Our Distinctives

Our goal is to be always gazing into the face of Jesus and His life-changing cross. Many rightly see the gospel as the means of entrance into a relationship with Christ, while tragically failing to see it as the means of growth in that relationship. While we believe that the gospel is certainly the only message that will save a lost world, we also believe it is the only message which brings about the church’s maturity.

To that end, we see the Bible – in all of its beautiful styles and varied portions – existing for the purpose of displaying the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in the creation and fall, that we see the need for redemption and new creation in Christ. It is in the impossibility of the Law’s demands that we see our need for Christ the Law-Keeper. It is in the promises and redemptive themes running throughout the Bible that we see the need for Christ who fulfills them. It is in the shadows and types of the Old Testament that we see Christ as the Great Antitype. It is in the rescue of Israel from earthly foes that we see Christ’s climactic deliverance of the church from spiritual enemies. This is how Jesus saw the Scriptures (e.g., Luke 24:27), and so we purpose to see them in this same way.

As such, we are committed to doing discipleship, counseling, training, worship, teaching and preaching – everything we do as a church – in a way that points to and derives power from Jesus’ cross. We purpose to showcase Jesus’ atoning death which achieves divine pardon of our guilt and the gift of His perfect righteousness which results in God’s acceptance of us. We call this our “Gospel-Centered Approach.” It is this approach that frees us from the fruitless pursuit of securing God’s love by means of our self-righteousness and wrongly heaping condemnation on ourselves in our defeats. By embracing the gospel as our everyday hope, we can then rest solely in what Jesus has done (and what He will yet do) as the basis of God’s ongoing joy in us. This, in turn, produces an overwhelming thanksgiving in our hearts that empowers us to defeat sin and grow in holiness. We believe this gospel-centered approach to be the key to ministry that avoids legalism as well as lawlessness. As a result, we are vigilant about guarding the gospel, as it is our only hope for salvation and our only hope for transformational growth in our Christian walk.

Jerry Bridges put it well in The Discipline of Grace: “This is the gospel by which we were saved, and it is the gospel by which we must live every day of our Christian lives.”
We do this for several reasons. First, we see each person in our number as equally valuable, uniquely gifted and necessary for us to be the church God has called us to be. It is through the rich diversity of our people that we will accomplish our mission: to know Jesus and make Him known. Together we will reflect the grace and knowledge of our Savior in a glorious fullness.

Secondly, we see the diversity of our trinitarian God in the diversity of the Spirit’s gifts among our members, and so we want to cultivate the various talents within our church. No one person or gift is more important than the rest but, rather, are beautifully complementary. Just as in the Godhead, one role is no more important or value than another. In addition, the differences among our members brings glory to a God who is the Savior of every tribe and language and people and nation.

Finally, we train up the church because Christ calls us to do so. In His wisdom, when each member is equipped and doing their part, the church grows in maturity and effectiveness and love. We purpose to train and encourage our people to make a meaningful impact as they live on mission for Christ.
This loving family atmosphere is seen in the importance of church membership and connecting with other members on a more intimate level. Accordingly, we purpose to encourage our people to fulfill their covenant responsibilities to the church at large and to also pursue close, sanctifying relationships through Community Groups and informal gatherings. Community is something we enjoy, but it is also something that is immensely practical for bringing about maturity and faithfulness of our people through the accountability and help of Spirit-filled friends.

By equipping the church, we mean that it is the elders’ duty to lead in training our members in the Word, helping them cultivate their gifts, and employing them to do the work of the ministry. We joyfully take up that duty by pouring much of our resources into the training of our people for the work of Christ’s church.

We do this for several reasons. First, we see each person in our number as equally valuable, uniquely gifted and necessary for us to be the church God has called us to be. It is through the rich diversity of our people that we will accomplish our mission: to know Jesus and make Him known. Together we will reflect the grace and knowledge of our Savior in a glorious fullness.

Secondly, we see the diversity of our trinitarian God in the diversity of the Spirit’s gifts among our members, and so we want to cultivate the various talents within our church. No one person or gift is more important than the rest but, rather, are beautifully complementary. Just as in the Godhead, one role is no more important or value than another. In addition, the differences among our members brings glory to a God who is the Savior of every tribe and language and people and nation.

Finally, we train up the church because Christ calls us to do so. In His wisdom, when each member is equipped and doing their part, the church grows in maturity and effectiveness and love. We purpose to train and encourage our people to make a meaningful impact as they live on mission for Christ.
This loving family atmosphere is seen in the importance of church membership and connecting with other members on a more intimate level. Accordingly, we purpose to encourage our people to fulfill their covenant responsibilities to the church at large and to also pursue close, sanctifying relationships through Community Groups and informal gatherings. Community is something we enjoy, but it is also something that is immensely practical for bringing about maturity and faithfulness of our people through the accountability and help of Spirit-filled friends.

It has always been God’s design that His called-out people live out their faith together. In fact, one of the main ways the world knows who Christians are is by their love for each other. To love the Lord with everything that we are includes loving our neighbor as ourselves, and so the Christian life is about being connected to others in a believing family.

This loving family atmosphere is seen in the importance of church membership and connecting with other members on a more intimate level. Accordingly, we purpose to encourage our people to fulfill their covenant responsibilities to the church at large and to also pursue close, sanctifying relationships through Community Groups and informal gatherings. Community is something we enjoy, but it is also something that is immensely practical for bringing about maturity and faithfulness of our people through the accountability and help of Spirit-filled friends.