Prayer is a primary means through which we experience intimacy with God and receive his power to be transformed into passionate followers of Jesus who join God in mission; therefore we devote ourselves to prayer in worship, life and ministry.
With the Bible as our final authority and the Holy Spirit as our guide, we build on the solid foundation of our past and foster a climate of openness, creativity and innovation as we obediently follow God in the future.
Jesus Christ is the Truth, the Way and the Life. He is the living Lord, the true Head of the Church, the one around whom we center our lives, worship, fellowship and ministry. He is the Vine and we are the branches, and apart from him we can do nothing. So we aim to stay joined to the VIne, relying on his resurrection power at work in, through and among us.
God freely embraces all people with undeserved love and offers everyone salvation by grace, through faith in Christ; therefore, grace and hospitality pervade all we do. We aim to be a congregation that offers people, no matter who they are, a place to belong, accepting them just as they are but committed to helping them become all that God wants them to be.
The Christian life is not to be lived alone; rather, God has given us the gift of community where people know each other, care for each other, pray for each other and join with the Holy Spirit to build each other up in Christ. Therefore, we place a strong emphasis on belonging, growing and ministering together in the context of authentic community that is centered around and rooted in Christ.
Following Christ is a daily, life-long commitment. It is a call to radical obedience in every aspect of life - to become like Jesus in all we think, say and do. Therefore, we are focused on helping people in all stages of life grow and develop, in the power of the Holy Spirit, as faithful followers of Christ.
God has called and empowered his people not simply for themselves but to be be a blessing to the world, a light to the nations; therefore, we use every means at our disposal to participate in God's mission in and for the world. We understand misisonal engagement to include evangelism, acts of justice, and also embracing beauty. We are committed to both local and national/global mission. We recognize that ultimately ministry and mission is God's work - God issues the call, leads the way and gives the directions. Our primary responsibility is to see where the kingdom of God is already breaking in and then bear witness to this new reality.
Every member is a minister. God has gifted every member with the Holy Spirit, along with spiritual gifts, passions, talents and life skills which are to be developed and used to build up the body of Christ and to join God in mission in the world. Therefore, ministry arising from the gifts, passions, talents, skills and call of God in the life of each member is encouraged and supported.
This is the end for which we were created: to worship the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is in the context of worship that we are shaped as a missional people. We celebrate that there are many different styles, forms and expressions of worship, and we believe that worship should involve the whole person (body, emotions, intellect and will). We also value excellence and creativity in our worship as we believe that God deserves our best and nothing less. Lastly, we affirm that worship is a lifestyle of obedience, not simply a once a week experience.
We are not our own but belong to God in Christ Jesus. We believe that God has entrusted us with our lives and our resources to be enjoyed wisely and to glorify him and his kingdom. We also believe that we will be held accountable for what we have done with what we have been given. Therefore, gladly and generously, we offer ourselves and our resources (gifts, talents, skills, time, material possessions, money etc.) to God to be used for his glory. We value the biblical practice of offering God our "first fruits" (our first and our best) and tithing.
300 N 168th Avenue * Holland, MI 49424 * (616) 399-9280