WHAT DEFINES US
Our core values help to clarify who we are seeking to be as God’s people and help define the way we want to live as an expression of His Church in our city.
The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of all He is doing in our lives and the world around us. To “Glorify” God means feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect His greatness and make much of Him (John Piper). The goal of everything we are and everything we do is that God alone would receive the glory for redeeming, adopting and empowering us with new life in Christ. It is only in giving Him the greatest glory that we will experience our greatest joy.
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GOD’S
GLORY
(1 Chronicles 29:10-13; Psalm 86:8-10; Isaiah 40:9-18, 43:7; Habakkuk 2:14; Luke 11; John 13:31; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Corinthians 6:20, 10:31; Ephesians 1:11-14; 1 Peter 4:11; Revelation 4:11, 15:4)
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GOSPEL
CENTERED
We want to continually point ourselves and others to the truth of God's Word and the person and work of Jesus Christ. What Jesus has done through His life, death, and resurrection, is good news and the only way we can be restored to a right relationship with God. Because of our ongoing struggle with sin and our ongoing need for grace, we desire to keep the Gospel at the center of every area of life and ministry. It is the means by which we grow and are renewed and is hope for the believer and unbeliever. The Gospel is God's power that changes everything.
(Romans 1:16, 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 11:1-2, 15:1-11; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 1:20-21; Colossians 1:5-6, 2:6-7; Hebrews 12:1-2; 2 Peter 1)
We desire to faithfully walk in the command and commission of the Lord to go into all the world, and all of life, with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that every follower of Christ has not only been adopted into God's family, but has been called into mission with Him. Motivated by our love for Christ and others, we want every area of ministry to reflect the heart of God's mission to reconcile the world to Himself. We seek to have redemptive relationships with unbelievers, to be sensitive to skeptics in our midst, to invite questions and engage in dialogue about why we believe what we believe.
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MISSIONAL
LIFESTYLE
(Genesis 3:14-15; Isaiah 6:8-9; Matthew 9:37-38, 24:14, 28:18-20; Luke 5:1-11; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:14-15; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Peter 2:9)
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REDEMPTIVE
COMMUNITY
We desire to extend our gospel-centered and missional values into all our relationships, believing that how we live in community within the church and in our city reflects the beauty of Christ to the watching world. We seek to create environments where people can be known by others and know others on a deep level. We believe that the focus of ministry should always be maturing people in the grace of the gospel, rather than on multiplying programs and the numbers of people who attend them. We believe that as a culture of change, forgiveness, and love grows, then those who don't know Christ will be drawn to what is happening.
(Exodus 6:7; John 17:20-21; Acts 2:42-47; Galatians 6:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 2:8; Hebrews 3:12-13, 10:23-25; 1 Peter 4:10-11; 1 John 1:7)
Everyone is engaging life in a fallen world but the hope of the Gospel is that Christ is making all things new. Where the Kingdom of God is made more visible, physical and spiritual poverty begin to fade. We believe that the church is the primary vehicle here on earth that God is working through to reflect His Kingdom in the world, and to bring about the restoration and redemption of all that is broken. We seek to build strong relationships with other churches and organizations that share our vision for transforming our city and its people through humble service and acts of mercy.
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CULTURAL
RENEWAL
(Psalm 23:3; Jeremiah 29:4-7; Matthew 6:10; John 7:37-38; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 5:17-21; Ephesians 4:22-24; Revelation 21:1-5)