WHAT WE BELIEVE
St. Augustine said, “In essentials unity. In non-essentials liberty. In all things love.” We cling to non-negotiables while recognizing that Jesus followers will disagree on non-essential beliefs. Here is a list of our non-negotiable beliefs.
God is unrivaled in the universe.
God is holy, meaning that nothing in all of creation begins to compare to God’s greatness, so he reigns unrivaled in the universe. God is three persons in one: The Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. This Trinity is the greatest example of perfect unity and mutual love that exists.
Isaiah 6:3, John 14:25-26, John 17:11 & 21-22, Colossians 1:15-20
We anchor our lives in the truth of God’s Word.
The Bible is the written Word of God. He inspired men to write his Word through the Holy Spirit, so what they wrote is without error. All the books of the Bible combine to point to the name and story of Jesus. God uses his Word as a primary tool for refining and aligning us to the pattern of Jesus. Therefore, we must live out the Word in our everyday lives because just hearing or reading is not enough.
Matthew 7:24-27, John 5:39-40, 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Hebrew 4:12, James 1:22-25, 2 Peter 1:21
We are created in the image of God to worship God.
God designed all of us in his image, which means that we have intrinsic value and inherent worth. We are also all created to worship, or respond, to God through our words and actions because of who he is and what he has done. In the beginning, creation was perfect, and we worshipped in an unhindered relationship with him.
Genesis 1:26-27, Isaiah 43:5-7, Colossians 1:16
We are broken and separated from God.
The very first people were tempted by Satan, the enemy of humanity, to choose their way over God’s way, which is sin. This initial sin broke the unhindered relationship with God and brought decay and death into the world. All of us are now born in sin, and we have no ability to resist sin on our own. We are also incapable of entering into a relationship with God and worshipping him by our own efforts. Part of God’s unrivaled nature is justice, so he must address all brokenness, which includes punishing sin. As a result, the inevitable result of sin is always death and ultimately hell, a place of suffering and eternal separation from God.
Genesis 3, Romans 3:10-12, Ephesians 2:1-4
Jesus died and conquered death and sin through his resurrection.
Even though we turned from God, he still pursued us. God displayed his mercy when he sent his son, Jesus, to Earth to pay the price for all of humanity’s sin by dying on the cross. In his innocence, he took our punishment. Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to pay the infinite punishment of all our sins because, as the Son of God, he is of infinite worth. His death was not the end; Jesus rose from the dead conquering sin and death. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, he poured out his grace by making a way for humanity to be forgiven of all sins and enter into a never-ending relationship with God.
John 3:16, Romans 3:21-26, Romans 5:6-11, 1 Corinthians 15, Ephesians 2:4-10
We must repent to follow Jesus.
Repent means a changing of the mind that expresses itself through our actions. We often describe both aspects as turning around and going in a new direction. We must repent, or turn from, our way of life by confessing, or owning, our sins, and asking Jesus to forgive us and give us a relationship with God. This initial moment of surrender is placing our faith in him as the only way to God, and Jesus changes us from the inside out. He transforms us from enemies of God into adopted sons and daughters of God. In this new status and relationship, we can again worship God.
Mark 1:15, Acts 2:38-39, Acts 3:19-21, Romans 8:14-17, Romans 10:9-10, Galatians 4:4-7
The Spirit of Jesus lives in us.
The initial moment of surrender begins a life-long journey of continuing to place our faith in Jesus. In other words, we choose daily to follow Jesus as He changes us from the inside out. Jesus followers still struggle with sin in this journey, and the enemy, Satan, still tries to destroy us and drive us away from God. However, Jesus sustains us and will finish the work in us that he began. Jesus does not leave us to fight this battle on our own, but he has placed His Spirit inside us. The Holy Spirit transforms, teaches, reminds, convicts, and energizes us in the journey of following Jesus. Through the Spirit of Jesus in us, we have resurrection power flowing through us. As we let the Holy Spirit lead us, he produces his fruit in and through us.
Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:1-4, Acts 2:17-21, Galatians 5:16-17, Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 1:15-20, Ephesians 3:14-21, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:12-13, Colossians 1:27-29
Jesus is our blueprint for living.
Following Jesus impacts every area of our lives as he invades every area of our hearts. During his time on earth, Jesus consistently invited people to follow him, which meant abandoning their way of life to make him their leader. That’s the essence of a Jesus follower. When we don’t know what to do, we look to Jesus, and we make him our pattern.
Mark 1:16-20, Mark 1:14, John 13:15, Philippians 2:5-11, Colossians 2:6-7
We depend on God’s limitless power through prayer.
Throughout the Biblical narrative, God’s people connect with him through prayer. Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden, and Nehemiah cast his tremendous burden on God. Daniel prayed even when his prayers were illegal, and David modeled how to talk to God with authenticity and vulnerability. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray, and we should, too. Through prayer, we connect to our Father in heaven and express our complete dependence on him.
Genesis 3:8-9, Nehemiah 1:4-11, Daniel 6:10, Psalm 62:8, Psalm 69, Luke 5:16, Luke 9:18, Luke 11:1
Church is not something we do; the church is who we are.
Jesus established his Church, a global community of His followers. The Church is not a building, but a gathering of people who unite to fulfill their purpose of worshipping God and their mission of making disciples of all nations. We are the body of Christ on earth, and we all have a vital role. Jesus leads the church and sends us out into our spheres of influence to strategically engage and point people to life change found in him. We gather to worship and scatter in confidence knowing that no matter the adversity, Jesus’ church will prevail.
Matthew 16:16-18, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 4:11-16, Hebrews 10:24-25
We are a family who loves one another like Jesus loves us.
Jesus’ death on the cross for everyone, including those people who would reject him, is the ultimate expression of love in all of human history. Jesus is the definition of love, and he commands us to love as he has loved us. Therefore, we love and forgive one another because Jesus first loved and forgave us. In so doing, our family pours out the grace that we are consistently receiving from Jesus.
John 13:34-35, 1 Corinthians 12:31-14:1, Galatians 5:6, Galatians 5:13-14, 1 John 4:7-12
We sacrifice to pursue one more.
Jesus literally sacrificed his life to make a way for us to come to God, and we should sacrifice our lives for people who are considered lost and valuable to God. It’s not enough that we got in; we must passionately pursue others and invite them in. We enter people’s world and try to understand it from their point of view while upholding the standard of Jesus. We internalize and share the Gospel, constantly pointing people to Jesus crucified and resurrected. We also replicate to create room for more people to be changed by Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 15, Acts 1:8, Acts 17:16-34, 1 Corinthians 9
We join Jesus in reconciling people to God and to each other.
Through Jesus’ death, we can be reconciled, or restored, to a right relationship with God. Through his resurrection power, he commands and empowers us to join him in reconciling people to God and to each other. As a result, we invite people to be restored to a right relationship with God through Jesus’ death and resurrection. In addition, we join Jesus as peacemakers who stand in the messy middle for others like Jesus stood in that place for us. Jesus prayed that we would be one even as he and the Father are one, so we fight for unity knowing that he who unites us is greater than all that divide us.
John 17:20-23, Romans 12:17-21, Ephesians 2:11-22, 2 Corinthians 5:15-21, Philemon
We aim for a full expression of the kingdom of God.
Jesus introduced the Kingdom of God, or Kingdom of Heaven, phrases used interchangeably to describe the characteristics of people under his reign. We know that the fullness of the kingdom will not be experienced until Jesus returns and restores all things, yet the church provides glimpses until that awesome day. A vital aspect of the kingdom is the presence of all nations and all ages. From Genesis 12 throughout the Old Testament, God’s heart for the nations is on display. Jesus also made God’s heart for children abundantly clear. When God’s people excluded those different from them, Jesus tore down the barriers of separation that people built. Then he empowered his church to join his work of unifying people under the banner of Jesus. In Revelation, we see the completion of this as people from all nations gathering around the throne and worshipping Jesus. Therefore, we pursue the beauty of the Kingdom in its unique expressions through males and females and a wide range of ages, races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In so doing, we practice on earth what we will experience in heaven.
