Our Core Values

Here is our best shot at sharing with you the core values of our church.

God’s Living Word
Key verse: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

God’s Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and is useful for all of life. God’s Word is intended to help people understand who God is and then be the kind of people God wants us to be. We so value God we take the teaching of His word seriously for all life.

Grace
Key verse: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

How big is God’s grace? See the verse above! We value the precious gift of salvation that comes freely to all people because of God’s grace. But we are not satisfied with simply “thinking” about God’s grace. When grace is understood it is also practiced. In this way we should also love the world and give our lives so that people will believe in God and His son Jesus.

Gifts & Giving
Key verse: 1 Corinthians 12:7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

God’s gifts are intended to be used to help people, always for God’s glory. All of life is lived under the shadow of the cross, so our idea of gifts and giving starts there. People like to talk about percentages of giving. We so value this that we give well beyond a tithe (that’s 10%). We believe we ought to give like the widow Jesus praised in Mark 12 (like Jesus she gave 100%).

Growth
Key verse: John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

There is much talk these days of church growth. We value spiritual growth for people, which we believe leads to church growth. The only things that will last forever are those things that remain in God. When we believe that we will be healthy and we can begin to grow!

Groups
Key verse: 1 Thessalonians 2:8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

God is expressed in a community of three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is who God is and is who we ought to be. This is why we value groups so much that we organize the life of our church through them. Some are fellowship groups, some are ministry groups, some meet to study God’s Word and others meet to play softball! All our groups share God’s Good News and our very lives.