Growth
Track

stepOne: Encounter
stepThree: Equip
stepTwo: Establish
stepFour: Empower

The Growth Track at VOUS Church guides you to discover your redemptive purpose and live the life God created for you.

The Growth Track is made up of four steps. Encounter, Establish, Equip, and Empower.

What step are you
attending today?

Growth
Track

stepOne: Encounter
stepThree: Equip
stepTwo: Establish
stepFour: Empower

01 — Encounter

TODAY'S RESOURCE
NEW BELIEVERS GUIDE

Following Jesus is a journey – one that will continue for all eternity.

This guide is intended to be a resource for you to gain a better understanding of the Christian faith and to provide direction for the next steps of your journey.

Who Is God?

We believe there is ONE God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal. We call this, the TRINITY.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

What Is Salvation?

Salvation is one of the most important concepts in Christianity, but what does it mean? Salvation is a GIFT FROM GOD. You are saved from the eternal consequences of your sin and given eternal life. It’s not about what you can do for God, but what God has already done for you.

Ephesians 2:8 tells us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

How Am I Saved?

Salvation happens when you TURN AWAY from your sin, repent, believe in Jesus, and confess Him as Lord. You don’t have to work for salvation; you just believe in what Jesus has done. This is the first and most crucial step in your journey.

Salvation Prayer

You can take these steps by praying a simple prayer of commitment to God:

“Dear Jesus, thank you for creating me and for loving me even when I’ve ignored you and gone my own way. I realize I need you in my life, and I’m sorry for my sins. I ask you to forgive me. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. As much as I know how, I want to follow you from now on. Please come into my life and make me a new person inside. I accept your free gift of salvation. Please help me to grow now as a Christian.”

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. - Romans 10:13

What is Sin?

Now, we need to understand why we need salvation in the first place. Sin causes a SEPARATION between humans and God.. God is perfect and holy, and when we act in ways that are out of line with His nature, we create a divide between ourselves and our Creator.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This sin creates a barrier between us and God. But the good news is that God didn’t leave us in our sin.

JESUS is God’s answer to sin. He came to bridge the gap and RESTORE our relationship with God.

Why is following Jesus the Most Important Decision I’ll Ever Make?

Surrendering your life to Jesus is the greatest decision you can ever make. Through Jesus, you are given a living hope (1 Peter 1:3-6).

Your sin is

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and your relationship

with God has been

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Salvation begins the process we call

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2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Jesus is, in fact, the only way to the Father and the only way to receive salvation. Accepting him gives you access to everything that God has for you.

The Bible is Fully Inspired by the Holy Spirit and God-Breathed

The Bible is the

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written by faithful men and women chosen by God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. While humans were the vessels God used to write down the passages, the truth of the Bible did not come from human understanding or knowledge.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness...” 2 Timothy 3:16

God’s intention from the very beginning was for humans to share in his royal position and carry His

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in the world.

But He gave us the choice to live according to His wisdom and share in His inheritance or to follow our own wisdom and live according to what we think

is best. He gave us

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Why Did Jesus Need to Die For My Sin?

Jesus died the death that we deserve so that we could live FOREVER in relationship with God.

In doing this, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the one who would suffer on BEHALF of humanity.

Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Who is his Church?

Real Christianity is about

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Not

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Fasting

Fasting is the ancient practice of

choosing to

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from food

for a certain period of time. It is a spiritual discipline, the purpose of which is training to become more like Jesus. The motivation of our fasting is to draw closer to the heart of God. Fasting is a Christian discipline to break the power of

the

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in our life

– our desires, sins, and cravings – and to feed on the Holy Spirit.

Sabbath

Jesus observed the sabbath – a time to pause and rest from work.

God’s plan to completely RESTORE humanity back to a perfect relationship with Him is done through Jesus’ sacrifice, and through the empowerment of His Church. God’s Kingdom is in part here now, but also still to come. The advancement of God’s Kingdom is carried out through His Church. The hope of the world is the LOCAL CHURCH.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. - Ephesians 2:19-22

VOUS History 101 [VH101]

Our mission is simple, to bring those who are FAR from God CLOSE to him.

Our Values

01. Jesus: Is Our Message
02. People: Are Our Heart
03. Generosity: Is Our Privilege
04. Excellence: Is Our Spirit
05. Servant Leadership: Is Our Identity
06. Honor: Is Our Calling
07. Passion: Is Our Pursuit

Water Baptism

The Bible teaches that we should be baptized in water in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We believe in water baptism because Jesus

himself

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it for us.

In the book of Luke it says, "When all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized too. As he was praying, heaven was opened." Luke 3:21

Baptism is an outward confession of an inward decision.

Baptism is a command.

Everyone who confesses Christ should be baptized.  

Baptism represents a burial of the old way of life and mindset.  