Matthew 4:17, Matthew 6:33-34, Matthew 13:24-50, Mark 11:15- 17, Luke 12:30-34, Luke 13:18-21, Ephesians 2:11-22, Revelation 5:9-10, Revelation 7:9-10, Revelation 21:22-27
We align with and promote biblical justice.
Biblical justice is a movement towards God’s original design. We look to the bookends of the Bible – Genesis and Revelation – for pictures of a just world. The powerful writings of the Old Testament Prophets keep pointing us towards God’s justice. Ultimately, Jesus shows us the clearest image of biblical justice by his actions and through bringing the Kingdom of God to earth. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” One of the most powerful elements of Jesus’ prayer is that he did not simply speak these words, he lived these words. His kingdom is characterized by justice, so we move forward in the pattern of Jesus as we practically apply biblical justice to real-world issues.
Genesis 1-2, Isaiah 58, Amos 2:6-8, Micah 6:8, Matthew 6:9, Luke 4:16-22, Revelation 5:9-10, Revelation 7:9-10, Revelation 21:1-22:5
We generously pour out our resources for a mission bigger than ourselves.
Our Father generously gave his Son, and Jesus gave his very life. The most appropriate response to God’s generosity towards us is practicing generosity. In addition, Jesus was clear that money is one of the chief competitors to his role as the King of our hearts. Therefore, we give Jesus more and more of our hearts when we choose generosity over greed. As we give, we are making the wisest eternal investment as we know that Jesus will do more with our possessions than we ever could.
Matthew 6:19-24, Mark 12:41-44, Luke 12:22-34, Acts 20:35, 2 Corinthians 8-9, 1 Timothy 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 6:17-19
We embrace Jesus’ vision for singleness, marriage, and family.
Neither singleness nor marriage are a "favored" state, as they both offer unique opportunities to serve Jesus’ Church. Being complete in Jesus already, a follower of Jesus is called to love and serve God and His Church regardless of their relational status (which may change depending on the season of life). If we are single, the example and teachings of Jesus and Paul display the high value of this gift marked by the greater opportunity for undivided devotion in serving God. If we are married, this life-long covenant relationship between a man and woman demonstrates the love between Christ and His Church, provides the framework for the family, and the only context for the gift of sexual expression. If we are parents, we step into our essential role as the primary disciple-makers of our children.
Genesis 2:24-25, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 1 Corinthians 7, Ephesians 5:22-33, Ephesians 6:4
Jesus’ name rises far above all others.
Jesus is coming back to finish the on-going process of restoration and all creation will know that he has the name above all names. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. There is no other name that is worthy of this but his. Until that day, his church will work, through the power of his Spirit, to lift the name of Jesus high above every name.
Ephesians 1:7-10, Ephesians 1:19-23, Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 1:7, Revelation 5:1-5
We all live forever somewhere.
Death is not the end for humanity, but our souls live forever in eternity. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus offers humanity the opportunity to gain eternal life, which begins now as He restores us and continues after death as we enter into an unhindered relationship with Jesus in Heaven. There will be no more sin, sorrow, or death, and all of humanity’s soul-level desires will be satisfied in Jesus. Those who reject Jesus face the judgment of God and receive eternal suffering, an eternity of brokenness, an eternity where humanity’s soul-level desires are never satisfied. Heaven is heaven because of Jesus, and hell is hell because of separation from Jesus.
Matthew 25:31-46, John 17:3, Revelation 21:1-8
OUR CULTURE
We choose authenticity because
Jesus' reputation is at stake.
We celebrate wins
with a passion to refine.
We internalize the vision and
implement the ideas of others.
We talk to, not about.
We sit with people in their pain,
and stand with people in their joy.
We outdo one another
in showing honor.
We see through limitations and
move to breakthrough.
We do everything on purpose
and with purpose.
We engage culture
without compromising Jesus’ values.
We find joy in the journey and
love to laugh.
OUR STRATEGY
WE BECOME LOVE DISPLAYED FOR THE WORLD
