Our Mission
To glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ
Our mission answers the question, “Why are we here?” It’s derived from two overarching biblical principles:
| 1. Our highest goal in everything we do, according to the Bible, is to bring glory to God. We are called to “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name” (1 Chronicles 16:29). In fact, God wants us to bring Him glory in literally everything we do – including even the most mundane things: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). When we obey God’s commands in the power of the Holy Spirit and fulfill His purposes we bring Him glory. | 2. Jesus commanded His disciples, and by extension He commands us today, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). |
God’s great purpose for His Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. The church is to be about this great task: share the good news of the gospel with all nations (including especially our local area) and teach all who place saving faith in Christ to follow His commands. And as we obey this Great Commission, we bring God glory.
Core Values
Our Core Values answer the question: “Who are we?” They define the primary guiding principles we hold to as a church. They help define our church culture. We are….
Bible Centered“The Bible, God’s inerrant Word, is the authoritative source of truth and is sufficient for all of life. The teaching and application of God’s Word is central to all we do.”
In a world of infinitely competing and changing philosophies and opinions, we have a great need of truth. God has revealed much about Himself, about His will for us and His plan of salvation in the Bible. Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Since we hold the Bible in highest esteem, we will be careful to teach it as faithfully, accurately, and widely as we possibly can. Resources and curricula will be chosen based on their faithfulness to the orthodox teaching of the Bible.
Spiritually Growing“We grow as disciples in Christ as we learn and apply the truth of the Bible. This life change occurs as we draw close to Christ through personal study, prayer, small group Bible studies, fellowship groups, Sunday morning worship and biblical counseling.”
Knowing what the Bible teaches is good, but it’s not sufficient. God does not save us to just secure heaven for us when we die. God wants to use His Word to help us grow up spiritually – to transform our character to be more like His Son, Jesus, so that our lives would bring Him glory. A follower of Christ should always be learning and growing. The apostle Paul wrote, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Most of what we do as a church is directed toward this end. |
Gospel Driven“Our ministry is rooted and centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of God’s saving grace and the sanctifying power to change our lives. This message of hope motivates us to worship God, to reach those who don’t know Christ, and to grow in Christ-likeness.”
Through the gospel we learn the good news that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, took on flesh, lived a sinless life, carried our sin and its penalty to the cross, died, and rose again on the third day. And only by repenting and placing faith in Jesus as our Savior can we have a relationship with God. We are called to be faithful to share this gospel with those who have not believed, and to be strengthened by its truths as we worship God and grow spiritually.
Community Oriented
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Our Statement of Faith
The Person of God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
- God the Father
We believe that the Father is sovereign and exalted over all. It is He who has decreed all things. When we say the “father” we specifically intend to refer to the Father of Jesus, the Son. The Father (as well as the Son and Spirit) is infinite, eternal, and unchanging in every aspect of His being. In His moral nature He is perfect in His holiness, goodness, faithfulness, love, mercy, truthfulness, and justice. As He relates to His creation He is everywhere present, all-powerful, and all knowing.
- God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
- God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Scriptures
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
The Work of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Church
We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian Living
We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
Christ's Return
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.