Our Distinctives
Our Mission
To make disciples in everyday life and to see people become more like Jesus in every way.
Our Values/Practices
Love the Lord our God
As disciples, we intentionally obey Jesus and devote ourselves to Him through practices like Scripture reading, prayer, and daily devotion.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Jesus in Matthew 2:37)
Love One Another
As disciples, we live this out by intentionally pointing one another toward Jesus in different gatherings and spaces—such as small groups and Sunday mornings—and by showing up for each other in daily life, caring for and loving one another.
We encourage one another in the spiritual gifts and missional impulses that God created us for.
“A new commandment I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know you are my disciples if you love one another.” (Jesus in John 13:34-35)
Love Our Neighbors
As disciples, we live this out by building relationships with our neighbors, learning their stories, serving them, and showing up in their lives to love them like Jesus.
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Jesus in Matthew 22:39)
Love Our Enemies
As disciples, we live this out by moving toward our enemies in love and praying for those who persecute us. Jesus modeled this by dying on the cross and offering forgiveness even in His final moments, choosing to show love to those who put Him there.
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (Jesus in Matthew 5:44)
Love Our Enemies
Jesus' Way of Discipleship
Our values and practices are rooted in the ways of Jesus as revealed in the truth of Scripture. God sent Jesus from heaven to earth, and after His baptism and testing in the wilderness, He began proclaiming the good news: ‘The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ Soon after, Jesus called His first disciples to follow Him. His message and invitation point us to a life of discipleship—to become more and more like Him.
A disciple is someone who learns from and obeys what is being taught and modeled to them. We see this throughout the Gospels, as Jesus repeatedly teaches His disciples what it means to follow and obey Him.
Jesus taught His disciples to follow Him by modeling a life that nurtures their relationship with the Father (Luke 6:12; Mark 1:35), by inviting others into their community (Luke 6:13–16; Mark 1:17–18), and by serving those around them (Luke 6:13–16; Mark 1:38).
Discipleship is the process in which Jesus works in us, both individually and communally, to make us more like Him. It is not a destination. It's a process where we learn a new way of life. Just as the early Christians were known as,'the Way,' discipleship is the process of learning to turn from our own ways to walking in the ways of Jesus.
We fully believe that a life of discipleship is shaped more by Jesus’ work in us than by our work for Him. A disciple’s life is marked by surrender to Jesus’ work through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live a Jesus-shaped life and produces spiritual growth in us to accomplish Jesus’ Kingdom mission—to reclaim and restore all of creation under His banner.
This leads to a simple but profound principle: ‘Everyday people discipling everyday people.’ Jesus called and discipled ordinary people, and He calls us to do the same.
Disciple-making is the intentional investment in others to help them become followers of Jesus. In Matthew 28:16–20, before Jesus ascends, He gives His disciples one final commission: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Jesus’ commission calls His disciples to go and make other disciples by showing what it looks like to follow Him. It’s about life-on-life discipleship, living in community, and joining Him on mission together. Disciple-making is not just learning Jesus’ ways, but coming alongside others to help them put those ways into practice and live them out each day.
Jesus' teachings and actions show us some ket areas where he wants us to grow spiritually, so that we'll each become more like him. These are characteristics; things that should mark a follower of Jesus more and more as time goes on.
We want to be active in asking one another how we are growing spiritually in these areas of our lives.
- Abide in Christ (John 15:5-8, Matthew. 22:37, Luke 10:27)
- Live a Holy Life (Matthew 5:48, Luke 9:23, Matthew. 22:37, Luke 10:27)
- Live in a Christian Community (John 13:34-35, John 15:12-17)
- Invest in the well-being of brothers and sisters in Christ (John 13:34-35, John 15:12-17)
- Invest in our neighborhoods, communities, towns, strangers, etc. (Matthew. 5:43-45, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 6:27-280, Luke 10:27)
The One True Story of the World
It’s a Great Big Gospel: the good news that God has come, His
Kingdom is here, and He is reclaiming and restoring all things.
Adapted from, "Drama of the Scriptures" written by Michael Goheen
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God, the main character of this story, is the personal, all-powerful being who made everything that exists. He is the true ruler of the universe — lovingly providing for all that is under his care.
God’s creation - men and women, specifically - made the choice to live outside of God's Kingdom. By pushing back against His good reign, sin entered the world and creation became subject to pain, sickness, suffering, and death as a result. Because God is just and good and cannot allow sin or rebellion in His presence forever, He had to punish them. Humans were sent away from God's presence - yet he still loved and provided for them.
God did not leave His creation confused and without hope forever. He chose one man, Abraham, and made a covenant with him. God promised to bless Abraham and multiply His offspring so that they would be a blessing to all the nations. Abraham’s family would be the means by which God would carry out His mission and save the world from His creation's rebellion. Abraham, and every following generation of God’s people, would fall short of being that blessing to all nations, over and over. But God promised a new King, a messiah, who would accomplish his ultimate purpose. God's people waited in hopeful expectation, even in the midst of their brokenness.
God was still on His mission, so one day His son, Jesus, was born. When Jesus reached a certain age he began to proclaim, “The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe”. Jesus was the King of God’s Kingdom and spent His time among people, teaching and showing them what that Kingdom was like. He lived this way until He willingly gave himself to His enemies, who crucified Him on a cross. He died, but three days later, He showed He was the one true King by coming back to life, being raised from the dead, and thereby defeating sin once and for all.
Jesus' followers were called disciples, and eventually also known as Christians. Many followed Him when He walked among them, and after His resurrection He gathered them again before ascending into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. His followers prayerfully waited, and soon the Holy Spirit came and empowered them to live out everything Jesus had taught them. As time went on, these followers’ setup communities that would represent Jesus to one another, their neighbors, and even their enemies. These were called churches, and they existed to live out God’s ongoing mission to redeem and save the entire world.
God was still on His mission through His church. In a vision to one of the original disciples, John, Jesus revealed his ultimate purpose and plan; to restore His creation and make it whole again. One day, Jesus will return. He will fully and finally defeat the enemies of His Kingdom, and He will judge every person based on their choice to rebel against God or to trust in Jesus as the Savior. Finally, for all of eternity, God's dwelling place will be with humans again. He will dwell with them and they will be His people, in perfect unity and wholeness forever and ever.