About us
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Vision
Our mission statement
La Gran Comisión is a Colombian mission whose purpose is to disciple
the capital cities of Colombia and beyond through the multiplication of cell
churches.
Our vision statement
The focus of La Gran Comisión is the great cities of Colombia,
expressly the capital city of Bogotá and 25 provincial capitals. The
target groups in these cities are the upper middle and professional classes
who, besides holding the key to national leadership, are practically unreached
by evangelical ministries. Beginning in Bogotá, the national capital,
La Gran Comisión envisions hundreds of growing cell groups multiplying
throughout the middle and upper class sections of Bogotá and spreading
to other capitals in Colombia and beyond, as laity are equipped and released
to minister in their areas of influence.
Our principles
The principles under which we operate are as follows.
THE CHURCH
The church is God’s means of evangelising and discipling the nations. Our
commitment, therefore, is to plant vital multiplying cell churches in our cities
and beyond.
DISCIPLE-MAKING
Every believer needs to be involved in a discipleship relationship and will be
given an opportunity to know God and himself intimately through a relationship
of personal discipleship.
TRAINING
Every member is a minister and will be equipped to exercise his or her spiritual
gifts, and will be given the opportunity to exercise their gifts in the body of
Christ.
EVANGELISM
Evangelism is not an event but a relationship opportunity. The urgency of evangelism
will be a constant and integral part of church life as members relate in meaningful
ways to the unchurched and as the church body makes its impact upon the community.
TEAMS
All ministry is done in teams. International members of the team will serve only
until national members are trained and equipped, and their incorporation to the
work in Colombia will depend only and exclusively on the national team. The goal
is a church under national leadership.
LEADERSHIP
The churches will be led by a plurality of leaders chosen on the bases of character
and gifting. Sacrificial service will be the touchstone of leadership, not a controlling
or dictatorial personality. The primary task of church leaders is training, equipping,
and releasing the body for service.
AUTHORITY
All life and ministry will be under the authority of the word of God, the Bible.
Leaders will seek to interpret and apply the word faithfully to themselves and
to the congregation.
STRUCTURES
Church structures follow ministry. They will grow, develop and be evaluated according
to needs as they develop.
CELLS
Cells groups are vital to church growth and will form the heart of church life.
Cell groups who do not multiply will be discontinued.
WORSHIP
The whole church body will gather to show its corporate response to the glory
of God in its midst through creative and vital worship experiences.
PRAYER
The church is nothing if not dependent upon God for its sustenance and growth.
All efforts will be constantly and continually bathed in prayer.
MISSIONS
Every church which will be planted will seek to prepare and disciple the believers
about the need for the proclamation of the Gospel in the less evangelised countries
in the world and look for opportunities to send those with the call as overseas
missionaries.
Our doctrine (or ’What we believe’)
Click
for a list of doctrinal statements we believe in, along with bible references.
History (or ’La Gran Comisión so far’)
Introduction
La Gran Comisión is a church planting mission in Colombia started by
Rev. Farid Lozada approximately 15 years ago. The mission currently consists
of two churches—one in a suburb on the north side of Bogotá and
one in a very poor area on the south side of the city.
Lozada Background
Farid Lozada grew up in Colombia and on leaving school he studied journalism.
However, he had always wanted to be an actor, so he went across to Italy where
he studied dramatic art for a year and became a mime artist. He then traveled
around Europe taking his mime with him. It was in La Gran Via in Madrid that
he saw a crowd and went over to find out what they were looking at—was
it another mime artist? He discovered that it was an American called Jim Reed,
who was preaching the Gospel. Listening to his preaching, Farid felt that God
was saying to him "Follow me", and he responded and became a Christian.
He became involved with a small evangelical church in Madrid, where he met some
British missionaries with the Open Air Campaigners, who saw his mime and saw
potential in him. They encouraged him to come to the UK. So he came to Bristol
and trained for the Christian ministry at Trinity College, an Anglican theological
college in Bristol.
Whilst in the UK, Farid met Amèrica, a Peruvian girl who was working
with the Spanish Church in London and, shortly after Farid graduated, they were
married at the Spanish Church.
Having set up La Gran Comisión in the UK, whereby their friends there
could support their work, Farid and Amèrica returned to Bogotá
where Farid planted their first church in the north of the city. That was about
15 years ago. Farid and Amèrica have two daughters, Susana and Carolina
who are approximately 17 and 15 years of age respectively.
Contact details
If you require any information about La Gran Comisión or the situation
in Colombia, please contact us at
info@lagrancomision.org
.