Cultural Axioms

Not by Might, Nor by Power, but by my Spirit says the Lord 

The church is God's. Jesus said, "I will build my church...". It is His work, the problems are His problems, and the people are His people. We are not to be building our personal kingdoms; we are to be flowing with Him. To do so, we must seek His will for the ministry daily, confess our personal inabilities, and rest on His strength. 

Love the Past, Live the Future

A person cannot run a race effectively if he is looking back at where he has come from, he needs to look ahead. And though we need to be rooted and remember our past, we must be open to whatever God wants to do in our future. In other words, we celebrate what God has done to prepare us for what He is doing.

Blessed are the Flexible

We believe that God rarely moves in exactly the same way. He cannot be confined to a formula. As technology, culture, and philosophy change, so do the ways in which we do ministry. The message of the gospel is unchanging; the method of communicating that gospel must change according to the language, culture, and background of the audience. We don’t ever want to abuse this or cross a line. The goal is to be in the world, not of it. We are to be out there on the edge, on the front lines, communicating the gospel in the most compelling, culturally relevant, and understandable way possible. We need to embrace change, all the while holding to our values.

Follow the Leader

In the Scriptures we see that God has chosen to work through leaders that He has raised up and directs for His purpose. Be it Moses, David, Nehemiah or Paul, God gave individual men a vision for “what could and should be” and used them to lead a congregation to the fulfillment of that vision. Yes, these leaders were imperfect and flawed, but they were God’s appointed leaders, nonetheless. It is our responsibility to follow where the shepherd leads, as the shepherd follows the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ

Lock Shields

The church is engaged in a spiritual war. The enemy is real and fierce and will stop at nothing. Therefore, the church needs to keep the battle on the outside and passionately defend against allowing it on the inside. Any army needs unity based on authority to insure victory. The Roman army had a tactic where they would lock shields in a tortoise formation and march forward amidst the onslaught of arrows. We, as a church, staff and team need to do the same. Not fight each other but protect and defend one another. Satan wants to destroy us and our ministry, so we need to lock shields with one another and not fight each other. 

Feed, Don't Beat the Sheep

Feed God's people. Teach them the Word of God. Speak the truth in love. Share the pure Word of God in love. God did not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land because he misrepresented the Lord. He gave the people the impression God was mad at them when He wasn't. Moses beat the rock in anger, and therefore, never tasted a grape in Canaan. We must be very careful not to misrepresent God. He's not mad at the folks, and if we are, we need to get back in touch with the Lord.  Guard your heart. Watch your motive. The only legitimate motive is love. That is why we teach, that is why we preach, that is why we worship, that is why we serve.

More than a Song

We worship God passionately. It's not about the songs being sung but about who they're being sung to. As a result, worship time can get loud and expressive, but we like it that way. In RevMore than a SongMore than a Songelation 5 it says that they worshiped God “with a loud voice.” In the Scriptures we’re told to lift our hands and clap in worship to God (Ps 47:1). Luke tells us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Lk 10:27). It is okay to be expressive in your worship, but just remember, others are trying to worship God as well, and you don't want to be a distraction to them. It’s okay to be expressive, just don’t overdo it!

For Anyone not Everyone

Our church is for anyone that will come, but we realize that not everyone will like the way we do things—and that's okay with us. We refuse to cater to personal preference in our pursuit of God, and while everyone is important to us, we are more concerned with honoring God and reaching the lost than pacifying the critics.

Room for Growth

We're not so blind to believe that we have it all together or that the way we do things is the only way. The same way isn't always the right way. We are always looking for new ways to grow and better our ministry and we support creative thinking. 

It’s Not a Job

We believe that God has called us to serve Him regardless of rank or title, and we believe that each person in the church has a role to play in this work. We are called to this ministry whether there is a paycheck or not. It's not a job; it's a calling. You need to find your gift and your calling and give yourself entirely to it. It is said, that is the second greatest day of your life. The first is the day you were born. The second, is when you discover what you were born for.

Risk it All

We set unattainable goals and then trust in an unstoppable God. We put it all on the line trusting that God is working behind the scenes. We don't want to be safe; we want to take risks. Jesus told the disciples to go into all the world, and they did. They went to much of the known world in their day and risk life and limb in the process. Ask God what His dream is for your life and risk it all to see it come to fulfillment.

