Walking One Step Closer to Jesus
The mission of MC3 Church is to help people walk on step closer to Jesus. To help our members, we have created this model, intended to serve as a dashboard or checklist to see “where I stand and what I need to do” to walk one step closer to Christ.
Full Devoted to Christ
Accept Christ – Believe, Confess, Repent, & be Baptized
Leading people into a relationship with Jesus is the ultimate goal of MC3’s vision to focus on the ONE who needs Christ in our community and world. Accepting Jesus is essential to our salvation and eternal life spent in God’s presence. It is all important but also just the very beginning in walking one step closer to Jesus.
The first C is to CELEBRATE by attending church weekly.
We’re not talking about coming to church for the sake of coming to church. We can take anything that is beneficial to our spiritual growth and turn it into something religious and mundane, which is exactly what Christ does NOT want us to do.
However, Hebrews 10:19-25 instructs us about the importance of believers meeting together on a regular basis. We Celebrate through worship weekly because it helps us draw near to God … hold on to hope … and receive encouragement.
The second C is to CONNECT – connect to the Lord by praying and reading scripture daily and connect to fellow believers by joining an MC3 C-Group.
Grow in Your Faith
Reading your Bible and praying daily are essential steps in growing closer to Jesus. Yet these simple habits are often the most overlooked.
We want to help you stay consistent with both.
Daily Bible Reading & Journaling
We provide a simple daily Bible reading plan along with a journaling method called SOAP.
Find Community with C-Groups
Spiritual growth isn’t meant to happen alone.
C-Groups help you connect with others, build relationships, and grow in your faith together. As seen in Acts 2:42-47, believers are called to learn, grow, and fellowship in community.
The Third C is to COMMIT – commit to giving your time, talent and money, and serving each week.
Service is a cornerstone of truly Committing to walk one step closer to Jesus. MC3 is driven by a vision and deep desire to take Christ to our community. We want every member of the church to engage in the work of Christ, according to the gifts and passions given them by the Holy Spirit.
There are numerous opportunities to serve in the church and the community. It takes dozens of volunteers to make church happen each week. All of us have a role to play to make that happen—we are called to do more than just sit in a pew week after week. Beyond that, we live in a community where need knows no limit. We need to be rubbing elbows and serving alongside our neighbors to ensure those needs are met.
Our Values
What drives everything we do and how we serve others every day
The Bible
God has spoken, is speaking and will speak in and through His word. To know God, we have to read His Word. (John 1:1-5)
Reaching the Lost
Lost people matter to God and, therefore, they matter to us. (Luke 5:30-32, Luke 15, Matthew 18:14, Romans 10:14-15)
Discipleship
Teaching and sharing our faith is the cornerstone of building our faith and transforming our lives. (Romans 12:7, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, James 1:23-25).
Service
Believers should serve as the hands and feet of Christ, using their spiritual gifts and ministry callings to build God’s Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 12 and 14, Romans 12:1-8, Ephesians 4:11-13, Psalm 133:1)
Prayer
Prayer is foundational for your relationship with Christ. (Acts 2:42; Philippians 4:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Relationships
Discipleship works best when it’s built around authentic relationships that help people come to know Jesus and grow stronger in their faith. (Matthew 22:36-40)
Community
Life-change happens best in community. (Luke 6:12-13, Acts 2:44-47)
Compassion
Forgiveness and building each other up are central to the teachings of Christ. (Matthew 6:14, Matthew 18:21-22, Ephesians 4:32, Psalm 116:5, James 5:11, John 13:34-35)
Our History
“The God who was with the church yesterday and in yesteryear is the Lord of today and tomorrow!”
MC3 Church came into existence on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018. It was a day of rebirth and renewal for a congregation that has existed in some form since 1904.
Previously known as Mount Carmel Christian Church between 1913 and March 2018, the establishment of MC3 was the fruition of years of searching and seeking the Lord’s will for the future of this body of believers. The leadership felt led by the Lord to step away from the past and embrace a future to make Christ relevant to a lost world where He is desperately needed.
Our decision to become MC3 was a bold step forward. The decision acknowledged that the church needed to be re-envisioned and reimagined to become effective once again at winning new people to Christ and meeting the needs of our community.
- The effort closely resembled the same kind of searching and seeking that led 17 charter members to establish Panthersville Christian Church in 1904.
- The small congregation first met in the home of their new pastor, J.T. Gazaway, in the rural Panthersville community of South DeKalb County.
- In March 1906, the growing church acquired one acre of land for its first building on what would later become Candler Road.
- By 1913, the church was renamed Mount Carmel Christian Church, inspired by one of the most prominent geographic features in the Holy Land.
Through the years, the church faithfully proclaimed the gospel, guided by various pastors, and relocated several times:
First to Rainbow Drive in DeKalb County
Then to 6015 Old Stone Mountain Road in Stone Mountain
After selling the Old Stone Mountain Road property, the church began meeting at Parkview High School in January 2019, while continuing the search for a new permanent home.
Going forward, MC3 will stand strong on the unchanging principles of God’s Word. Our message and what we believe does not change—it is an eternal truth.