OUR HEART
“Unity in the Essentials; Diversity in the Non-Essentials; and Love in all Things”
VISION
Our vision is to be a Word-rooted, Spirit-empowered, and culturally-engaged church that seeks to bring salvation to the lost, healing to the hurting, and the training of leaders to help reach the world for Jesus Christ. The foundation of all we do is to be Word-rooted, Spirit-empowered, and culturally engaged. In other words, the Word of God is our basis of truth and guidance, the Holy Spirit is our source of power, and our culture should be the place we impact for the glory of God. From that foundation, we have three primary objectives: to see the lost come to faith in Christ through compassionate outreach; to see the hurt healed by the power of Jesus through prayer, discipleship and counseling; and to train up leaders to multiply this vision in many other places. We invite you to join us in the fulfillment of this vision.
CORE VALUES
Glorious Gospel – Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection is the only remedy for our sin, and through Him alone we can be reconciled to God and declared righteous. “God made Him who knew no sin, to become sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Word of God – The Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God and the final authority for doctrine and life. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
Expository Preaching – Preaching through books of the Bible will be our normal way of teaching. “Preach the Word.” (2 Timothy 4:2)
Theological Worship – Our worship will seek to combine biblical truth with the freedom of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God and not man. “Worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
Transformational Discipleship – We will help people progressively grow in their maturity, such that they can assist others in doing the same. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Authentic Relationships – People are encouraged to be transparent about their struggles and victories. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)
Prayer Saturated – As a declaration of dependence on God, we will seek to make prayer the foundation of all we do. “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Word and Spirit – The Word of God (i.e. Bible) and the power of the Holy Spirit are essential for a joyful and fruitful relationship with God. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…. Be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:18).
Truth and Grace – In all of our teachings, human interactions, and application to life, we want to follow the example of Jesus in being full of grace and truth. “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)
Cultural Engagement – Jesus calls us to be salt and light in our community through compassion, service, and evangelism. “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of your time.” (Colossians 3:5)
Supernatural Power – We value the supernatural move of God in healings, deliverance, prophecy, gifts of the Spirit, and the empowerment of the believer to show and tell the Gospel. “And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses.” (Acts 1:8)
Welcoming Culture – We will be proactive about welcoming people of all ethnicities, social status, age, backgrounds, and struggles. “For You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)
Financial Stewardship – 10% of everything given to our General Fund will be returned to the Lord through world missions, benevolence and local evangelism. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house.” (Malachi 3:10)
Church Planting – As the Holy Spirit leads, we will seek to plant many churches locally and globally. “And you shall be My witnesses, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Elder Governance – Under the Headship of Jesus Christ, the plurality of Godly Elders is the authoritative leaders of our church. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 5:17)
Unity and Diversity – We will seek to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3) by being united in the essentials, allowing diversity in the non-essentials and showing love in all things. Essentials are considered those truths necessary for salvation in Jesus.
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT FOR LIVING HOPE CHURCH
The Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
John 5:39; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
God
There is one and only one living and true God. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.
God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead and will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.
Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; John 1:1-18,29; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9.
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. At the moment of regeneration He indwells believers. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. None of the spiritual gifts or acts of power in the Bible has ceased to operate. He empowers the believer to live holy and minister effectively. All believers are commanded to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.
Man
Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race and is therefore separated from God and in need of salvation in Christ.
Genesis 1-3; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.
Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28;
The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. Our local church operates under Jesus as the Head and the Elders as the spiritual leaders, with our Sr. Pastor being one of the Elders (see our Constitution for more information about our governmental structure).
Matthew 16:15-19; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is an act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, remember the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. The Lord’s Supper should always be done with personal reflection and sincere worship.
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.
Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.
Matthew 24-25; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; Hebrews 9:27-28; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.
Evangelism and Missions
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.
Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 15:7-8,16; 17:15; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3
Gender and Sexuality
We believe God created us male and female (Genesis 1:27). We are not to change the Master’s design through any kind of transgender treatment. We believe God created sex as a beautiful expression of love between one man and one woman in the context of holy marriage (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-5). Any expression of sex outside of this one-man, one-woman marital relationship is outside of God’s will. We also believe the grace and power of Jesus can forgive and heal all sin (Romans 6). We want to assist all who struggle with sexual issues, to help them find freedom in Christ through truth and grace (John 1:14).