Our Beliefs

We define the Church as the universal body of believers, and we define the local church as any gathering of Christians who are committed to pray, grow and serve together in their community. We believe the local church exists to do ministry and is intrinsically connected to the Church universal by the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Reimagining the local church

• We believe the local church to be a family rather than a membership club or an institution. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to pray, grow and serve together in our respective communities.
  • “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…” Acts 2:42

Reigniting the local church

• A community is only as strong as the faith of the people who live there. If we want our local churches to make a difference, we must begin by reigniting the passion in our hearts as we follow the living Christ.
  • “And you shall love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…” Mark 12:30

PRAY to the Father

• “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” – Apostles’ Creed
  • We believe the first mission of the Church is to seek the will of our Heavenly Father by committing ourselves to living lives of prayer and worship in order to honor His name.
    • “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” – Romans 12:1
    • “PRAY then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” – Matthew 6:9

GROW in the Son

• “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.” – Apostles’ Creed
  • We believe the second mission of the Church is to equip the saints for ministry by making disciples of all nations through baptism and biblical teaching as commissioned by Jesus.
    • “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
    • “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to GROW up in every way into him who is the head…” – Ephesians 4:15

SERVE with the Spirit

• “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” – Apostles’ Creed
  • We believe the third mission of the Church is to serve the surrounding community by putting into practice our God given gifts and to pursue our individual and collective callings as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.
    • “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23
      • “As each has received a gift, use it to SERVE one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…” – 1 Peter 4:10

PRAY to the Father

• “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” – Apostles’ Creed
  • We believe the first mission of the Church is to seek the will of our Heavenly Father by committing ourselves to living lives of prayer and worship in order to honor His name.
    • “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” – Romans 12:1
    • “PRAY then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” – Matthew 6:9

GROW in the Son

• “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.” – Apostles’ Creed
  • We believe the second mission of the Church is to equip the saints for ministry by making disciples of all nations through baptism and biblical teaching as commissioned by Jesus.
    • “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
    • “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to GROW up in every way into him who is the head…” – Ephesians 4:15

SERVE with the Spirit

• “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” – Apostles’ Creed
  • We believe the third mission of the Church is to serve the surrounding community by putting into practice our God given gifts and to pursue our individual and collective callings as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.
    • “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23
      • “As each has received a gift, use it to SERVE one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…” – 1 Peter 4:10

“Reach” [v. reech] to stretch, to strive for, to move from your comfort zone.

• Outreach and evangelism are at the heart of the Christian faith. Jesus set the example of meeting people where they are by taking on flesh and walking among us. We are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, but we cannot do that if we are not willing to move beyond our four walls.
  • “And the Word became flesh dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

“Connect” [v. kuh-nekt] to come together, to unite, to become one body.

• The Church can best be defined as a family, as we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. As we come together in common mission, we begin to break down the walls we have allowed to divide us. If prejudice is born out of ignorance, then perhaps grace rise from a unified heart for our Savior.
  • “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 12:12

“Transform” [v. trans-fawrm] to change, to grow, to be made new.

• Without intentional fellowship and discipleship, very few of us would choose spiritual discipline over worldly pleasures. If we want our lives to have meaning, then we must submit to the will of our Heavenly Father by allowing our hearts to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.
  • “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” – Romans 12:2

“Inspire” [v. in-spahyuhr] to be given vision, to be set free.

• Each one of us has been created, called and commissioned both on purpose and for a purpose. If we want to see this world changed for the better, then we must use our talents, gifts and passions to inspire the people in our lives to join us in following Christ.
  • “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Personal Commitment

• Your faith journey begins when you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Salvation requires a personal commitment to live as an ambassador of Christ, to represent Him and His interests wherever you go.
  • “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9

Water Baptism

• Once you have committed your life to Christ, the next step is to be baptized by water. Water baptism symbolizes dying to this world and being made alive in Christ. This act publicly announces you as a member of the Church.
  • “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” – Romans 6:4

Communion

• Communion is both about celebrating the Lord’s Supper and gathering together on a weekly basis to worship our Lord. The act of communion is about remembering the bittersweet sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross.
  • “And he took bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” – Luke 22:19-20

Marriage & Family

• Christian marriage is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman before God. Christian marriage requires mutual love and sacrifice as exemplified by the Triune God. The bride and the groom become one as the Father, Son and Spirit are one.
  • “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” – Genesis 2:24
• All children, from the time of conception, are gifts from God and therefore become our responsibility to protect, to provide for and to love. We are called to love all children with the same unconditional love our Heavenly Father has for us.
  • “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” – Psalm 139:13-14
  • “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!.” – Psalm 127:3-5

Ministry & Calling

• Each and every one of us has been created, called and commissioned both on purpose and for a purpose. We (the Church) are God’s chosen method of leading people to salvation. We must seek His will or our lives so we can fulfill both our individual and collective callings.
  • “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:11-12
  • “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:9-10