The gospel of Jesus Christ is at the center of our ministry. The ‘gospel’ is the good news that through Christ the power of God’s kingdom has entered history to redeem us from our sins and to renew the whole world. In Jesus, God became man, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death and rose victoriously from the grave. In his death, he took our place, paying the penalty for our sins and experiencing the holy wrath of God. He rose again from the dead claiming final victory over sin, satan and death. When we believe and rely on Jesus’ work and record, rather than our own, we receive the free gifts of forgiveness, salvation and righteousness. We are given a new relationship with God, new life through the Spirit, a new identity in Christ and a new mission for our lives.
Our Identity: The primary identity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is revealed in His baptism. The Holy Spirit descends on the Son, and the Father proclaims “You are my son, whom I love, with you I am well-pleased.” This is the same identity we receive when we trust in Christ. In that moment, we are united with Christ, and so we too are the beloved son and daughter of the Father, whom He loves, with whom He is well pleased.
Our Mission: Being firmly rooted in our identity as the beloved of God through Christ alone, we are compelled to go out into the world (both locally and globally) to share with others this good news. Christ commissions us when he says, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you (John 20:21).” Our mission is to be the “sent-ones,” who go into our community and our world, sharing the gospel and praying that it transforms them into Spirit-filled disciples who know that they are the beloved of God, through Christ alone.
Our Message: The gospel of Jesus Christ is the core of our message. We are committed to preaching and teaching the entire Scriptures faithfully. Jesus taught that all of Scripture testifies about him (Luke 24:27). Therefore, our preaching and teaching will be centered on proclaiming Christ and His gospel. The gospel needs to be preached to both the unbeliever and the believer. For the unbeliever it is the power of God for their salvation. For the believer is the power of God for their sustenance and their on-going sanctification. We want to teach our people to preach the gospel to themselves daily, as they spend time in the Word and in prayer.