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Gospel-driven
The Gospel is the air we breathe. It is absolutely
essential, and if we don't have it, we suffocate. It
is our belief that the Gospel is not important only
to our salvation, but to our sanctification as well.
We cannot get anywhere in the Christian life without
the Gospel. We should be motivated and encouraged
that God has come to love even sinners like us. It
is this grace that moves us to do all we do as a
church.
Relationship-oriented
Relationships are the lifeblood of the Church. For
better or for worse, we are bound together through
our relationships. We believe that it is God who
ultimately changes people, but we also believe that
these changes happen primarily through
relationships. Jesus reminds us of the importance of
not only our relationship with God but of our
relationships with one another. As a church, we
strive to teach people how to love and serve one
another in various ways.
Team-oriented
The idea of an "every member" ministry has long
since been lost in the Church. In this age of
self-service and self-gratitude, we need to learn to
look past our own agendas and needs, and understand
that the cure for our self-centeredness is for us to
look at God's goal and plan. It is only when this
happens that the Church becomes Kingdom-centered and
people look to serve God and work for His glory, not
their own. The Body of Christ will find itself
working together, as one, for the cause of Christ in
this world. As a church, we want to put people
together in service to use their gifts, talents, and
passions to further God's word in the world.
Training-focused
We believe that the key to growing and developing
Christians is training. Many people want to grow and
mature in their faith, but have no practical way of
learning how to. It is our belief that it is the
role of our pastors to train people by encouraging
people to serve in their ministry of choice. This
makes discipleship and leadership core to the work
of the Kingdom.
Inclusively worship-centered
Many churches have taken the stance that Sundays are
the best place to reach non-Christians with the
Gospel message. As a result, they have catered their
Sunday services to non-Christians and moved their
worship-focused service to the middle of the week.
However, we strive for our worship services to be
"seeker-sensitive" for non-believers as well as
nurturing to believers. Though our message and
methods will not be changed to accommodate only
non-believers, we warmly welcome anyone wanting to
know more about the message of Jesus Christ.
Culturally aware
Our church is not about the plot of land on which
our building lies. Nor is it about the particular
people who gather regularly and call the church
their home. Ultimately, our church is about the
culture and world in which we live. God has placed
us here to be a transforming influence on the people
and structures of this world, regardless of race or
culture. |
