About Us
A WORD OF WELCOME FROM DERRICK SHIELDS, LEAD PASTOR
Thank you for taking the time to view our website! We hope that the content that you read will help you to learn about who we are at Christ Community Church. If you haven’t already attended a service, we’d love to have you join us. We are not perfect people, nor is CCC a perfect church. Instead, you will find us to be a community of ordinary people who are experiencing what it means to love and to be loved by an extraordinary God. In essence, we are learning to live for a change. We hope to meet you soon! Derrick Shields, Lead Pastor |
GET STARTED, THEN GO DEEPER
For an in-depth look into what we're all about, come to our Getting Started and Going Deeper classes. The former will introduce you to CCC’s history, mission, values and much more; the latter details our core ministries and how you can get involved. Each class is offered seven times a year. |
OUR MISSION
Christ Community Church exists "to awaken ordinary people to extraordinary life in Christ-centered community."
We understand this mission to mean that God accepts us as we are and 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.
Christ Community Church exists "to awaken ordinary people to extraordinary life in Christ-centered community."
We understand this mission to mean that God accepts us as we are and 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 RIVER OF LIFE STRATEGY
The extraordinary life God offers is made possible as we surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and move deeper into five basic purposes of the Christian life.
("So where the river flows, everything will live," Ezekiel 47:9). Extraordinary life happens when we receive Christ into our hearts and allow His life to flow through us to others.
The extraordinary life God offers is made possible as we surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and move deeper into five basic purposes of the Christian life.
- We WORSHIP by celebrating and loving 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 SERVE others around us by using our gifts and talents.
- We LIVE out our lives at home and in the world as faithful followers of Jesus Christ.
("So where the river flows, everything will live," Ezekiel 47:9). Extraordinary life happens when we receive Christ into our hearts and allow His life to flow through us to others.
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; 1 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; 2 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 Jesus Christ, our mission, and our core beliefs, while promoting a diversity of spiritual gifts, and racial, social, and spiritual backgrounds. (John 17:20-23; 1 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. (1 Chron. 21:24; 1 Chron. 29:10-14; Matt. 25:14-29; Col. 3:23-24)
Intentional Outreach
Because God loves people who are lost, we love people who are lost.
Demonstrated by … personally and corporately focusing time, attention, and resources toward people outside the church locally, regionally, and globally. (Matt. 9:35-38; Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:14-15)
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; 1 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; 2 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 Jesus Christ, our mission, and our core beliefs, while promoting a diversity of spiritual gifts, and racial, social, and spiritual backgrounds. (John 17:20-23; 1 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. (1 Chron. 21:24; 1 Chron. 29:10-14; Matt. 25:14-29; Col. 3:23-24)
Intentional Outreach
Because God loves people who are lost, we love people who are lost.
Demonstrated by … personally and corporately focusing time, attention, and resources toward people outside the church locally, regionally, and globally. (Matt. 9:35-38; Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:14-15)
OUR OPERATIONAL VALUES
Our staff adheres to a set of Operational Values that provide a blueprint for how we operate and relate to one another, both within the staff and with the CCC family as a whole.
OUR FREE METHODIST CONNECTION
Christ Community Church is a part of the Free Methodist Church, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Free Methodist Church has been around for 150 years, and has churches throughout the United States and on almost every continent in the world. There are two great benefits to being a part of this denomination: 1) We are accountable to godly leadership; and 2) We are part of a worldwide body of believers. We don’t live in isolation, but share in the work of Free Methodists throughout the world. To learn more about the Free Methodist Church, please visit fmusa.org.
Our staff adheres to a set of Operational Values that provide a blueprint for how we operate and relate to one another, both within the staff and with the CCC family as a whole.
OUR FREE METHODIST CONNECTION
Christ Community Church is a part of the Free Methodist Church, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Free Methodist Church has been around for 150 years, and has churches throughout the United States and on almost every continent in the world. There are two great benefits to being a part of this denomination: 1) We are accountable to godly leadership; and 2) We are part of a worldwide body of believers. We don’t live in isolation, but share in the work of Free Methodists throughout the world. To learn more about the Free Methodist Church, please visit fmusa.org.