Our Distinctives
Reformed Soteriology
We teach that election is the act of God by which, before the foundation of the world, He chose in Christ those whom He graciously regenerates, saves, and sanctifies (Rom. 8:28-30; Rom. 9:16; Eph. 1:4-11; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Thes. 2:13; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:1-2).
We also teach this great truth never nullifies or diminishes the sinner's responsibility to repent and believe (Eze. 18:23, 32; 33:11; John 3:18-19, 36; 5:40; Rom. 9:22-23; 2 Thes. 2:10-12; Rev. 22:17).
We also teach that God’s choosing and call is effectual, meaning that all whom the Father calls to Himself will come in faith and all who come in faith the Father will receive (John 6:37-40, 44; Acts 13:48; Jam. 4:8).
We teach, that although a mystery exists in our minds between the Sovereignty of God in Election and the Responsibility of man in repentance and faith, they are compatible, complimentary and are clearly taught in Scripture. We also teach that although we may fail to completely comprehend this great truth, we must humbly trust God and His Sovereign Plan of redemption. (Rom. 9)
Elder Leadership
The local church is composed of one body with many members, all of whom fill a vital role under the headship of Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:16; 5:21; Col. 1:18; 2:19).
Executive authority or leadership, however, is invested by the membership, as authorized by Scripture, in a Council of Elders who lead the church and to whom the membership is to submit under the headship of Christ. These men have the authority and responsibility to delegate to individuals, committees or ministry teams authority and responsibility to carry out the business or ministry of the church in spiritual and material matters (Acts 20:28; 15:6; Eph. 4:11-13; Philip. 1:1; 1 Thess. 5:12-13; Heb. 13:7, 17).
In using its delegated authority, and in making its decisions, the Council of Elders must seek to be guided by the Scripture, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and by input from the membership (Acts 6:2-5a; 15:22; 2 Cor. 8:19).
Every elder (paid or non-paid) is considered a pastor of the church. Our paid elders are considered leaders among leaders.
**For further reading on the topic of church elders, we recommend: "Church Elders" by Jeramie Rinne (9Marks)
Expositional Preaching
We are committed to teaching the whole counsel of God from the Scriptures by walking systematically through books and passages of Scripture. Exposition is a term that means "to expose." In other words, as we preach and teach the Scriptures, we want to faithfully expose what the Bible says, NOT impose our own meaning on the text. To do that, we must apply a proper Bible study method that involves looking at the historical context in which the text was written, the author's intentions, and the immediate context (the surrounding verses/whole book) of a passage we're teaching.
Liturgical Worship
Liturgy comes from a Greek word that means “public service.” All of our worship should be a liturgy to God. When we use it, we mean that our gathered worship is informed by, and shaped to tell the gospel story.
The Story: God is holy. We are sinners. Jesus saved us from our sins.
We gather together to remember our identity-shaping story (the gospel), and send one another out into the wider world, allowing that story to shape us as we go. To do that, we incorporate the congregational reading of Scriptures, corporate prayers of confession, the recitation of historic creeds of the faith, and the sacraments of communion and baptism.
Family Equipping
We intentionally strive to be a family equipping church.
We do not integrate children into every area of church life, nor do we segregate every church activity by age group.
We believe parents/caregivers are the primary faith-trainers in their children's lives and we want to do everything we can to encourage and empower them to be that.
Our kids curriculum is designed to give parents discussion guides for intentional gospel conversations with their children. Our student ministries actively encourage and ask for parent participation. And we want to disciple parents/caregivers in such a way that they feel equipped to teach their children all that God has commanded.