What We Believe

What We Believe

"The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."
(Isaiah 40:8)

The ministry of our church is built upon our Statement of Faith, guided by our Core Values and organized around the Purpose Driven Model of church ministry.

Our Statement Of Faith As Christians

GOD - We believe there is only one living and true God, perfect, infinite and eternal. We believe that God exists eternally in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Father, in His love for all men and women, sent the eternally preexistent Son to this earth to manifest that love.
(Exodus 3:13-15; John 3:16; Mark 1:10-11)

JESUS - We believe that the historical Jesus is the Son of God. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. This was God’s gift of love to all people. Through Jesus, God has provided a bridge between God and His creation. We believe that Jesus died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus rose in bodily form from the dead and then returned to His Father in heaven. Jesus promised His followers that He would return. The purpose of His return will be to conquer all evil and pronounce judgment. Jesus promises His followers that they too will rise from the dead to eternal life.
(Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 1:20-23; Matthew 28:6)

HOLY SPIRIT - The third person of the triune God is the Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to restrain evil and to illustrate to the world its sinfulness and the need of righteousness. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit instructs, comforts, guides, sanctifies and empowers all those who are the children of God.
(1 Corinthians 2:15-16; John 16:8-11; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

THE BIBLE - We believe that God has shared His Purpose and Plan for the world through the Bible. We believe that the Bible encompasses the only perfect rule and final authority in all matters pertaining to the Christian Faith and practice.
(2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

THE CHURCH - We believe that God established the Church. It is composed of all who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is the mission of the Church to share the Good News to all people. The Church is to worship God, promote God’s justice, righteousness, kindness and peace, and it is to glorify Christ in all of its activities. We believe in the freedom of choice and the responsibility of the individual under the authority of the Bible.
(1 Corinthians 3:16; Matthew 28:19-20; Colossians 3:15-17)

MINISTRY - We believe that all Christians are called to discover their Spiritual Gifts and to serve in active ministry. Therefore, it is a priority of the church to help people to discover their gifts and to engage in their life’s calling.
(Ephesians 4:11-13; I Corinthians 12-13)

Our Core Values As A Church

We are committed to a clear and accurate communication of God’s Word.
We believe that teaching God’s Word to His followers is the catalyst for transformation in individuals’ lives and in the church. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We are committed to be a people of prayer.
A commitment to prayer permeates every aspect of our private and congregational lives. (Matthew 7:1-11; James 5:13-18)

We believe that lost people matter to God.
It is a primary function of the church to bring people into a life giving relationship with Jesus Christ and we will use every available Christ-honoring means to accomplish this task. (Matthew 28:18-20)

We emphasize God’s unconditional love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
We believe that loving relationships should permeate every aspect of our church life and that this atmosphere of acceptance creates a sense of unity and hopefulness among us. (Philippians 2:1-3)

We believe that the pursuit of full devotion to Christ and His cause is essential for all Christians.
We emphasize the Biblical mandates of stewardship, service, evangelism and the pursuit of kingdom goals. (Luke 12:31)

We are committed to help people grow spiritually.
We will provide excellent Biblical instruction through our Christian Education programs. We will assist people in discovering and exercising their spiritual gifts. (Colossians 2:6-7)

We are committed to Lay Ministry.
We are striving to build a "Priesthood of all believers" and actively work to equip laity to be involved in and lead ministry. (Ephesians 4:12)

We value the importance of healthy relationships among the followers of Jesus Christ.
We emphasize small groups as an important means for Christ followers to care for each other, develop friendships and share their lives. (Hebrews 10:24)

We strive to adapt our ministry to be culturally relevant while remaining committed to our core beliefs.
We are committed to forms of ministry that will best capture and express what God is doing in our generation and culture. (Acts 17:22-27)

We strive for excellence in every area of our church life.
We believe that excellence honors God, inspires people and creates Godly enthusiasm.
(2 Corinthians 8:7)

We Are Purpose Driven As Individuals

The Purpose Driven model for church ministry was pioneered by Saddleback Valley Community Church in California, but it is now used by tens of thousands of churches around the world.

This model is based on each person living out five purposes that are defined in two key passages of Scripture. Those passages (and purposes) are:

The Great Commandment

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Worship) ... Love your neighbor as yourself (Ministry). All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)

The Great Commission

"Go and make disciples of all nations (Evangelism), baptizing them (Fellowship) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Discipleship)." (Matthew 28:19-20)

We fulfill our life's calling as Christians by using our Servant Profile to live the five purposes of Worship, Ministry, Evangelism, Fellowship and Discipleship.