Baptism is not a prerequisite to salvation.  Baptism doesn’t get you to heaven... it announces to your friends you are headed to heaven.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38

Statement Of Faith

Doctrine can be defined as a set of BELIEFS and PRINCIPLES. Our doctrine of God should lead to a deeper love and understanding of God - right believing leads to right living.

NEXT STEPS
STATEMENT OF FAITH

Join A Team

Once you complete all 4 Steps, you will be able to start serving on a team at VOUS.

Join a team now and they'll be waiting for you when you complete Growth Track!
*some teams require an application/audition process

NEXT STEPS
JOIN A TEAM

Continuing Your Faith Journey

Growth
Track

stepOne: Encounter
stepThree: Equip
stepTwo: Establish
stepFour: Empower

02 — Establish

Explore the Ministry of VOUS Church and find out how to connect in our community.

Culture Guide

This is a resource for YOU. Culture happens by default or by design, and we believe in being purposeful of building the environment we believe will help all of us on our journey of faith. The Culture Guide talks ALL things VOUS. Download and keep on hand!

TODAY'S RESOURCE
CULTURE GUIDE

Sanctification

Sanctification is the necessary, ONGOING process of submitting to God’s Word and Spirit to complete the development of Christ’s character in us; and we believe that process is best lived out with other believers.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Baptism

The Bible teaches that we should be baptized in water in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We believe in water baptism because Jesus MODELED it himself for us.

Luke 3:21
"When all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized too. As he was praying, heaven was opened."

Sign Up for Baptisms Here ->

Establish

At VOUS we believe in these things:

— We believe in GATHERING
— We believe in CONNECTING
— We believe in SERVING
— We believe in GIVING
— We believe in MATURING

Gathering

Sundays & mid-week

Our Sunday services are for people at all STAGES in their spiritual journey; from people exploring faith to people that have been established in their relationship with God.

Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Connecting

VOUS Crews

VOUS Crews are gatherings of 10-15 people who meet every other week in various venues throughout South Florida to hang, eat, and talk about life. A Crew is where prayer and support for one another happens.

Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Two Things You Should Know About Crew:

1. We have curriculum based Crews, called Care Crews

No matter the season you’re in, you need people to support you; people to celebrate with and people to lift you up. We want to come around and help resource you. Our Care Crews are designed to do exactly that. We have four types of Care Crews: Formation, Family, Freedom, and Finance.

Find A Care Crew ->

2. We have three seasons every year

Life flows in SEASONS, and we want to make it easy for you to be in the right Crew for you in each season. New Crews start and stop three times a year in a cycle we refer to as “seasons.”

Our Crew seasons are:
SZN 1 — January to March
SZN 2 — May to July
SZN 3 — September to November

Find A Crew ->

Serving

VOUS Teams & I Love My City

Why we serve?
All of us were created by God to make a difference in the life of another person. God has a place for you where your unique abilities and passions can impact the lives of others. We believe your life will never make sense until you find, develop and fulfill that PURPOSE.

1 Peter 4:10
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.

Ways you can serve
- VOUS Teams: Discover in StepFOUR!
- I Love My City Outreaches: Visit VOUSChurch.com/ILMC
- Additional Serving Opportunities: Discover in StepFOUR!

Giving

Tithing & Generosity

Generosity is our privilege:
Generosity is about giving more than what is required. We see generosity as a PRIVILEGE. We're generous with our time, talents and treasure. We go first in our giving. God has given richly towards us, it's our honor to give back to him.

Proverbs 11:24-25
One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

What is the tithe?
We believe in honoring God with our TITHE. To tithe means giving the first fruits or 10% of income weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

Maturing

Spiritual Practices

Maturity happens OVER TIME not overnight. As we pursue Jesus, we believe these spiritual practices will guide you on the journey of maturing in Christ Jesus.

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Prayer

Prayer is a pathway to building a genuine relationship with God. Prayer is not a formula, but rather a CONVERSATION with our creator.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you

Bible Reading

The Bible is the WORD OF GOD, written by faithful men and women chosen by God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:16
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness...”

Sabbath

A time to pause and REST from work.

Mark 2:27
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” 

Fasting

Fasting is the ancient practice of choosing to ABSTAIN from food for a certain period of time

Ezra 8:23
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

VOUS Church Covenant

We believe that commitment lasts longer in community, and by agreeing to this covenant, you’re not just making a personal promise - you’re joining a group of people dedicated to growing, serving, and supporting one another in faith.

NEXT STEPS
VOUS CHURCH COVENANT

Join A Team

Once you complete all 4 Steps, you will be able to start serving on a team at VOUS.

Join a team now and they'll be waiting for you when you complete Growth Track!
*some teams require an audition process

NEXT STEPS
JOIN A TEAM

Continuing Your Faith Journey

Growth
Track

stepOne: Encounter
stepThree: Equip
stepTwo: Establish
stepFour: Empower

03 — Equip

VOUS Church is called to equip God’s people for his work. We know that two of the most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. God gives us tools to develop and strengthen the body of Christ.

