered to God as a sacrifice on our behalf. He took our sin on himself and as the very Son of God, paid the price of death to satisfy God’s judgment. He took our guilt so that we might take his righteousness before God, and we who repent and seek God’s salvation can receive forgiveness of all our sin. We can come into relationship again with God, our Father, through his Son. This is the good news (or “gospel”)… for all who will repent and follow Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sin can be found and times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.
You can change the life you have for this abundant (or real) life, but it can only be found through knowing God’s son, Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Do you believe? Will you repent? Will you become a follower of Jesus with us, and join with him and his people? We want to help you know God.
You can contact us with any questions.
We would like to hear from you …
