A church of real disciples not part-time believers...
people who love God as Father, follow Him as Rabbi, and honor Him as King.
We see...
A church of passion people who stand so amazed at God's grace that they can't help
but live lives of adventure and generosity. We see God leading us to spend ourselves
for those who could never pay us back strong with children, students, missions, and
the poor. We have been sent.
We see...
A church where people feel like they can belong before they believe and believe before they
behave. We also see a body with too much brown to be called a white church, and too much
Hispanic to be called a black church; with too many kids to be called an old church, and
too many wise ones to be called a young church - a church that models the variety of God's kingdom.
We see...
A congregation that loves God with more than Sundays and cares for people with more than words.
We see a characteristically Spirit-filled church that moves in undeniable power yet stays non-religious and creative.
We see a church where people become whole - in spirit, soul, and body.
We see...
A community where the potential of every member gets realized, as people recognize that they are called,
whether they work in a church building or the marketplace. We see a team that is led by people who are
greater on the inside than they are on the outside.
We see...
A mentoring church and a missions outpost, a worshiping family and authentic community. We see a house of prayer.
We see a church as supernatural as its Master because He promised nothing less.
Core Values
Authentic Communion, Community, and Commission
We believe that people make up the church. Not buildings, titles, or budgets.
When believers come together and demonstrate real communion (or worship), community,
and commission, they are the church. We unpack these three essentials with the following
core values:
Communion
God's Word - hearing God speak
Believers need opportunities to hear God speak.
Despite human weakness we believe that God is strong and wise enough to preserve His Word.
He has spoken and continues to speak through the Hebrew and New Testament Scriptures.
We teach, preach, and base all decisions on God's Word. We deeply encourage personal searching,
discovery, and interaction with God through Scripture.
Prayer - responding to God
Prayer is our response to and conversation with God. He "delights" in the prayers of His people.
Scripture is full of promises to those that connect with Him in prayer. This response to God may manifest
itself in a variety of ways (e.g. corporate or private, spontaneous or structured, praise or petitions).
All activities of our church ought to be characterized by our dependence upon God, in both planning and execution.
Spirit Experience - connecting with our Source
We are amazed at how neglected the experience of the Spirit is in our day. We are convinced that the presence,
power, and gifts of the Spirit must be the reality of the church in every way. Although we cannot predict or
control how the Spirit may move, we pray for and open ourselves to His promptings. Ultimately we aim to share
with the world our most potent treasure: God Himself.
Community
Fellowship - sharing with others
The life that Jesus calls us to cannot be lived alone, which is why authentic community must saturate every
part of our congregation's life. Jesus promised that the depth and fervency of the love between His people
would be their distinguishing feature. As such, we emphasize Small Groups or house churches as the primary
means of pastoral care and discipleship. We also affirm the need for every believer to use their gifts and
talents, which is always most possible within the context of community.
Accountability - learning from others
Cheap conversions are not our aim; true Christ-followers are. The way of Jesus is one of learning and
accountability, not just listening to the lectures of our teachers. We expect ongoing spiritual formation
to take place in every believer's life and we recognize that this takes place primarily in the process of
doing, not just hearing. This leads to a life of wholeness and reproduction. This requires real people
making face-to-face and heart-to-heart contact with each other. We value small groups and house churches
to facilitate such a reality.
Diversity - displaying the beauty of God's mosaic
Scripture reveals the reality of a heaven comprised of every tribe and every tongue. We feel passionately
about being a church that reflects the beauty of God's mosaic. While this often requires great effort and
spiritual understanding, we are convinced that God's people are called to demonstrate the power of the gospel
through reconciliation and unity in a world of hatred and division. We value every people, language, and
culture of our city and world.
Commission
Evangelism - loving the lost
We know that lost souls matter to God so they need to matter to us. We strive to create an environment that is
non-threatening, open to questions, and saturated with love; yet we do not run from the command to bring the
life-changing Jesus message to every person in our lives. Individually, we encourage and expect all members
to take part in relational and prayer evangelism. At a city level, we regularly coordinate and support united
efforts to reach our area. Globally, we strive to keep world missions a strong priority, especially remembering
the unreached.
Justice - loving the least
We hear the call of God to make a prophetic stand against all forms of evil in our city and our world.
Because Jesus made our problems His problems, we understand that following Him means that we make this world's
problems our problems. As a congregation we intend to take action where we have power: speaking for the voiceless,
empowering the downcast, and helping the oppressed.
Generosity - recognizing our place in history
Never has there been a world in such profound need. Never has there been a culture of such profound affluence and
opportunity. We either connect the dots and use our privilege while we have it, or we will be judged harshly when
history tells the story of the 21st century. In a culture held captive by greed, we renounce the idolatry of materialism
and embrace the call to give of ourselves and our possessions.