Values

1. We value a vital relationship with God:
seeking the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

We believe that the primary purpose of the church is to bring people into a lifelong, loving relationship with God. The foundation of our lives, individually and corporately, is the pursuit of intimacy with God. We cultivate vitality with God through prayer, His word, participation in the church, yielding to the Holy Spirit, and experiencing God’s grace through the sacraments and other spiritual disciplines.

(Matthew 22:37,38; Ephesians 1:3-14)

2. We value unchurched people:
making lost people our first priority because Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

We believe that the journey to faith is often long. We intentionally create a safe, inclusive environment where people can belong before they believe. We interact with unchurched people in highly relational, non-confrontational ways. We engage unchurched people through relevant subjects and relate to them using understandable words. Reaching lost people is not a program of the church: it is our life-blood.

(Luke 15; Luke 19:10; 1 Timothy 1:15; 2 Peter 3:9)

3. We value compelling communication:
drawing people into a life-transforming interaction with biblical truth.

We believe in the transforming authority of the Bible. We seek to communicate its timeless message in a timely way, prioritizing transformation over information. We want to engage and motivate people emotionally and intellectually, through creative and clear communication that employs a wide variety of modes including the arts.

(Romans 1:16, Hebrews 4:12; 1 Corinthians 9:20-22)

4. We value authentic community:
fostering open and honest friendships that enable people to be themselves.

We believe that the church is a deeply caring community of people who follow Christ, not a place that we go to. We are informal and lively in style. We are real with each other, not afraid to talk about our shortcomings. We encourage spontaneous, ongoing interaction throughout the week. We believe that small group settings are the best place to be cared for, and to care for others. We are inclusive, welcoming people from diverse backgrounds. We love to laugh and “hang out”, fostering a light-hearted atmosphere in our gatherings.

(Philippians 2:1-5; Colossians 3:9-14; 1 John 4:7-21)

5. We value participative teamwork:
releasing people to discover a meaningful place of service and empowering them to play their part

We believe that God has shaped every believer to play a unique and satisfying part in the church. We place a high priority on leadership development and team ministry. To that end, this church is a place where everybody can discover and develop their God-given abilities, empowering each person to realize their full potential. We believe that we are called to sacrificially and joyfully serve God and others.

(Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12)

6. We value an environment of grace:
nurturing an atmosphere of acceptance and love that frees us to grow.

We believe that God wants us to view people from His perspective: looking beyond the way things are to how things could be. When people fail we lovingly extend forgiveness, patience, and hope. In a gracious environment people serve and love God out of an attitude of thankfulness. We resist motivating people through guilt or condemnation.

(Ephesians 2: 8,9)

7. We value excellence:
doing the best we can with the resources we have.

We believe excellence honors God and inspires people. Therefore, sufficient planning, preparation, practice and prayer permeate all we do. We discourage perfectionism and encourage risk-taking, while giving and accepting feedback graciously.

(Colossians 3:23; 2 Corinthian’s 13:11)