…About God:
There is only one living and true God, existing in three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is the creator and ruler of this world.

[Genesis 1, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 3:16]

 

 

…About Jesus:

Jesus Christ is the only son of God and is equal in his deity with the Father and Holy Spirit as one God. The sacrifice of Christ is the source of our salvation. I believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His atoning death on the cross, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His future personal and visible return to the earth in power and glory.

[Matthew 26:64, Luke 1:34–38, John 1:1-5, 14, John 3:16, Acts 2:23–24, Philippians 2:6–11, Hebrews 2:9, 8:1, 1 Peter 3:18]

 

 

…About The Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit is equal in his deity with the Father and Jesus. He is sent to indwell, teach, guide, encourage, reveal truth, interpret scripture for and empower the believer while convicting non-believers of their sin and need for salvation.

[John 14:15–18, 16:5–13, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 1:13]

 

 

…About The Bible:
Scripture is the very word of God. It is perfect in its original languages and is the supreme authority in the matters of faith and life. I further believe that the Bible was engineered by God to be one complete message and that the very letters of the words and grammar of the sentences are there for a reason.

[Psalm 12:6, 119:105, 160, 2 Timothy 3:15–16, 2 Peter 1:20–21]

 

…About Salvation:

All men have fallen short of the glory of God by nature and by choice, and salvation is received only through faith in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah. I believe that this salvation is a gift of God’s grace, not dependant on or achievable through any merit which I might seek to achieve through my own works.

[John 3:16, 14:6, Romans 3:23, 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:4–7, Hebrews 2:9, 1 Peter 3:18]

 

…About The Church:

The Church consists of all those who believe in Jesus Christ. I believe the local church is a body of believers in Christ, who are joined together for the purpose of worship, the mutual strengthening of one another in the Faith, meeting the needs of their community and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

[Matthew 28:19–20, Acts 2:41–47, James 1:27]

 

 

…About Israel:

Jesus is the true Messiah of Israel and fulfills the prophesies of the Coming King as described in the Torah, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel and all other Jewish scriptures. Further, I believe that while the Church has inherited the  promise of salvation, it does not replace Israel in the eyes of God. God will redeem Israel and fulfill his covenant with them once the church age is completed, and sit upon the throne of David.

[Genesis 12:1-3, 2 Samuel 7:12-16, Psalm 132:11, Luke 1:31-33, Romans 11:25-27,

Revelation 7:1-8]

 

…About Baptism, Communion and Commandments:
Christ committed two ordinances to the local church; Baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. The first is an outward expression of a changed heart representing our new life in Christ. The second is a remembrance of his sacrifice until his return. I further believe the greatest and most important commandments, in Christ’s own words, are to love the Lord your God and to love your neighbor. It is through these commandments that the Great Commission is fulfilled.

[Matthew 22:36-40, 28:18-20, Acts 2:41–47, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34]

 

…About The Resurrection Body:

Each person, both believers and non-believers, will one day be resurrected and give an account before God. Those who have been covered by the righteousness of Christ will be resurrected to eternal life, but those who rejected God will be forever separated from His presence.

[John 5:28–29, 1 Corinthians 15:12-33, Revelation 20:11-15]

The Church Should:

• Be accessible to all people.
• Be Fun, Worshipful, and culturally relevant
• Take the Word of God seriously.
• Should have a outward community focus while still growing believers.
• Have a passion for both the lost and spiritual growth.
• Be filled with encouragers not judges.
• Have a passion for worship, learning, and sending.
   

Ministry Philosophy:

The great debate in the American church is whether we should be focusing our efforts on seeker-driven missional services or strong biblical discipleship and Spiritual Formation. One model promises to bring more people into the Kingdom while the other gives the promise of spiritual growth and maturity. Despite the endless stack of articles and books that have argued one side or the other, I would contend that neither model is correct. We must, in fact, not only follow both models at the same time, but do them both well. The key to our success lies in clearly

communicating the vision and mission of the church.

 

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) not only tells us to make disciples (Missional), but to also teach them to obey all the commands Christ taught us (Spiritual Formation). Paul teaches us that God’s grace is open to everyone and that we must accept people where they are1 (Missional), but Paul also teaches us that believers are a slave to righteousness and must continue to spiritually grow2 (Spiritual Formation). We must therefore make our churches welcoming to those who are seeking God while still building strong disciples.

Everything the church does must have a focus on reaching lost people. In order to do this, we must also grow and

disciple believers to share that passion. I believe in a “it’s not about you” approach to Spiritual Formation. The

closer our walk with Christ becomes, the more it must become about other people.

 

1 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

2 Romans 6:15-18