1. Trinitarian Worship
(John 16:12-15)
We believe the first calling for every believer is to worship Almighty God in all His fullness and beauty. This includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity has a unique function within the economy of redemption that should be regularly recognized and celebrated. We desire that our worship be faithful to God’s Word and Trinitarian in recognizing the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit where appropriate.
2. Word and Sacrament Formed
(Matthew 28:18-20)
We believe there is absolute truth and that it is best communicated through the ordinary means of grace provided by God. We believe that the Redemptive Story is clearly seen in the Bible and the sacraments which are the Word made visible. We desire that all believers learn that they are called to be “workman equipped for every good work” as the Scripture and the sacraments are applied to their lives. Our teaching and times of equipping will be based on and informed by the exposition of God’s Word. Our sermon series are typically 3 to 8 weeks in length depending on the material and are located in a book or books of the Bible. We will regularly practice communion (or the Lord’s Supper) and baptism as opportunities for our faiths to be nourished and improved. When you receive Holy Communion, Christ feeds you with himself, deepening your union with him. Just as bread and wine (or juice) strengthen and refresh us physically, so Christ’s body and blood strengthens and refreshes us spiritually. We baptize infants in covenant obedience and adults based on a credible profession of faith. In both cases, we are celebrating God’s faithfulness to keep His promises to save His children by faith alone in Christ alone through His grace alone. We also encourage regular Bible reading, meditation, memorization, and active obedience in personal devotion, family worship, and discipleship in various forms.
3. Gospel Centrality
(Romans 1:16-17 with 1:18-8:39 as further explanation)
We want every believer to have a grasp of the gospel that avoids the attractive but dangerous traps of legalism, liberalism, moralism, and pragmatism. The gospel is not just for the unconverted, but for the sons and daughters of God who daily need its power and truth. Central to all that we do is God’s desire to have His children reconciled to Him so that He can be present with them to enjoy and be enjoyed forever.
4. Prayerful Dependence
(Philippians 4:4-9)
We long for Christ Community Church to be a house of prayer. Our desire is to evidence our dependence upon our Abba Father by going to Him as our first and ongoing resort with our prayers of any and all kinds. We want to be quick to pray for and with one another given that Jesus has prepared the way for us to come boldly before the throne of grace to receive what we need from our Father who loves to give good things to His children. This can occur privately, publicly, or corporately and include fasting of some kind as led by the Spirit.
5. Generosity in All Things
(2 Corinthians 8:1-15)
Given God’s generosity to us in Creation and through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and gift of the Holy Spirit, we should be characterized by generosity as sons and daughters created in His image. We want to experience the blessings that come from giving generously of our time, talents, and treasure for the glory of God. We strive to steward your generous offerings in all areas for the building up of the body of Christ. We want to be known as a generous church that is willing to give whatever is necessary for the good of the Kingdom of God. To this end, we seek to be transparent with our finances sending out regular updates on a monthly and quarterly basis and providing the budget on a yearly basis.
6. Missional Focus
(1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)
Christ Community Church has a passion to address non-believers with intelligence, warmth, and respect in every part of our ministry. We long to see human flourishing in all aspects of life. We will strive to be creatively evangelistic in every dimension. We must always remember what it is like not to believe. We will not privatize our faith but help Christians work with excellence and kingdom distinctiveness that engages the culture. We encourage Christians to engage our culture and not to retreat from it or simply create an alternative Christian subculture. This is why our church will not have a host of programs and activities to take up your focus, energy, and time. We want you to have the time and space to engage your family and the contexts in which you live, work, and play as ambassadors of reconciliation. A major part of this is that we want to emphasize among our people is how their various vocations afford them missional possibilities. Our desire is for our church to grow as a result of missional living on the part of our members that welcomes those who are not currently a part of a church for whatever reason to become a part of CCC.
7. Priesthood of All Believers
(1 Peter 2:9-12)
We don’t want to be a consumer-driven church that is inwardly focused. We want to be an outwardly focused church that serves as a vessel for flourishing and reconciliation in the communities in which we live, work, and play. We believe every Christian is called to serve and minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. We seek to equip the saints to do kingdom work and fulfill their callings through their giftedness. Our leadership will seek to “give away” ministry and not to hoard it. We desire to see our members using their gifts and serving as vessels for God’s glory.
8. Authentic and Confessional Community
(James 5:13-20)
We believe every person was created to live in community and be connected to others with purpose, freedom, and assurance in life’s important issues. We are real people searching for real answers together. A major part of this reality is that we are confessional with one another in terms of our doubts, struggles, failures, joys, growth, and successes. We strive for our church to be a safe place to both wrestle and rejoice. This also means that we are quick to seek forgiveness among each other as issues will invariably arise as they do in all families.
9. Sabbath Rhythm
(Mark 2:27-28)
The Sabbath was the first day given to Adam and Eve as a gracious gift from the Creator God who called them first to rest and to enjoy all that He had made. The Sabbath continues to shape and define humanity in life between the now and the not yet. We desire for our church to have a Sabbath rhythm and practice in which we rest from our straining and striving and enjoy the goodness of the Lord to His people. This is the day on which we remember by looking back on all that God has done and look forward to God’s covenant faithfulness and goodness to us His children in various practices of gratitude. The Lord’s Day is the best option for this rhythm, however, we realize that for some another day is a better option.