Who We Are
Our Mission
To awaken ordinary people to extraordinary life in Christ-centered community.
We understand this mission to mean that God accepts us as we are, but that He loves us far too much to leave us that way. Our new life in Him opens us to the promise of extraordinary life that comes through His transforming grace.
By extraordinary, we don't mean a life without problems or difficulties, but a life grounded in Christ and authentic relationships with other believers (Christ-centered community) that lifts us beyond the circumstances of everyday life. As we move further into this new way of living, our life together becomes our greatest testimony to a watching world.
Our Core Values
Passionate Spirituality
Because God is our source of life, we pursue Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Demonstrated by... a daily commitment to worship, prayer, and the Word that is openly expressed not only at church, but at home, work, and play (Jer. 29.13; Mark 12.30; John 15.5).
Authentic Relationships
Because God created us for community, we devote ourselves to building healthy relationships.
Demonstrated by... engaging in life together with transparency, humility, compassion, and a commitment to speaking the truth in love (Acts 2.42-47; Rom. 12.15-16; Eph. 4.14-15; I John 4.10-12).
Environment of Grace
Because God accepts us and wants to make us whole, we freely extend His grace to everyone.
Demonstrated by... modeling mutual acceptance in a way that welcomes the broken, promotes forgiveness, allows freedom to fail, and brings out God's best in everyone (Rom. 15.7; II Cor. 12.9; Eph. 2.8-9).
Unity in Diversity
Because God unites us in the essentials, we can celebrate diversity in the non-essentials.
Demonstrated by... maintaining a shared loyalty to our mission and core beliefs while promoting a diversity of spiritual gifts, and racial, social, and spiritual backgrounds (John 17.20-23; I Cor. 12.4-6; Gal. 3.28; Titus 3.9).
Wholehearted Service
Because God is worthy, we give Him the best of what He has given us.
Demonstrated by... a willingness to enthusiastically give our time, talents, and treasures in a way that honors God and inspires people (I Chron. 21.18-24; Matt. 25.14-29; Col. 1.10, 3.23).
Intentional Outreach
Because God loves lost people, we love lost people.
Demonstrated by... personally and corporately focusing time, attention, and resources toward people outside the church locally, regionally, and globally (Matt. 28.19-20; Acts 1.8; Rom. 10.4-5).
Our "River of Life" Strategy
"So where the river flows, everything will live." - Ezekiel 47.9
The extraordinary life God offers is made possible as we surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and as we move deeper into the 5 basic purposes of the Christian life:
- In worship, we celebrate and love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
- We grow in discipleship through the study and application of God's Word.
- We connect with other Christians in authentic Biblical community.
- We use our gifts and talents to serve others around us.
- We live out our lives at home and in the world as faithful followers of Jesus Christ.
Together, these 5 purposes make up what we call the "River of Life." The prophet Ezekiel pictured the life of God as a great river, and he said that everywhere the river flows everything will live. Extraordinary life happens when we get in the flow of the life of God: when we both receive the life of God, and then allow His life to flow through us to others.
The following demonstrates how we understand and live out this strategy.
Worship
- Definition: Celebrating the life of God in worship.
- Application: Corporate Worship; Personal Worship
- Discovery Course: Discovering Christ Community Church
- Life Focus: "Live for a Change"
Grow
- Definition: Growing into maturity as fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
- Application: LIFE School; Discipleship Groups; Wholeness Ministry
- Discovery Course: Discovering Spiritual Maturity
- Life Focus: "Live for a Change"
Connect
- Definition: Engaging in authentic relationships with one another.
- Application: Community Groups; Celebrate Recovery; Age/Life-Stage Ministries
- Discovery Course: Discovering Authentic Biblical Community
- Life Focus: "Live for a Change"
Serve
- Definition: Using our talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts to serve others.
- Application: SHAPE Class; Ministry Teams
- Discovery Course: Discovering the Joy of Serving
- Life Focus: "Live for a Change"
Live
- Definition: Letting our light shine by living out a life of faith at home and in the world.
- Application: Personal Outreach; Corporate Outreach; World Missions
- Discovery Course: Discovering Your Life Mission
- Life Focus: "Live for a Change"
