Philosophy of Ministry Statement
EXPOSITORY PREACHING
We believe the power of the gospel is unleashed through the word preached. Romans 10:14 asks the question, “And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Therefore the local church is responsible for ensuring that people are hearing the word of God. Each Sunday, we take a portion of Scripture and carefully explain it so that everyone may hear and believe.
STYLE OF WORSHIP
We use a contemporary style of worship music. For us this includes guitars, keyboards and drums. We use this style because many people in our culture are more familiar with this form of music. Our desire is that each person relate to the music. However, our style of worship does not dictate our song selection. We believe deeply that our worship music should communicate the truth about who God is and what He has done. We are very concerned that the lyrics of our songs reflect what the Bible reveals. On any given Sunday we may use hymns or worship choruses that we believe best communicate the wonderful message of what God has done. Our goal is to worship wholeheartedly and accurately the amazing God that we have come to know through Jesus Christ.
BAPTISM AND COMMUNION
We practice water baptism by immersion for those who have believed in Jesus as Savior and Lord. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. We practice these ordinances in this way based on the practice of the New Testament churches.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that God is all-powerful and continues to work in powerful ways among his people. We are encouraged when we see the evidence of God’s grace poured out among us. However, all of the Spirit’s gifts are to be used humbly and in ways that build the Church up, never in divisive ways. Therefore, we do not generally have an open time in our worship services for the expression of spiritual gifts.
CHURCH GOVERNMENT
We are governed by a plurality of male Elders. These men are responsible for the oversight and spiritual care of the Church. Each of the Elders serves perpetually unless for physical or spiritual reasons they are unable to continue in this ministry. With this model we are seeking to be faithful both to the example and instruction found in the New Testament. On certain occasions we will hold a congregational vote of support regarding financial changes in the ministry (i.e. purchasing land or hiring additional staff).
SMALL GROUPS
We believe God calls every Christian to spiritually grow into maturity. We do this by faithfully applying God’s word to our lives. Our small groups provide a context for encouraging and helping one another faithfully grow in knowledge and holy living. The small groups also provide a place of fellowship, caring and ministry in our lives.
