What We Value

• Presence of God. We value the presence of God in our midst. Especially during worship and in times of ministry, we give room for God to make Himself known and to touch us with His Spirit.
• Leadership of the Holy Spirit. We value the direction of God and are committed to seeking Him and following Him. Therefore, we desire to hear from God in prayer as we make decisions and to follow the directives of the Holy Spirit as we conduct meetings. We desire to remain open to Him and to value His voice more than our own plans.
• Kingdom of God. We believe that Jesus came to earth to establish a kingdom in which He rules with power, justice and mercy. We believe that Jesus has called His church to advance His kingdom in the earth, to participate with Him in bringing His rule to individuals and societies. Therefore, we value His active rule among us and value opportunities to demonstrate His power, justice and mercy.
• Prayer. We value communication with God very highly. We value private, personal prayer, as well as corporate prayer. And we believe that God values our prayers. We desire to live our lives, personally and corporately, in a way that commits significant time to prayer.
• Sovereignty of God. God rules His creation with infinite power, complete authority and perfect wisdom. He responds to prayer, but He obeys neither person nor formula, and He does what He chooses in any situation for his own purposes. Therefore, we value humility before Him and are careful not to explain away the mysteries of His ways.
• Spiritual Gifts. We believe that all the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible are operative in the church today. We value the proper exercise of all the gifts in a Biblically informed way under the guidance of pastoral leadership. Since the Holy Spirit gives gifts for the common good of the whole church, we value humility and accountability in the exercise of gifts and we avoid equating gifts with spiritual maturity.
• Mercy. Jesus has shown great mercy to us. Therefore, we value mercy in our fellowship. We desire to show mercy in our relationships with each other and to demonstrate His mercy to the unbelieving world.
• Healing. We believe that Jesus came to break the power of sin and right the hurtful effects of sin. Though that will not be realized fully until He returns, His reign today nonetheless brings real victory over sin in all areas of life. Therefore, we value the Lord's healing work - spiritually, emotionally and physically - and desire to create an environment in which we realize His healing power.
• Authenticity. We value honesty, integrity and authenticity. We desire to be real in our relationships with each other and real in our presentation of the work of God in His church. We desire not to manipulate people or play on emotions. We desire not to pretend that God is doing something He is not really doing. We value emotional honesty and leave room for great emotional expression, but we do not like hype.
• The Individual. We respect each individual person. We desire to hold uncompromising standards of behavior and to encourage growth and healing while at the same time respecting each person's private journey with God. We do not desire to pressure any person.
• Growth Toward Maturity. We value personal growth because we believe God values it. We believe that God calls us to more than just salvation and church attendance. He calls us to a growing, intimate relationship with Himself, to observable growth in personal character and to an increasing concern for His purposes in the world.
• Personal Character. Christian growth is not just about experience or happiness or Bible knowledge. In an increasingly character-less society, we value deeply the character of Jesus formed in us and demonstrated through us. We avoid legalism energetically, but we are absolutely committed to developing holiness.
• The Family. We value the family highly. We are committed to the integrity of marriage and to the central importance of good parenting. We desire to support, protect and strengthen families and equip them for life and ministry in our culture.
• Relationships. We value relationships as integral to Christian maturity. We desire to ensure that relationships are more important than programs in the life of our church.