All of Scripture points to Jesus. Whether we are in the Old Testament or New Testament, God’s Word is pointing to Christ’s person as the second person in the Holy Trinity as well as His work of saving his people from their sins. As we study God’s Word, we will look at it through the lens of how it points to Christ and the faith, hope, and love found in him. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The gospel is the good news that King Jesus has come to inaugurate his kingdom by uniting us to Him. This means we are now reconciled to God. The gospel is found in the inerrant and infallible Word of God (2 Tim 3:16-17) and has many implications. For example, the gospel summons us to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. It also calls us to obey and make disciples. When we live out the implications of the gospel, real change takes place in individuals and communities because only God has the power to radically transform someone through the Spirit and a changed heart (Romans 1:16-17). The gospel, furthermore, calls us to be a faithful witness as exiles in the world. We are to reflect the values of God’s kingdom as we go about our daily practices and exercise the rhythms of life. We are to seek the welfare of all people around us for they too are created in the image of God.

We are committed to being a real community, meaning we need to be in authentic relationship with one another. This is so important to the Christian life. In fact, some of have even gone as far as to state that it is central to the Christian identity. This concept is foreign to us because we live in an individualistic society. Yet Scripture reminds us that we are communal creatures. We see that in the creation account. It was not good for man to be alone. The gospel affirms the need to be in community. The church is the body of Christ. It is part of being a new creation (1 Cor 10:16-7; 2 Cor 13:14). Of course, this does not happen overnight. It takes time and trust. 

What does it mean to be missionally present? It means the church is not the source of mission; instead it is the center or location of the mission. The church serves as the very life-giving and mediated presence of Christ. The church is essential to God’s purpose because we represent the body of Christ and we celebrate our union with Christ and experience it in our Sunday worship (Eph 1:22-23). We believe our Sunday worship gathering is the place where people experience God’s presence; where they come in contact with the divine. We want people to see, taste, and touch the Lord’s sovereign power and unmerited gracious love. We believe this is best communicated through a theologically rich liturgy with a warm, engaging expression. Additionally, we aim to be a blessing to the surrounding community. As Preston Graham states, “Christ’s real, if mediated, presence in the local church is experienced in the presence of Christ acting in three vocational roles or services in relation to being our prophet (declaration through teaching and preaching), Priest (sacramental participation through worship) and king (communal formation through mercy giving and shepherding).”

We are going to be in an unchurched area that does not understand biblical language, theological language, biblical patterns, liturgy, church government, etc. Our goal is to stay scripturally grounded and gospel-rooted, while understandably communicating these truths. We will aim not to make assumptions, but to explain the reality of God’s grace in language that is apprehensible. We will welcome all to come and worship with us. Not only does our Sunday worship need to be outward facing, i.e., looking for ways to embrace the strangers among us, but we need to be outward facing in our daily lives.