Connect

Worship

Christians are God’s temple today (1 Corinthians 6:19). God’s Spirit dwells in us, not in buildings or holy places. Worship is a lifestyle and not an event. We desire to worship God with the sacrifice of our lives (Romans 12:1-2), through our praise and thanks (Hebrews 13:16), and by sharing our God-given resources with others. In addition to personal worship, God is pleased when we join together (Hebrews 10:24-25), to encourage and pray for one another, and worship Jesus Christ as one body.

Grow

Christians are to be the bridge between God and our culture (1. Peter 2:5). We exist to share the love of Jesus Christ with others and help them grow and mature, so that they, in turn, can share the same with others. God has equipped each of us with spiritual gifts at the moment of salvation so that we can fulfill specific ministries that God has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). We desire to grow together as we become more like Christ. We are committed to realizing this purpose through practical relevant teaching (Acts 2:42), small groups that offer intimate fellowship with others of like faith (Acts 2:46-47), quality time spent alone with God, and by helping one another stay focused through mutual accountability (James 5:16).

Serve

Christians are called to be servants, not spectators. The idea of one or two professionals doing the majority of the work in an institutional church is foreign to the New Testament. The Bible contains over 50 “one another” passages, which encourage every believer to use his or her knowledge and gifts to serve others within the local body (Romans 12:10-13: Ephesians 5:19-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18; 1 Peter 4:7-10; Colossians 3:15-16). We believe such service best takes place in small groups, where there is greater freedom to experience the church as Jesus Christ intended. We promote the exercise of God-given gifts (Ephesians 4: 11-12) to guide, strengthen, equip and meet the needs of the local body.

Share

Christians are called to share the good news of Christ with the whole world. People are spiritually dead and marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God. In His love, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to give eternal life and hope. We take seriously the command of Jesus Christ to be salt and light in a dark and dying world, for apart from Him there is no chance to be rescued from the effects of and the final penalty for sin. We desire to tell others who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us (John 9:24-25). Our message consists of the person of Christ, His death and His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-5). Our responsibility is to pray and share, and leave the results up to God. We recognize that sharing is a process, not an event. It often resembles a chain of encounters with each disciple sharing truth as God gives the opportunity.

Reach Out

Christians are to be in touch with their culture, but not in tune with it. While we desire to avoid those things that dishonor Christ, we consciously choose to live distinctly within our society and not apart from it. Like Jesus did, we desire to associate with spiritually needy people, go to where they are, be authentic and loving, and show genuine concern for their needs. Like Jesus, we are committed to reaching out to others, not expecting them to come to us. Jesus said that love for other Christians will be a distinguishing characteristic of His disciples. We are also called to relate to the culture we live in. We choose to spend time with our neighbors where they live and work, praying actively for their spiritual welfare, and pursuing excellence in the way we seek to minister to them. We are committed to building bridges within our culture through special events and by using our church facilities to better serve the needs of our community.