Our Guiding Principles

...is simple and biblical.

“Bringing others together to grow closer to God, His word, and His people for His glory.”

That one statement embodies evangelism, worshiping God, Bible study, discipleship, fellowship, and relationship.  That is our mission. It is the thing that we measure ministry opportunities against to help determine what we do and how we do it.

...is for every believer to have Christ as the center of their lives and to live out the truth of Scripture in every aspect of life.

We are disciples of Jesus Christ. He should be our center, He and He alone should be our reason for the things that we think, say, and do. It's so easy to compartmentalize Jesus to Sundays, or weekday mornings, or when a crisis hits, but the true abundant life is experienced when Jesus is our all-in-all. This abundant life is when the centrality of Christ permeates and motivates every single aspect of our lives.

...are simple yet life-changing.

CENTRALITY OF SCRIPTURE.  

Everything we do has a foundational basis in the Word of God. (2Ti 3:16-17)

By the Lord's protection and grace, we stand firmly on the truths revealed in the eternal, inerrant, infallible, Word of God. Regardless of what the world says or does, we intend to stand on His Word unwavering and without apology until He returns.

GRACE and TRUTH.  

Since this is Christ’s church we desire to reflect His character, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) 

Grace and Truth is a single, inseparable component. We never want to compromise one in favor of the other. By the power of God the Holy Spirit, the full truth of God's Word is shared with the full love of Christ. It is in a genuine and sincere climate of love for one another where the penetrating truths of God's Word can be most effective.

PURSUIT OF PERSONAL HOLINESS.  

We take ownership of our discipleship, cooperating with the the Holy Spirit in His sanctifying work. (Php 2:12-13)

Every believer is called to have an active part in their discipleship and growth. Knowing that it s a matter of direction not perfection, we want to encourage and support believers in their pursuit of living a life that is pleasing to God and a blessing to their families. We're all works-in-progress and we will fall short. We want to "keep it real".  We have the freedom to acknowledge and accept those truths. But we don't want to be content to remain where we are. So we as a community of believers will encourage and help one another to grow.

EVERYONE IS FAMILY.  

We support and encourage one another in obedience to God’s Word as we “do life together”. (Heb 10:24-25)

The world is growing darker and colder. Brothers and sisters in Christ will not find encouragement from the world. The Bible tells us that among the over 30 things we should do for one another... we are to encourage one another, love one another, and rejoice with one another. We do that through true fellowship and connections that are not confined to church-driven activities.

So while we will study God's Word together, worship, pray, and fellowship together, that won't be the only things we do. Families spend social time together, and God's Family should not be any different. Church picnics, BBQs, movies, game nights, etc. are all vital components in building and maintaining true and long-lasting relationships. 

EVERYONE SERVES.  

We equip the saints to use their gifts and to obey their call to serve, in the body and in the community. (Eph 4:11-12)

Every believer is given (at least) one spiritual gift by the Holy Spirit. In the Lord's sovereign plan for all believers, He has ordained works for them to do using those gifts. We are sensitive to this truth and work to help each believer identify their area of gifting, find an area of service for them to use their gifts, and provide training to help grow and refine those gifts.

PLANT CHURCHES.  

Should we grow beyond an effective size, we plant another standalone church. (Rom 10:13-15)

We are responsible to care for and feed the people the Lord brings to Grace. We are commissioned to make disciples and present everyone mature in Christ. We are responsible for growing disciples deep, but the Lord is sovereign over His church and to its size. Should He grow Grace numerically to a size where we are unable to carry out the mission effectively, we will multiply the work by planting another standalone body of believers. From day-1 we have an intentional plan to equip those who the Lord will call to plant that new work.

We're all part of the family of God. How strange is it be in a family where not everyone is known by face and name?! The elders of Grace will be held accountable to the Lord at the end of time for their care of His people. How well can a person be cared for if they are not known? Our desire, with the Lord's help, is to be large enough to be sustainable yet small enough where everyone can be known.

Our “Core Values” are foundational principles and distinctives that work in harmony to support the mission.

...keeps things simple and intentional.

WORSHIP.  

Our weekend service is designed to corporately focus on Christ. It includes worshiping God in song consisting of contemporary worship music and traditional hymns. It includes learning about God through verse by verse expositional teaching through the entire Bible with a focus on application. It includes sharing the love of God through time of prayer and fellowship that strengthens the bonds of relationship.

This focus on Jesus is extended and continued throughout the week on a personal level. Daily time in prayer and Bible study are vital components for a growing disciple's walk with Christ.

CONNECT. 

Connecting with others is important. It is through the relationships we have that the Lord works in and through us. Here at Grace we believe that every disciple should have connections with two groups of people:

In the church: The primary means of discipleship and connecting within the church is through home-based small groups where the weekend sermon is studied and discussed in greater detail.   Whether it is an all-men small group, all-women small group, mixed group, or youth small group, everyone will be studying and discussing the same material each week. This enables families who, due to scheduling conflicts, are unable to attend small group together can still have opportunity to continue their study and discussion as a family. It also gives everyone at Grace another common point of connection regardless of which group they are in.

With the community: In obedience to the Great Commission we believe that we should also be connecting with people outside the church, sharing the love of Christ through the course of everyday life. We all have responsibilities, likes, interests, hobbies, and leisure activities that are a God-given result of our life experiences. Those all provide opportunities to connect with the community. For example: A parent coaching their child's youth sports team is a vital component to discipleship. Living out our faith in every circumstance is a powerful witness to an unbelieving world.

SERVE. 

We are called to serve one another and to share the Gospel with those who need to hear it. As with connecting, we believe that every disciple should be serving two groups of people:

In the church: Within the church we serve through the work of the ministry which includes ministering to those in our small groups. Every believer is given gifts by God the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of doing those works that He has ordained before the foundations of the world. Leadership is responsible, and will be held to account before the Lord, to help believers identify their gifts and get them serving in areas within the church where their gifts can be used. Equipping seminars are used to further develop and refine a believer's spiritual gift.

In the community: Outside the church we meet physical needs with the hope of an opportunity to present to the unsaved the solution for their spiritual need. There are individual needs and community-wide needs outside the church. We will seek out those opportunities where it appears that the Holy Spirit is directing for an opportunity to meet those needs. Believers in our congregation may already be serving in a personal ministry opportunity. We desire to meet the Lord where He is working and come alongside our brothers and sisters serving in such capacities without the need to make that work an "official program" of Grace. 

This is our method for accomplishing the mission, that reflects our values, that with the Lord's help results in our vision.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!"
- Psalm 84:11-12