Our Values

The church is the assembly of God’s covenant people brought together by the saving grace of Christ to glorify God and enjoy Him together. This is why the Bible doesn’t simply view the church as a social club or another religious institution in the Bible, but as the household of God (1 Tim 3:15), the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:22-33), the body of Christ (Eph. 1:23, 2:16), the kingdom of God on earth (Eph. 2:20-22), and the dwelling place of God by the Spirit (Eph. 2:20-22). 

With this as our identity and calling, we are committed to worship through Christ, grow in Christ, and bear witness to Christ in word and deed.

In addition, there are several core values that also shape how we carry this out as a church:

The Bible

Just as God spoke the universe into existence, He continues to speak every time we open the Bible. The Bible is given to us as the very Word of God that is without error from beginning to end (2 Tim 3:18). By His Word, God saves us, changes us, and brings us into a deeper knowledge of who He is and what He has done for us. So in our worship, small groups, Sunday School, youth and children’s ministries, and more—we want the Bible to fill our church. Along these lines, the normal diet of our Sunday preaching is to go through books of the Bible so that God is setting the agenda for what we need to hear from Him.

The Gospel

The Gospel is the good news that God saves sinners through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is good news that our kids can understand at a young age but that we also need to know with more depth and clarity throughout our lives. As it’s been said, the Gospel is not just the ABC’s of the faith, but the A to Z of the faith. It is the central message of all Scripture, pointing us to Christ as our Creator, Savior, King, Shepherd, Friend, Brother, and Lord. In our worship and in the life of the Church, we strive to always proclaim Christ as the good news of God’s grace to sinners.

The Reformed Faith

In our doctrine and practice, we are a Reformed and Presbyterian church. We believe in the sovereign grace of God in salvation, we are committed to Reformed worship, we have a Presbyterian form of church government, and we confess our unity with the historic creeds and confessions of the church. 

We believe the doctrine of three historic creeds of the church (the Apostle’s Creed, Athanasian Creed, Nicene Creed) and also the Three Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dort). 

As a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), we particularly hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms, which are the standards of our denomination. In our practice, we are led by ordained elders who are nominated by the congregation to shepherd the church in the character of Christ. You can go here to learn more about our denomination. 

Prayer

At the foundation of all we do, we realize that unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain (Ps. 127:1). Therefore, we must dependent and humble as a people of prayer. It’s through prayer that we grow in a relationship with our Lord. It’s through prayer that God answers His people and works in the world. So in every worship service, every small group, every Sunday School class, every plan for outreach and missions, we want prayer to be the foundation and engine of the church. 

Fellowship

Through faith, we are in union with Christ and with His people, which is expressed in the fellowship or community of the church. In the New Testament, the church was devoted to “the fellowship” as they gathered in each other’s homes, met each other’s needs, and were a genuine church family (Acts 2:42-47). In the same way, we strive to not only gather on Sundays, but to have genuine relationships throughout the week in which we weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice, and reflect the unity that we share in Christ.

Reaching the Unreached

Until Christ returns, He is gathering a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation through the witness of His church. Sometimes this happens in our own community as we tell others about Christ who don’t yet know Him. Sometimes this happens as we support church plants or campus ministries so the gospel can be spread to dark corners of our state and country. But it especially happens as we support and pray for missionaries who are proclaiming the name of Christ to the unreached people groups of the world. As a church, we want to see Christ made known to people who either don’t know Him or have never been told of Him.