EMBRACE YOUR PURPOSE

1. Identify your spiritual gifts

2. Understand your leadership style

3. Pursue opportunities to activate your purpose

THE HOLY SPIRIT

As Jesus ascended into heaven, He left us with a gift, the greatest gift we could receive on this side of eternity. That gift being the very SPIRIT OF GOD. We may be aware of his presence in the Trinity, but often, we can treat the Holy Spirit as a supporting character, when it is solely through Him that we may come to know Jesus.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” John 14:16-17

The Holy Spirit equips us in many ways:

1. He guides us

2. He strengthens us

3. He empowers us

EVIDENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

These aren’t just good character traits; they’re evidence of God’s Spirit. TRANSFORMING us from the inside out. And as the fruit of the Spirit grows in us, it naturally overflows into the lives of those around us.

SPIRITUAL AND NATURAL GIFTS

  • Spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities given to you when you enter into a relationship with Jesus. These might include teaching, encouragement, discernment, or healing. They are meant to build up the Church and advance God’s Kingdom.
  • Natural gifts are talents and skills you were born with. These could be anything from artistic creativity to athletic ability to strategic thinking. Every human being has natural gifts because God creates everyone with purpose and intentionality.

“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

Spiritual Gifts Assessment

The Holy Spirit has gifted each one of us to do good works. Take the Spiritual Gifts Test to discover yours.

TODAY'S RESOURCE
Spiritual Gifts Assessment

YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE

  • D: Dominant – Decisive, task-oriented, and driven by results.
  • I: Influential – Outgoing, enthusiastic, and people-focused.
  • S: Steady – Supportive, loyal, and consistent.
  • C: Compliant – Analytical, detail-oriented, and precise.

Personality Assessment

God has designed every person with a UNIQUE personality. Each personality has strengths, and it is important to understand how to balance your natural abilities with those of others. This self-assessment will help guide you to specific areas to focus on as you collaborate with others.

TODAY'S RESOURCE
Personality Assessment

ACTIVATE YOUR GIFTS

Discovering your gifts is important, but the real transformation happens when you use them.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

1. Join a team

2. Participate in Crews

3. Apply to VOUSCOM

LEARN MORE
YOUR GIFTS IN Action

STEP INTO YOUR CALLING

Lorena shares how serving on the translation team has transformed her faith and helped break down language barriers to share God’s love and message to others.

Your Top 5 Spiritual Gifts:

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Join A Team

Once you complete all 4 Steps, you will be able to start serving on a team at VOUS.

Join a team now and they'll be waiting for you when you complete Growth Track!
*some teams require an audition process

NEXT STEPS
JOIN A TEAM

Continuing Your Faith Journey

Growth
Track

stepOne: Encounter
stepThree: Equip
stepTwo: Establish
stepFour: Empower

04 — Empower

Connect to the opportunities at VOUS to live out your purpose and use your gifts serving others.

Welcome to the Growth Track! We are so glad you have decided to take the next step in your journey at VOUS.

TODAY'S RESOURCE
Servant Leader Playbook

Empower

We are empowered to serve one another. Saved people, serve people.

Your Role in God’s Story

From the very beginning, God has been writing a story of redemption, hope, and restoration, and He’s chosen to use people like YOU AND ME to carry it forward.

Like farmers who plant seeds knowing they may never see the full harvest, God invites you to SOW your gifts into His Kingdom and trust Him for the increase. The time to plant is now, and the fields are ready.

Serving is Key to Activation

Just as a seed must be planted to bear fruit, your God-given gifts are meant to be ACTIVATED through serving. When you step out to serve, you step into your calling.

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:28

Activate Your Gifts

1. God empowers us through the Holy Spirit

2. Your natural talents and spiritual gifts work together.

3. Gifts flourish in action.

Harvest Hands

The harvest is ready, but the workers are few. This isn’t just a call to action—it’s a divine invitation. Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

As we reflect on the past nine years of VOUS Church, one thing is clear: God is moving.
The fields are vast, and the seeds we sow today will shape the FUTURE of this church and beyond. Your decision to serve isn’t just about meeting a need—it’s about building a legacy.

Serving at VOUS

Servant Leadership is our identity: If you’re too big to serve then you are too small to lead. We believe the greatest leadership is service to others. Every leader is a servant first. From the parking lot to the pulpit, everyone serves. Every role is different but they are all important. If you ain’t helping, you ain’t helping.

Department Overview

Servant Leader Commitment

If you’re too big to serve then you are too small to lead. We believe the greatest leadership is service to others. Every leader is a servant first. From the parking lot to the pulpit, everyone serves. Every role is different but they are all important. If you ain’t helping, you ain’t helping!

NEXT STEPS
Servant Leader Expectations

Join A Team

Once you complete all 4 Steps, you will be able to start serving on a team at VOUS.

Join a team now and they'll be waiting for you when you complete Growth Track!
*some teams require an audition process

NEXT STEPS
JOIN A TEAM

Continuing Your Faith Journey