We are a Vineyard church, part of the Vineyard movement which
started in the early eighties. We value our heritage, as well as the
new and fresh things that God continues to do as we move toward’s God’s
glorious future. We believe that the world was changed through the
Cross and Resurrection of Jesus and the gift of God’s Spirit;
therefore, we, by the Spirit, are “Continuing the Mission of Jesus” for
the Glory of God.
Because of the Cross, we value COMMUNITY. We, as cross-shaped
people, get to celebrate the restoration of relationship in all kinds
of ways: prayer groups, small groups, worship ministry, men/women
ministries, and youth/children ministries.
Because of the Resurrection, we value OUTREACH. We, as
resurrection-shaped people, get to care for and love God’s world
through benevolence, social justice, church planting, and missions.
Because of the gift of God’s Spirit, we value TRAINING. We, as a
Spirit-shaped people, get to learn how to follow Jesus through Bible
study, Kingdom ministry, and family ministries. We invite you to
participate with us as we pray for and work toward what God is doing
within His world.
Our Mission
Our mission is to continue the ministry of Jesus through the
proclamation and demonstration of the Kingdom of God. We are to witness
the love of the Father just as Christ did.
Our Values
Values affect what we think and, consequently, what we do. Although
we seldom consciously think about them, values create a “culture”, or a
“feeling” in a group or organization. The following values give our
congregation its distinct mission and culture at this time.
Our nine values are:
Pursuers of God
The depth of God’s relationship with us is inexhaustible (Ps. 41:1;
1 Cor. 2:6ff; Phil 3:8-10). Therefore, we seek Him and wait expectantly
for His presence in all that we do (John 4:34; 5:19-20).
The Bible
At our core, we are evangelical Christians and our approach to life
and ministry is shaped by the counsel Scripture gives us (2 Tim.
3:16-17).
Unity
Our brothers and sisters are not our enemies, therefore we will love
who Jesus loves which is the whole church – those in our local
congregation, those in The Vineyard Movement, and Christians across
denominational lines (Eph. 4:3-6)
Compassion and Mercy
We accept into our fellowship any person moving towards Christ in
their pursuit of genuine human life. We welcome “sinners”, trusting the
Holy Spirit to draw anyone’s heart to Him through worship, the Word,
and love. God’s mercy always triumphs over judgment (James 2:13; John
8:1-11).
Equipping
God calls and enables believers to express the talents, gifts, and
ministries that He has set aside for them, therefore we integrate
Biblical truth into everyday activities that impact our community (Eph.
4:11-13).
Relationships
Caring for people is our highest priority after submission to God,
because the purpose of the cross was the redemption of men and women.
To the best of our ability we will treat each person with respect,
dignity, and loving patience – always seeking what is best for their
life and growth (Rom. 12:9-13; 1 Cor. 13:4-9; Col. 3:12-14).
Generosity
We are stewards of God’s gifts and resources (Matt. 10:8, 39;
13:45-46) which means that when God directs, we will be willing to give
away what we have, to risk the security of current success in order to
advance the Kingdom of God on earth in greater ways.
Simplicity
We want to be “naturally supernatural”, avoiding behavior that draws
attention away from God and to ourselves. Simplicity affects our
worship style, how we pray for the sick, minister to the poor, carry
out discipleship, teach the Bible, and so on (1 Cor. 2:2-5; James 3:13;
1 Thess. 4:11-12).
Risk Taking and Mistake Making
We are willing to let people make mistakes as they grow in their
gifting. We know that gifting develops in an environment of
trial-and-error, so we are willing to be patient with people’s
weaknesses and failures while they learn (John 21:15-19; Gal. 5:22-23).
Our Emphases
Emphases are different than values in that they state the current
direction of our ministry. Emphases change as the needs of the
community change. The intention of our emphases are to increase the
quality of life and bring light to darkness.
Our four emphases are:
Worship
We have committed ourselves to a life of worship because God is worthy (Rom. 12:1).
Word
We are committed to study and obey the Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16, 17c).
Walk
As a body, we recognize the importance of fellowship for corporate
and personal spiritual growth and health, and are committed to
persevering in the faith with one another and to sharing the Good News
of the Kingdom of God with the world (Acts 2:42, 45-47).
Wonders
We wait expectantly for a tangible expression of the Person, work, and gifts of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:11-13).
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