Empowerment
We believe that God wants to work in you. If God has His hand in your life, we believe that God knows better than we do and we will trust the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you. Our job is to come along side and be a part of what God is already doing.
Authenticity
Before “excellence,” before “professional” and before “polished” we believe that authenticity is most important in our lives. Even though it may cost us, it is better to be real and honest than to put on a front. We do not want ministries or lives to be sloppy, but it is authenticity that will drive us, not perfection.
Reproduction
The purpose of an apple tree is not simply to produce apples, nor another apple tree, but an orchard of fruit bearing apple trees. We believe that Christians are to seek to establish intentional relationships with others, hoping to earn the right to be heard. But reproduction does not end with a new Christian commitment; our goal is to bring people to Christ so that they will bring people to Christ (2 Tim. 2:2).
Transformation
We believe that no matter who you are or what you’ve done you need God. We also believe that deep in your soul you want God. When God gets a hold on any of us, our lives will change: sometimes dramatically, sometimes subtly. No matter how God has grabbed us, we are usable by God to do powerful and amazing things. (John 4 and John 14)
Faith is a journey
(Luke 24- Emmaus Road): While there are examples of conversions like Paul (all at once, a life is changed) we believe that faith is a journey. We will stumble, grow, misunderstand, fail and succeed. Sometimes we will be faithful and sometimes we will falter but all of these experiences are used by God to make us more, authentic, reproducible, transformed and self-less. No one is a “good Christian.” We are simply a Christian or not, and God is working to complete the good work that He has already begun in us (Phil 1:6).
Less – Self
We believe that we are to look not only to our own needs but also to the needs of others. Our leadership, our ministries, our missions and even our people will grow more and more into the people God wants us to be by continually looking for how we might “prefer the other” over ourselves. We believe that if our church and our people are defined by showing preference to other churches, ministries and people, God will be glorified and our ultimate goal is to give glory to God.
