Core Values

Teaching and living the truth of God’s grace.

Teaching

Believing that the Bible is God’s inspired word, we place a high priority on understanding and applying Scripture.  Central in our teaching is the gospel of God’s grace – the good news that God has made it possible for us to know him.  And he’s done this as an act of mercy and grace. 

Living

More good news!  God not only accepts us by grace, based upon Christ’s death for us.  It is by grace that we live as followers of Christ.  From beginning to end, the Christian life is lived by grace. Our desire to become fully devoted followers of Christ is not motivated by a desperate desire to earn God’s favor.  He’s already extended his favor to us in Christ.  So now, as we seek to know him and make him known, we do so as a joyful, willing response to his great love for us. This is the power of the gospel.  God’s grace not only makes it possible for us to know God through Christ.  It is God’s grace that motivates us to love and serve him.  And it is God’s grace that empowers us as we use the gifts God has given us to love and serve others.

The Truth

Grace does not involve self- deception.  It doesn’t ignore the truth about ourselves – that we are broken and lost, and cannot reach God by our own efforts.  That we are sinful people who deserve only judgment. Nor does grace minimize sin.  Even as God’s children we fall short of living as he wants us to live.  We say and do things that displease God and hurt one another.  But the truth of God’s grace means that we can be honest with God and one another about our sins and weaknesses, and can find mercy and forgiveness.

God's Grace

A well-known acrostic defines grace as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.  It’s God’s undeserved kindness, his unmerited favor. There’s nothing we can do to make ourselves clean in God’s eyes.  Salvation is a free gift that God has made available through the death of Jesus on our behalf, for our sins.  We don’t deserve this gift.  We can’t earn it.  We can only gratefully receive it by trusting in Christ as our Savior and following him as Lord.