Article III - Vision and Values Statements

ARTICLE III - VISION & VALUES STATEMENTS

Vision:

We are a community of sinners saved by grace, thriving in relationship with each other and with our God, and sharing that grace with our city. 

Values:

1. Truth

We see God’s revelation as the way we encounter the living Lord, know Him personally, and experience continual transformation through His Spirit.

·         We value faithful preaching and in-depth study of Scripture

·         We value evangelism as the only means of new birth

·         We value nature as God’s revelation and gift

·         We value men, women and children as images of God

·         We value culture, science and the arts as avenues of truth, beauty and goodness

2. Community

We desire community formed by the truth of the gospel, where we experience grace, and share it with others.

·         We value grace, authenticity, depth and interdependence in community

·         We value corporate worship and prayer that springs from God’s work in our lives

·         We value the plurality of elders and godly leadership

·         We value the gifts of service each member in the body of Christ has been given

·         We value partnering with other churches in Columbia and beyond

3. Mission

We want our community to join Jesus’ mission to recover the lost, build the church, and serve our neighbors in Columbia and beyond.

·         We value our neighborhoods, our city, and our region

·         We value mercy ministry and social justice

·         We value personal and relational evangelism

·         We value leadership development locally and abroad

·         We value church-planting regionally, nationally and internationally

Revelation

We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We believe the invisible, unapproachable, incomprehensible God has revealed Himself in visible, approachable and comprehensible ways.  And because we have known Him, we love Him.  Because we love God, we love His Self-revelation.

Jesus

God has revealed Himself fully in the eternal Word, incarnate in Jesus Christ.  Because we have come to know Jesus, we now know God.  And because we love God, we love Jesus. 

The Bible

God has revealed Himself in Scripture.  As the written Word of God, inspired and illuminated by the Holy Spirit, we greatly value the faithful, corporate teaching of Scripture, and our own, individual and diligent study of it. 

Nature and Culture

God has revealed Himself in creation and, most uniquely, in men and women – a revelation sustained despite the radical corruption and confusion of sin.   We value not only all of nature as God’s gift, including, most especially, men, women, and children, but even our fallen culture, as the magnificent artifact of those bearing the divine image.    

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