Core Values

In addition to our Essentials of Faith, which are similar to what other evangelical Christian churches believe, our congregation has adopted a set of Core Values, which help us to prioritize what we do.

As a reformed church, a more detailed picture of what we believe may be found in the Westminster Confession of Faith. In the Catechism, the answer to the question, “What is the chief end of man?” is “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

Our Core Values come from an acrostic of G L O R I F Y.

GLORIFY God in all things, by worshiping God in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24)

We believe that spiritual worship involves the deepest part of a human being, so that we worship God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. To worship in truth, objectively means to worship and glorify God as He has revealed Himself to be. The record of Holy Scriptures is his self-revelation. And Jesus Christ is the Word of God in flesh.

Lift up God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, as the true and final authority for who God is and his purpose in our lives. (II Tim. 3:16)

We accept the canon of the Holy Scriptures (39 books in the OT and 27 books in the New Testament) as authoritative in all matters of which they speak and an absolutely reliable witness to who God is and what he desires from us. We bear witness to and live under the authority of the Word of God.

Offer up prayer in Jesus’ Name, abiding in Christ as the vine, therefore, bearing fruit for His kingdom. (Jn. 15:5)

Prayer is vital to us both as individual believers and as a church. Prayer is the attitude of listening with which we approach Holy Scripture and also the means of our communication with God through praise, thanksgiving, confession, presenting our needs, and praying for others. The Christian life involves a personal relationship with God through Christ, which rests on prayer. We also pray in community so that our relationships with each other are also linked to our prayer relationship with our Heavenly Father. We understand that all human effort is vain unless God is partnering with us.

Reach out to embody Christ’s ministry to mend broken people and make them whole. (Mt. 9:13; Jn. 20:21)

Jesus announced that he came into the world to seek and to save the lost. This included healing the sick, curing the lame, setting people free, preaching good news to the poor. Christ sent his followers into the world as an extension of his ministry. That is why the church is called “the body of Christ.” In our dealings with people, we are to follow in His steps.

Incarnate the Good News to a lost world and send out missionaries in order that some may believe and be saved. (Mt. 28:18; Mk. 16:15)

In the Great Commission, Jesus sent his disciples out with the message of the Gospel – or Good News. It is this message by which human sins are forgiven and people are reconciled to God. We see it as our role to share the message of the Gospel – whenever and wherever God gives us the opportunity, and also to support missionaries who will carry this message all over the world.

Follow after Christ and grow as Christian disciples, entrusting our message to those who in turn train others. (Jn. 15:16; II Tim. 2:2)

Christ did not simply tell us to make converts, but to make disciples. In order to make disciples, we must be disciples. Jesus told his first disciples that they must learn to follow him. To follow him means to obey his commandments. This core value directs us to grow in the grace and knowledge of God and to help one another to grow as Christian disciples. Spiritual life works on the same principle as physical life. Anything that is not growing is dying.

Yield to the unity of the Spirit, seeking peaceful bonds with all believers, that the world may know that we are Christ’s. (Eph. 4:3; Jn. 13:34; 15:12; Jn 17:20-21)

Whereas the first three core values focus on our relationship with God through worship, Scripture study, and prayer, the second two focus on our relationship with our neighbors through ministry and evangelism. The sixth focused on growth through discipleship which is in relationship to God and to one another through teaching and accountability. This last one relates us to fellow believers not simply in our congregation but in the larger church. We are to strive to maintain a unity of spirit in the bonds of peace (Eph. 4:3).

This Page was published on 01/8/2007