PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

1. Captivated with the Glory of God...
2. Consumed with Resting in Grace...
3. Convinced to Live on Mission...

1. Make Followers…
2. Engage in the Joyful Rescue…
3. Renewal of Loving Relationships…
4. In our Community and Abroad…

The Gospel, revealed to us through the Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments, compels us to value the need to view and approach all of life through this Gospel lens.  The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 1 that he was eager to preach the Gospel both to non-Christians and to those who are already followers of Jesus in the community of faith.  Because sin causes the truths of the Gospel to leak out of us, we must continually be reminded of Gospel truth repeatedly. It is the Gospel of Christ that saves us and continues to bring change in the life of the believer.

We believe that the entire Bible points towards the person of Jesus Christ.  Because Jesus is the focus of God’s Word, we value Christ centered worship. Christ centered worship will be evident in the songs we sing, and in our prayers and offerings. Most importantly, Jesus will be the focus of how we preach through the Scriptures. God’s people matter greatly to the Father, but Jesus is the point, not us.

We also desire to follow the Apostle Paul’s example in considering the way the Gospel is presented “for the benefit of our neighbor.”  Paul did not water down the Scriptures but catered the gospel message uniquely to his particular audience.  As it is our desire to be culturally mindful, we are not suggesting that we are being “woke” or “relevant”. We simply want to honor our current culture and present the Gospel message in a way that is mindful and considerate of all who enter our building. Culturally mindful worship will be seen throughout our worship in the songs we sing, the role women have in the church and in worship, the use of technology, and the use of “non-churchy” vocabulary and language, relatable to all.

Jesus has saved us to worship and to glorify Him. He has also saved us to love and serve Him as we come along side and serve our neighbors.  We value the idea that every follower of Christ understands their unique gifting and has opportunities to serve, using their gifts, abilities, and talents to serve within the Body of Christ and in the Community. We believe that this core value of having “every person engaged” is honoring to the One who is the source of all good and perfect gifts.

Whether uniquely wired as an introvert or an extrovert, God has called each of us into fellowship with Himself and with the Body of Christ, the Church.  The Christian life is not to be lived “on an island” or in isolation. As new creations in Christ, Jesus is faithfully changing us and making us into those who understand our need for Christian Community and to value Christian fellowship.  Christians have a special opportunity to participate in this gracious gift of fellowship. As we abide in Christ, His love and joy naturally and contagiously spills out of us in our relationships as we live and do life together.

Winsome means to be “engaging, attractive or pleasing; appealing in appearance or character”.  This is how we hope to be as we, the body of Christ, move out beyond the walls of our Church into our communities, to interact with others who desperately need to meet and experience the grace of Jesus.  We are jealous to be a Church whose heart bleeds for hurting and lost souls in our community.

Because of who we are in Christ, it is necessary that we see everyone as an image bearer of God, bearing the Father’s stamp of human dignity and value. All of humanity, believers and non-believers are created in God’s image.

Because of God’s great love for us, who we are in Christ is far more important than what we do for Him.  Focusing on one’s identity in Christ (Gospel Being) is the fuel by which we worship and serve Jesus, our risen King.  In other words, doing (our works), flows from our being (our identity in Christ).

Jesus loved us enough to bring us into His family without changing us first (…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8) Jesus also loves us enough not to leave us there. (He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6) He will complete the work He started.  By His grace, Jesus is molding us more and more into His likeness.

In Christ, we have been set free from both the penalty of sin and the power of sin.  We have been set free to a life of freedom and obedience in service to our great King. We are not our own but have been bought at a price!