Who We Are
Values
SCRIPTURE-BASED
Everyone builds their view of the world on something, some kind of belief or faith, even what we might call pure "reason." We have to assume some foundation to start a process of reasoning, such as: "I doubt, therefore I think; therefore I am," or "There seems to be some order and consistency in the universe, so I can reason based upon it," or," I believe God exists, so I live my life this way," or a combination. Christians build their view of the world on the words of the Bible, the Scriptures, which we believe to be the revealed word of God.
CHRIST-CENTERED
The Bible isn't one simple book. It is composed of many books, stories, letters, and poems written by many authors over thousands of years. It is filled with narrative, genealogy, poetry, history, and parable. It was written in many different times and cultures. We try to discern God's message in the Bible through the whole Scripture, not pick and choose individual texts with no context.
Even though the Scriptures are diverse, they have one key to them. God’s Spirit-inspired Scriptures find their key in Jesus Christ. When we come to the Scriptures, we strive to understand them through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and his promised coming again.
ENGAGED IN CREATION, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY
Being a Christian isn’t about escaping this world for another one. We don't live our faith just as our ticket to heaven. Our Savior Jesus Christ asks us to enter into creation, culture, and community in such a way that affirms its original goodness, its need of grace in its present brokenness, and hopes for its coming renewal when Jesus comes again.
Jesus Christ died not just to renew humans but to renew all creation--and not just at the end of time, but now. Jesus Christ isn’t just Lord of the Church or our church life, but--as the pastor, theologian, and prime minister of the Netherlands, Abraham Kuyper said--, “…there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’” With this view, we work to bring shalom--which is God’s peace--to the world now, in the present. God's peace, his shalom, is bigger than just an absence of strife. It includes harmony and well-being for every part of the creation we live in--people, plants, animals, the environment, everything.