Core Values
The Presence of Jesus in our lives and relationships is central to who we are. We value a “presence-based” life and ministry. Jesus provides more than a good example through His life and teachings. Jesus is present with us through the Holy Spirit who lives within each believer. The Holy Spirit of God guides us and empowers us in living out the teachings of Christ. Through this Spirit-mediated presence of Jesus we expect and experience ‘daily miracles.’
The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the authority for our belief and practice. We believe the Holy Spirit guides the faith community in understanding and applying the word of God. We believe that the Holy Spirit continues to speak to God’s people today but we believe that what He speaks never opposes the written word of God, the Bible. In matters of discernment, we give priority to the Bible over people’s opinions or intuitions.
Our primary allegiance is to God’s Kingdom and His reign. We want to see His will done on earth just as it is in heaven. We are committed to follow Him no matter the cost. We would rather die than be unfaithful to His Word and will for us.
In baptism we testify to the powers of earth and heaven that we are united with Christ and His kingdom. We announce our commitment to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and the Church and we renounce the world, the flesh, the devil and all powers not under Christ’s authority. We believe that the Holy Spirit comes upon us to enable us to live out our baptismal vows and commitments.
We value the church–the community of baptized believers in Jesus Christ–which is referred to as the ‘body of Christ’. We love the Church because Christ loves the Church and died to save the Church. It is a miracle that God would take broken, sinful, hate-filled people, and baptize them with His love and forgiveness and then testify that the way the world will know that we are His disciples is by our love for one another. The church is a living miracle. The church lives with continual gratitude that we are ‘the holy people of God, a priesthood of believers,’ called to demonstrate God’s glory in the way we live in a community of faith, hope and love. We believe in mutual accountability and in seeking the well-being of one another in the body of believers.
God loves the world and calls us to join with Him in reconciling the world to Himself. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, the Devil, the ‘Strong Man’ has been bound. All authority has been given to Jesus to possess the kingdom which the Devil had formerly ruled. Jesus commands us to move with confidence into the world and to ‘spoil the strong man’s house’. We are called to preach the good news that because of Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection we no longer need to live under the despair and control of the Devil. We are now free to follow Jesus and the life of heaven.
We are a community of faith, prayer, worship and celebration of the goodness of God.
We value the Christian home. We are committed to applying the resources of heaven and earth to establish and maintain life-giving, nurturing and God-directed homes. Even where persons have had past marriages which have failed, we seek the Holy Spirit’s power to make present relationships work while teaching that God’s plan is one man and one woman for a lifetime.
We value our relationships with the varied expressions of the Church locally, regionally and globally
We value the hope of Christ’s return to establish a new heaven and a new earth where we will live and reign with Him forever.