McLean Bible Church

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McLean Bible Church is a non-denominational, evangelical Christian megachurch located in McLean, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. The head pastor is Lon Solomon, a Jewish convert to Christianity, who joined the church as its fourth pastor in 1980. Solomon leads McLean Bible's four main worship services, and can also be heard on secular radio stations in the Washington area with his 60-second "Not a Sermon, Just a Thought" messages designed to reach out to an unchurched audience. Solomon also serves on the board of directors of Jews for Jesus and was appointed by President George W. Bush to the President's Committee for Intellectual Disabilities.

The church's motto is "Impacting Secular Washington for Christ." Founded in 1961 by five families, the church now boasts over 10,000 members and meets at the renovated former headquarters of the National Wildlife Federation. Its membership ranks include many prominent members of the conservative establishment in Washington, including former prosecutor Ken Starr^[1], Senators James Inhofe and John Thune, former Senators Dan Coats and Don Nickles^[2], author Joel C. Rosenberg, Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, and many business leaders.

1 Ministries
2 Core Values
3 External links
4 Notes

[edit] Ministries

Included in the innovative ministry of McLean Bible Church are:

Frontline, a targeted ministry for young adults that has grown to over 2,500 weekly participants in less than ten years from its inception;
THE HOUSE, a ministry to teenagers in SE Washington, DC that provides after-school, weekend, and summer programs focused around spiritual growth, character formation, and skills training;
DAYBREAK, an afternoon and early evening ministry to elementary school children in the Lincoln Heights projects of Washington, D.C.;
ACCESS, the largest church ministry to children with special needs and their families in the United States; and
The Gathering, a ministry for college students that holds weekly services on various college campuses throughout the Washington metro area as well as small groups, social activities, and service projects.

[edit] Core Values

At McLean Bible Church we desire to honor Jesus Christ, we are committed to the divine inspiration, accuracy, inerrancy, integrity, trustworthiness, truth, Relevance and authority of the Scriptures. And we are dependent upon the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to understand and apply them. The vision of McLean Bible Church incorporates 10 core values:^[3]

People matter to God and to us.

Luke 15

The Gospel message transforms people's lives.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

The goal of our ministry is to transform people into fully devoted followers of Christ.

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Eph. 4:11-16

Ministry and evangelism must be carried out in a Relevant way.

"…I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." 1 Corinthians 9:22b

People must be treated gently and respectfully.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…" 1 Peter 3:15

People need to be connected to a caring community.

"There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need." Acts 4:34-35

"Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more."1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

Every Christian has a God-given ministry.

"…to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…" Ephesians 4:12

Everything we do for Christ must be done with excellence.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." Colossians 3:23-24

Our church must have an evangelistic impact on our community.

"So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." Acts 6:7

"The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it…" 1 Thessalonians 1:8

To accomplish our mission we must be willing to step out in visionary faith and take risks for God.

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6