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CORE VALUES
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Scripture
References |
| GOD |
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We value,
love and worship God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit, aspiring to know Him and to glorify Him in
everything we are and do. God is of higher value than anything
else we may love, be they people, possessions or personal
accomplishments. God is our life, our hope and our purpose, and
the Holy Spirit is our power for fruitful lives and
ministries.
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Mark 12:30
Phil.
3:8
I Cor. 10:31
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| THE WORD OF GOD |
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We value God's
word with its central message of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Through His work on the cross and His resurrection
we have forgiveness from our sins and hope for eternal joy in
heaven. He has given us His Holy Spirit, Who empowers us to live
abundant and fruitful lives for God as we yield our minds and
will to Him moment by moment. The word of God is God's blueprint
for all aspects of our lives. The word of God, with its simple
gospel message of the love of God in Christ, is the key to both
our eternal salvation and to our emotional, psychological,
physical, and spiritual growth and health today. As we have simple
child-like faith and humility toward God's Word, God will bless
our lives beyond all we ask or think.
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I Cor. 2:2
II
Tim. 3:16
Acts 6:4
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| PEOPLE |
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Because people are
important to God, people are
important to us. Jesus Christ gave His life as a redemptive
sacrifice for people. Likewise, we aspire to give our lives in
sacrificial service to people. Therefore, programs, ministries,
and schedules will be developed only for the purpose of aiding
people in their spiritual pilgrimage, and shall be discontinued
if they are not in fact benefiting people. As we seek to love all
humankind, we place a special value on loving our families, and
those in God's family, the church of Jesus Christ.
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Matt. 9:36
Phil.
2:3-4
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| THE GREAT COMMISSION |
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Because Jesus Christ
and His gospel are everything,
and because people are so valuable, our ultimate mission is to
bring this gospel message to every person in the world, baptizing
those who respond, and then teaching them to obey Jesus Christ
fully. The ultimate goal is multiplication -- to help people to
become like Jesus Christ. The Great Commission is Jesus' command
to "go and make disciples of all nations". This command is given
to all believers in every generation. Therefore, every decision we
make as Christians is to be aimed at furthering the spread of the
gospel.
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Matt. 18:19-20
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| REACHING PEOPLE
THROUGH CHURCHES AND
TEAMS
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Jesus Christ established
local churches of
believers who gathered together for teaching, fellowship and care
giving, breaking of bread and prayer. Jesus also established teams
of workers devoted to ministry locally, nationally and
internationally. Our working together as a church and with
believers in other churches in mission teams is crucial for the
fulfillment of the Great Commission.
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Eph. 4:11
I Tim.
3:15
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| ALL MEMBERS
MINISTERING AND GROWING IN
LEADERSHIP |
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Because all
believers have the Holy Spirit of Jesus
Christ living inside them, all believers are ministers to God and
to humankind, serving both in deeds and in the Word. We recognize
that ministry flows from a consistent devotional life with God
consisting of prayer, study of the Word, memorization, meditation
and a commitment to humble obedience to the commands of Christ and
the leading of the Spirit. We recognize that the role of pastors
and other gifted leaders is to equip the church members to do the
work of ministry. Also, it is God's intention and desire that all
believers grow and mature in their character to become people who,
as humble servants, can lead and influence other people to become
like Christ, be it in the family, the church, or society in
general. Because every member is a minister, we value a system
approach to ministry where all members are able to utilize their
gifts, rather than a ministry that is dependent upon one gifted
individual.
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Eph. 4:12-16
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| COVENANT LOVE AND UNITY |
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Jesus Christ
laid down His life for us. So we too
desire to lay down our lives for others. As fellow believers, we
make a covenant to love and serve one another as Christ served us.
We also covenant to do all within our power to unite together to
resolve differences, realizing that unity is glorifying to God and
is essential for world evangelism. This "covenant love" is the
most powerful form of unity known to man (Colossians 3:14) and is
the ultimate basis of unity for our ministry, our church, and our
families. In light of this, we place a special value on
maintaining and pursuing a long-term, life-long unity and working
relationship with God's people.
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John
13:34-35
Phil. 1:27
Eph. 4:3
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| REACHING YOUTH |
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In our mission
to reach all people for Christ, we
recognize that we must first be effective at winning and
discipling children, teens and college-age people. There are two
reasons for this. First, young people are generally more
responsive to the gospel than those who are older. Second, young
people will carry the gospel to the next generation after us. We
also put special value on families, realizing that God in His
sovereignty designed the family unit for the growth and
development of youth.
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Psalms
78:5-7
Eccl. 4:13
Eph. 6:2-4
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