THE GOSPEL: WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT
We value one truth above all others: the gospel, which is the message of "first importance," that "Christ died for our sins" (1 Cor. 15:1-3).
The gospel is the story of the whole Bible but it is simple enough to summarize in a few sentences:
God created all people for His glory. Each of us, however, has sinned and rebelled against our Holy God. Because of that, we've earned God's judgment and punishment--and that's bad news. But the good news is that, because of God's immeasurable love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die as a sinless substitute for us and then to rise again in new life. So now, if we repent of our sin and trust in Jesus, we can be brought into a new relationship with God that transforms our lives and gives us an unshakeable hope for eternity.
In a nutshell, that's the message of the Bible. And, in a nutshell, that's what we're all about--the gospel.
OUR VISION
Simply put, our vision is to be a church that glorifies God by celebrating the gospel, living the gospel, and sharing the gospel.
Celebrating the gospel
This is the upward effect of the good news. The reason God accepts our worship is because he is pleased with Jesus, our righteous substitute. The good news teaches us that we worship and love God because He first loved us and sovereignly brought us into relationship with Himself. We want to be people who celebrate this good news above all else.
Living the gospel
This is the inward effect of the good news. God intends for the gospel to transform our daily lives as we apply it to all of life. We want to be people who are increasingly shaped by the good news of Jesus Christ.
Sharing the gospel
This is the outward effect of the good news. The gospel helps us genuinely care for those around us. We want to be people who reach out to others with the gospel so that they too might rejoice in what Christ has done.
OUR VALUES
Our commitment to the gospel leads to these distinctive values:
- We value the spread of God's glory, as we engage in evangelism and missions
- We value the sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners
- We value the place of expository preaching in corporate worship
- We value the pursuit of godliness through application of biblical truth
- We value relationships as a channel for God's grace in our lives
- We value opportunities to serve others
- We value God-given distinctions between the roles of men and women in the church and family