Our Core Values

Centrality of Scripture – The Bible reveals God’s character, purposes, and activity throughout time. This sacred book is our primary means of knowing God and is our primary text by which we live. Because Scripture can be misinterpreted we must read carefully, contextually, and in community.

Authority of Christ – Our highest authority is Jesus. The Bible says in Romans 11:36, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever.” The oldest and most important unifying belief of Christians throughout time can be summed up in three words, “Jesus is Lord!” (Romans 10:9) The Bible speaks of Jesus as having the authority of God and sharing a unity with God. Jesus, by taking on human flesh, opens up access for us to know God.

Presence of God’s Spirit – We are a movement of God’s Spirit, dynamically at  work throughout history and actively at work in our world today. Our mission of “knowing God” isn’t the same as knowing about God. It more closely resembles the knowing that occurs between two people in relationship with one another. God’s Spirit guides, convicts, and speaks as we listen.

Necessity of Faith – Faith can be described as believing in things unseen and trusting in God for our future (Hebrews 11:1). Scripture declares, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8) The prerequisite for faith is not understanding but simple trust in God. Even the tiniest amount of faith can grow to amazing proportions (Matthew 17:20).

Priority of Healthy Relationships – As 1 Corinthians 13 says, we can accomplish many things, but without love it means nothing. A church is only as strong as the relationships of the members within, and love is the crowning virtue for all who follow Christ.

Reliance on Grace – No Perfect People Allowed. Living by grace we emphasize humility, repentance, and surrender. Repentance and forgiveness is the pathway to personal transformation prescribed by Scripture and the means by which God restores relationships. Membership and sharing in the sacrament of Holy Communion is open to all who desire to know Christ and walk in his ways.

Focus on Spiritual Growth – Transformation of our character and attitude into the likeness of Christ in unity with God’s Spirit is the aim of spiritual growth. As Galatians 2:22-23 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” These are markers of spiritual health and vitality.

Focus on Outreach – We are a multi-generational church of people from many different backgrounds and faith experiences. As a “community church” our desire is to reach out with the Good News and love of Jesus, overcoming barriers that typically divide the community around us.

Emphasis on Giving – Church is not about being entertained or only having personal needs and desires fulfilled. Church is participatory and communal. We give of ourselves and resources entrusted to us by God in order to reach people with the Good News of God’s love. This includes time, talents, and treasure.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We welcome all who are on a journey of faith seeking Christ and his priorities for their lives. Belonging and believing is not seen as a finish line but a starting line in this journey together.

Affiliation – We are a community church with people of different backgrounds. We are also a partner congregation with the Evangelical Covenant Church. As such we welcome the leadership of both men and women in our church and exercise our “freedom in Christ” (Galatians 5) with regard to different views of baptism informed by Scripture and traditional practices in the church. To learn more visit: Evangelical Covenant Church