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We live in an age and culture full of misconceptions about Christianity. As a result, many people are left with negative impressions of Christians and the church as a whole.

We want to live in such a way that others can't help but see what authentic Christianity looks like. Our hope is that the misconceptions people might have carried for a long time will begin to fade away as we seek to become a community of grace, passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus. We long for people to be drawn back to Jesus, seeing him and the life he offers in a fresh, new way.

Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.

How does this happen?

We're very intentional about what we do when we gather together. Because we feel that God has called us to carry out our mission and vision in specific ways, here are five ways we might look different from other churches:

More expository teaching than topical—God gave us the whole Bible as one big story. When we find a particular issue is of significant importance, you might hear a message or series devoted to that topic. However, our typical approach is to walk through a book of the Bible seeking to hear what God might say to us. We teach “expositionally” (explaining the meaning) to help you understand the Bible and apply it to your life. Acts 2:42; Acts 8:30-31

More team leadership than senior pastor led—Because we do not think God entrusts any church to a single person, we do not have a “Senior Pastor” model of leadership. We are guided by a team of Elders—men gifted by God to oversee the church, and affirmed by our members as those who meet the biblical standards set forth in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. A Directional Team, comprised of key staff members, leads strategic daily operations of the ministry.

More equipping emphasis than events-driven—The Bible makes it clear every believer is to participate in the life of the community of faith consistent with his or her gifts, talents, and passions. We are committed to teaching and training you to pursue life and mission with Jesus through serving, rather than simply offering events to keep you busy. Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 4:10

More participatory worship than spectator—When we worship together, we want to draw you and everyone else into a personal encounter with God. It’s not enough simply to watch others worship or just listen to the songs. We invite everyone to be present and respond, celebrating who God is and what he has done for us in and through Jesus Christ. Psalm 150; John 4:23-24; Ephesians 5:18-20

More pneumatic ministry than pragmatic—We want to live out the life we have with Jesus pneumatically— in the presence, power, and prompting of the Holy Spirit. We depend on the Holy Spirit to direct us to make decisions in line with the will and Word of God. We don’t move our ministry forward based solely on reasonable, practical solutions. Rather, through prayer, our leaders seek to know the leading of the Spirit in every decision shaping our life together as a church. Romans 8:4-9; Acts 13:2; Acts 16:6-7

What does this look like?

There are seven core values we believe Jesus modeled for us, to show us how to live with him. The more we spend time with him, the more we begin to see these values expressed in our own lives.

Enjoying God—seeking our highest happiness in him alone in and through all things. Short-lived pleasure in temporal gifts is not how God intended our happiness to work. He hardwired us to value him first, regardless of our circumstances. The more we express gratitude for his love, willingly participate in worship, regularly spend time with him, and cling to his hope in hard times, the more we can find eternal joy.

Loving others—caring for people with no expectation of return by putting their needs above ours. If we are freely committed to living in a community where others’ needs are more important than our own, we will truly taste of Christ’s unconditional love.

Understanding Scripture—allowing the entirety of God’s Word to shape our thinking and transform how we approach day-to-day life. Because we have already been perfectly loved by God in Jesus, we want to know and obey the truth of God’s Word in response to his love. Even if the Bible doesn't answer every question the way we want, it speaks so clearly about God's goodness, our condition, and his promises that we must continually ask, "What does the Bible say about this?"

Depending on the Spirit—attempting to listen for and be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This kind of dependence on the Spirit that Jesus modeled might be reflected in faithful prayer, spiritual gift(s), fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), helping other Christians in their struggle with sin, listening for what he may be speaking to your heart, and even singing with other believers.

Living in integrity—humbly striving for consistency between what we believe and how we live it. God’s design for us is to be whole, unbroken, and complete, but because of sin this is only possible as we grow to trust, pursue, and reflect Jesus. People living in integrity seek to demonstrate coherence between what they think and how they live, through genuine transparency with others, honest accountability, and a private life that lines up with public reputation.

Magnifying grace—making a big deal of the undeserved love, kindness, and compassion of God, especially in what he has done through Jesus. To obtain a gift of infinite worth and not tell others of its value belittles the Giver of that gift. Thus, our walking in the gift of God’s grace entails extending that grace to others.

Advancing the gospel (not religion!)—furthering God’s mission and agenda for the world by announcing and applying what he has done in Jesus. As the Church, we are to partner with God to preach the good news of the kingdom to each other, ourselves, those who don’t know Jesus, and those who have never heard about the life and salvation available in him.

As a result, people are introduced to a life with Jesus, a life in community, and a life on mission.

Please click here if you are interested in reading through our Statement of Beliefs, Policies and Practices.