We encourage a culture of generous giving. We give obediently to God, according to His call, and generously, according to our hearts. Our vision for ministry always exceeds our capacity for ministry. But we believe that if each of us takes the responsibility of stewardship personally, God will multiply our means and provide the capacity to do things that may seem impossible.

Servant-Leadership

The way up is down. The Lord's way is exactly the opposite of the world's way. God Incarnate, the Creator of the universe, the Almighty God, girded Himself with a towel (John 13), knelt down, and did the work of a slave by washing His disciples' feet. Are we greater than our master? Ministry means service. It means opening your eyes and seeing what needs doing and doing it. It means that we consider no task to be too low or common. If it needs doing, do it, don't get others to do it, do it yourself. If there's trash, pick it up. If a light's out, change it. If the nursery is short of help, baby-sit. We are here to serve and none of us are too great to not serve.

God Wants Inspiration, Not Perspiration

If we seek to "pump up" a ministry with programs, hyped up "worship", or charged up emotionalism, we'll not only be exhausted, but we'll have to strive to maintain what we built. True inspiration comes from a heart yielded fully to God, a life in a state of being continually filled with the Holy Spirit, "speaking to ourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs".  If you're building your kingdom, you'll find the work strenuous. But if you can relax, rely on the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, with all of His gifts and glory, you'll find ministry to be delightful. You may get tired in the work, but never of it.

Where God Guides, God Provides

There is never any good reason to beg for or manipulate folks into increasing their financial commitment to the Church. Usually when we do so it is because we are seeking to sustain or build something of our own making. Where God guides, He provides. If He's not providing, maybe He's not guiding. God doesn't need your money. He's not poor. The kingdom of God is not teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Certainly, the church needs to teach the discipline of giving, but the motivation is for the people’s benefit, not for ours.

Sheep Beget Sheep

The pastor’s primary responsibility is to feed His sheep - the Christians - in order that they might do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4). If they are feeding the flock the pure Word of God, verse by verse study of the whole counsel of God, the sheep will be healthy. And healthy sheep will automatically and naturally reproduce without the artificial aid of programs. Healthy sheep share their faith, they have a burden for missions, and they seek the lost. They do not have to be pumped up or pushed, it flows naturally. Feed the flock and it will reproduce. 

Emphasize What God Has Done For Us, Not What We Can Do For God  

 

Grace, the unmerited favor of God towards those who deserve the opposite, is the heart of the Gospel. It is grace we must teach, and grace we must live in the ministry. So many pastors continually emphasize what the people need to do for God - give more money, pray more, study more, and volunteer more. Grace emphasizes what God has already done for us: Jesus loves us. He died for us. He rose from the grave. He ascended to the right hand of the Father where He ever lives to make intercession for us. He prays for us daily. His thoughts toward us are continuing thoughts of blessing and love. He has forgiven us all our sins. He is always with us to help and guide. He has empowered us with His Holy Spirit, and He is preparing an eternal abode for us. Teach the people what God has already done for them. Their hearts will overflow in love and gratitude that will manifest itself in loving service and devoted prayer. 

Prayer Is the Lifeblood of The Ministry

Jesus said that men ought to always pray and not faint. Samuel said it would be a sin against God to stop praying for the people. Paul prayed whole heartedly for the Philippians. Prayer is the lifeblood of the ministry. The church moves forward on its knees. Every successful ministry has had dedicated prayer warriors behind it. 

God Is More Interested In the Minister than In the Ministry

God is more interested in the person than the product. Truth be told, He really doesn't need our expertise or skill. He could raise up rocks to preach if He wanted. No, He doesn't need us, but He wants us. He wants to fellowship with us, deeply, personally, intimately, and continually. He wants our hearts, not just our service. Our personal fellowship with Jesus is vital. Spending time in prayer and the Word - not just to prepare for sermons, but rather to know Him. Knowing God is far more important than serving Him. Knowing Him is the reason we exist, and the reason Jesus redeemed us with His precious blood on the Cross.