What We Value
We value the Sacraments {Baptism and the Lord's Supper} for they are part of the Means of Grace that God uses to mark us as Christians.
'And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.' {Acts 2:42}
Therefore, as committed Christians we frequent the Table often and point others to the waters of Holy Baptism.
We value prayer as a means to communicate with God on a continual {and continuous} basis.
'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.' {Philippians 4:6}
We believe our faith family should be diligent in prayer - for each other, our church staff, our community, our country, and the entire world. God hears our prayers. All of them. Even though God might not say yes to our petitions, we will persistently teach of this invaluable connection between God and us.
We value outreach/evangelism because God wants all people to be saved and have a reconciled relationship with Him through Christ. These are driven by a missional urgency to reach our community, that our ministry is grace-driven, and the constant opportunity to tell people of free salvation in the shadow of the Cross.
'And He said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation..."' {Mark 16:15}
Therefore, our goal is to assimilate people into our congregation and point them to the means of grace. What these culminate in is to show that God transforms lives through His Love and the He cares for all people and so do we. We strive to be a faith family that is grace-driven - giving it and remind others of that which God has shown us. All of these attributes of our outreach and evangelism are contingent upon planning according to cultural relevance.
We value and promote that all people are welcome in and throughout our family. God’s love and grace are what we show toward each person we encounter.
"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." {1 John 4:8}
Therefore, we will make it our responsibility to assist in outreach/evangelism by telling others that people matter to us, we offer dynamic worship experiences (driven by music and worship excellence), and we strive to be creative in all areas of ministry.
We value community involvement in that we should be heart-driven servants who seek to crucially impact the community around us. Our neighbors need to have the reassurance of God’s Love and tell them that He first loved us. It is our goal to walk in Jesus’ footsteps and join Him on His Mission.
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” {1 Peter 4:10}
Therefore we believe it an essential attribute of our faith family to be well involved in the community around us. We love our city and will be disciples by personally and corporately remaining a part of many public opportunities. Because of these opportunities we have additional chances to tell people about the love of God, our faith family, and our mission.
We value our young ones because they are the future of the church on earth. It is our duty to be in connection with young families through our congregation, community outreach, and the local school systems. Teaching these about Jesus’ love and forgiveness is our standard.
"You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed." {Acts 3:25}
Therefore, we will build up and nurture strong families while encouraging them to be active in Bible study, worship, and living out their faith. We accept and realize that not everyone has a family in the true sense of the term, thus we pledge to step up and support them as our own.
We value being Christ-centered in every way.
1 Corinthians 12:13 - For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one spirit.
Therefore, our teachings are doctrinally pure and Bible-based. As we are Christ-centered, we will encourage Christian education and its integral influence on our spiritual life. We believe that God’s Word is inerrant and that Lutheran publications (Book of Concord, Small/Large Catechism, etc.) are its proper interpretations. From this standpoint we will show a spirit of generosity, push to be good stewards of our resources (stewardship), and practice Godly leadership inside and outside our faith family.
We value a spirit of fellowship, as well as a physical display. Christians need to meet, support, and love one another in a genuine and Christ-like manner. In doing this, people grow as a family and put their resources toward the common goal of taking the Kingdom to the world.
"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin." {1 John 1:7}
Therefore our mission is to come together as one body in many different and diverse settings. In this fellowship we will prioritize our goals and prayerfully impact the community with them. We will always have an open chair for those wishing to join us out in the mission field.