Core Beliefs

As a church, we have certain values that we hold dear. These don't define what we believe, though they are based on what we believe. Our values are those principles and convictions that we would like to characterize our ministry. If someone were to ask us, "What is your church like? What are its characteristics? What kind of "flavor" does it have?" these are the answers we would give:

1. The most marvelous truth in the world is God's free acceptance of us through faith in Jesus Christ.

Most of us are surprised when we first learn that God will never accept us on the basis of our character and behavior, because we can never be "good enough" for a holy God. But he gives us eternal life, rescues us from the penalty of sin, and restores us to relationship with himself as a free gift when we come to him trusting only in Jesus Christ-whose spotless character and perfect behavior is "enough" for the Father. Salvation by grace is the most soul-freeing, joy-giving, life-changing truth a person can ever discover. And the more we understand and experience God's grace, the more marvelous it becomes. (John 3.16; Rom. 3.23-27; 4.4)

As a result, we make it our ambition as a church to personally experience the grace of God, and to allow grace to flow out of our lives and ministries-we want to radiate grace!

2. Appreciation for God's love and grace is the best and most powerful motivation for following Christ.

It is possible to motivate people to obey God out of guilt, or shame, or greed. These motivations can only promote obedience out of fear that we haven't "done enough" for God. They may produce temporary obedience, but they can never promote the lasting freedom, joy, authenticity and obedience that only gratitude for God's immeasurable grace can produce. (2 Corinthians 5.14-15; 9.15; 1 John 4.10-11)

As a result, we make it our ambition as a church to help people come to know Christ and to fall in love with him. We are convinced that as people do this, their deep gratitude to God for his love and grace will prompt them to ask God, "What can I do to honor you, Lord? How can I serve you more?"

3. God expects every believer to become a fully-devoted follower of Christ.

Parents give their children life as a gift, but they don't just leave them there-they seek to help them to grow up. In the same way, God gives us eternal life freely when we trust in Christ, but since we are his children, he will guide, and discipline us to help us to "grow up" in Christ. This parent-child relationship makes it evident that a life of following Jesus with full devotion is not optional, but normal, for every believer. (Matthew 10.24-28; Romans 6.1-11; Colossians 2.6)

As a result, we make it our ambition as a church to model lives of authentic devotion to Christ, to provide discipleship opportunities for people, and to encourage believers to follow the Lord wholeheartedly.

4. God changes lives best when truth is experienced in the context of spiritual, loving relationships.

When Jesus came to earth, he didn't build an organization, promote a preaching campaign, or seek the company of the wealthy, educated, and powerful. Jesus changed the world by gathering twelve average people. As they related to him in everyday life, he trained them in kingdom values and behaviors. Jesus' method of discipleship demonstrates that the best setting for real transformation and growth in people's lives is a small group. As people come to God together in a small group, they can best learn to worship God, obey his word, and sacrificially love each other. (Mark 3.13-19; Acts 2.46-47; 2 Timothy 2.2)

As a result, we make it our ambition as a church to make small, home groups the basic building block of our church life and ministry.

5. Authentic spirituality is reflected in a life of others-centered love flowing out of fellowship with Christ.

Many times a Christian is thought to be "spiritual" if he knows the Bible, can pray out loud, attends church regularly, and lives a moral life. While these are all important, they only measure external performance not internal character. We are absolutely convinced that true spirituality involves living in fellowship with Jesus and reflecting his character in a life of others-centered love. (John 15.12; 1 Peter 3.21; 1 John 3.23)

As a result, we make it our ambition as a church to not allow external behavior to be the sole measure of spirituality. Because we want to be authentic Christians, we will seek to move into each others lives with strength and love, to understand each other deeply, to deal with sin, and to advance holiness.

6. Lost people are important to God and they should be important to us as well.

Jesus once told three stories in a row-about a lost coin, a lost sheep, and a lost son-to graphically show us how much lost people matter to God. They matter so much that God sent his Son to search for them, and he rejoices whenever a lost one is restored to relationship with him. That task, which is so important to God, ought to be important to the church as well. Everything we do should promote the seeking, winning, and discipling of lost people in our community and in other nations of the world. (Luke 15; Mark 1.17; John 4.35)

As a result, we make it our ambition as a church to continue the ministry of Jesus by seeking to develop relationships with lost people and to communicate the message of Christ to them in the most clear, authentic, and appealing way that we can.

7. The disciplined stewardship of our lives-including our time, our abilities, and our resources-is central to following Christ in discipleship.

Jesus doesn't want us to give him an hour or two of our week-he calls us to give to him all of our lives. Full devotion to Christ demands that we exchange our agenda in life for his. This commitment will affect every area of our lives, including marriage, parenting, moral behavior, recreation choices, work habits, use of time and money, and choices in friendships. (Luke 14.33; 2 Corinthians 8.1-5; 1 Timothy 4.7)

As a result, we make it our ambition as a church to spur each other on to deeper commitment to Christ, evidenced by lives of more heartfelt obedience and devotion to God.