About Us

God has transformed, and continues to transform, our hearts, our lives and our relationships.  He is moving us to share in the work of building up the Body of Christ into maturity by equipping women spiritually and emotionally to live out His command to love as He has loved us.

THEME VERSE: 
“Jesus replied: ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27).
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
 
OUR DESCRIPTION: 
For 15 years, Focus on the Heart has been changing the way women relate to God, themselves, and others by equipping them to live from a heart transformed by the love of Jesus in their spheres of influence: their marriages, families, churches, communities, and workplaces.

VISION:  What do we want to see happen?
We desire to see women living in genuine, loving relationships with God, self, and others from hearts transformed by the love of Jesus.

MISSION:  How will we do this?  
We accomplish our vision by establishing worldwide Focus on the Heart teams to equip women leaders to walk with other women toward spiritual and emotional maturity in the context of relational small-group training.  We do this by investing in women’s lives at 3 levels:

1. Providing training and course materials that are transferable through an intentional
small group process, in order to multiply the number of lives that will be transformed.

a. Courses are interactive and discussion-based
b. Facilitators are not necessarily experts
c. Small groups provide maximum impact

2. Creating opportunities for emotional healing, in order to fully develop spiritually
mature individuals.  Small groups provide safe spaces for developing trust and
genuine relationships.

3. Establishing networks of support and encouragement for Focus on the Heart
women leaders to expand and strengthen ministry teams at all levels.

Heart – the heart of FOH is Jesus and His love for others.  Our heart is where we live from, how
we see people and how we respond with compassion, understanding, grace and love.  

Focus on the Heart values:

Honesty – Relating openly and genuinely in all relationships with God, others and ourselves.

Encouragement – Offering compassion, hope, support, and care; comforting with God’s comfort.

Accountability – Speaking and acting in love; in everything we do we are accountable to God.

Respect – Accepting each person in ways that open communication and Christ-like interactions
with each other.

Teamwork – Working together in the faith, strengths, gifts, and power God has given to each
one.

Service – Walking in the Spirit of God, serving others with an open and generous heart.

GOD: FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in one God eternally existing in three separate and equal persons: Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal, only begotten Son of God, fully God and fully
human.  Through power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life as
a man, died on a cross, and was buried.  He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, where
He continues to intercede for us.

We believe that the Holy Spirit was sent from the Father and the Son to be God’s presence
living in each believer individually and in God’s people corporately.  The Holy Spirit is active to
convict people of sin, to accomplish God’s saving work in those who believe and to lead and
guide us into truth.  As we yield ourselves to Him, the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image
of Christ, producing the fruit of His character in us.  He gives us spiritual gifts for the purpose
of building up Christ’s Body, the Church.

THE CHURCH
We believe that the Church is God’s plan for the redemption of the world.  The Church is made
up of the universal community of believers in Jesus Christ, witnessing to the world the
character and plans of God.  The Church is the Body Christ on earth: He is the head who directs
and empowers its mission to extend the Kingdom of God.  

THE BIBLE
We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God as contained in the Old and New
Testaments.  We understand the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament revelation
of Jesus Christ.  The Bible is our guide for faith and practice.

HUMAN BEINGS
We believe that human beings are created in the image of God for relationship with Him, but
that all have rebelled and are under the power of sin and death.  All who receive the lordship of
Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.  Through
Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are set free from the law of sin and death and all
condemnation.  God restores us to right relationship with Himself and with one another. 
Through the Holy Spirit He works to transform us into the image of Christ.

We believe that marriage is the exclusive union of one man and one woman in a covenant
relationship with one another that is intended by God to be binding until death.  We affirm the
biblical standard for sexual activity: fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness.

Jesus calls us His friends and sends us into the world as the Father sent Him.  Our lives are
dedicated to glorifying Him by living in obedience to His law of love through sharing the Good
News of His salvation with others and walking in the good works He has already prepared for
each of us to do.

Beliefs about Women 

The influence of women impacts their homes, families, churches and communities.   
When properly related to God and others, their godly influence positively alters future
generations and accelerates the transformation of entire societies.   

Women naturally offer comfort, support, and help to those in need. As their hearts are
filled with the love of God, they can comfort the grieving with the comfort they have
received, walk with the hurting with a heart that’s been healed, and support others with
hope and faith as they go through life’s challenges and changes. 

Beliefs about Spiritual Maturity and Transformation 

We measure spiritual maturity by the fruit of transformed hearts. We believe that biblical
principles define our maturity as the ability to live out of a heart of love, loving others as
Jesus loves us. 

We recognize that a wounded heart is a barrier to receiving the love of God and to spiritual
maturity. As our hearts are healed and changed by God’s love and truth, and as we learn to
interact closely and continuously with Him, our attitudes and actions are transformed. This
transformation continues throughout our lifetime. 
Emotional immaturity is also a barrier to spiritual maturity because we are only as spiritually
mature as we are emotionally mature.

Emotional maturity develops in healthy communities. It brings freedom from selfishness, fears, and defenses, and freedom to enjoy authentic, healthy relationships. 

Beliefs about Healthy Team-Based Ministry 

Teams are the best way to begin and strategically multiply a ministry. Equipping leaders to
replicate the Focus on the Heart ministry maximizes the potential number of women who can be reached. 

Focus on the Heart teams are small groups of women with the same vision and different gifts
working together. The Lord gives each one different gifts so that we will learn to be
interdependent on each other (1 Corinthians 12). The unique composition of individuals on
each team makes it possible to achieve greater results as members work together rather than separately. 

Being a member of a Focus on the Heart team provides opportunities to experience and to
grow in gifts, service, and relationships. 

Leadership in team-based ministry should follow Christ’s example of servanthood (Matthew
20:26-28). Servant leaders help others be successful.

Adult Learning 

Adult learning takes place best in interactive small groups in which honest, confidential
communication and trusting personal relationships offer encouragement and motivation to
grow in maturity. 

Discussion-based consideration of the ways in which God’s Word applies to our attitudes
and actions is a productive way to encourage spiritual and emotional growth. 

Practical strategies are important for cementing new habits. Practicing the concepts helps reinforce growth in healthy relationships. 

Prayer is an essential component of continued growth in Christlikeness.