CLARION CALL

Receiving God's Love ~ Worshiping
Rebuilding Relationships ~ Connecting
Restoring the World ~ Serving

           

CORE VALUES

• To grow in prayer and intimacy with God - as our primary relationship.
• The Bible is foundational - for teaching and our individual lifestyles.
• People matter to God - we emphasize relationships with people over programs.
• To be culturally relevant - in all aspects of church life.
• To be outward and future focused - by sharing the gospel in the local community and around the world.
• To equip individuals - to develop gifts for ministry and demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit

STATEMENT OF FAITH
 
We believe the following statements to be consistent with an evangelical Anabaptist interpretation of the Bible. They are listed here to further clarify our understanding of specific issues facing the church today.

 

• We believe in one God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; confessing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who saves us from sin by grace through faith in his shed blood. (Deut. 6:4-5; Mt. 22:37; John 1:18, 3:16; Rom. 8:1-17; II Cor. 3:14; Heb. 11:6; Rom. 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-9)
   
• We will give allegiance to God above every other love or loyalty, giving God first place in our thoughts, actions, and affections. (Mt. 22:37-40; Deut. 5:7)
   
• We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, and will live in obedience to its teaching and exercise a life of daily devotion, meditation, and praise. (II Tim 3:16; Ps. 119:97; Phil. 4:4-7)
   
• We will practice a life of holiness and Christ-likeness that is a clear testimony against the world's self-indulgent and immoral way of life. (Eph. 5:2-5; Col. 3:1-17)
   
• We will share the good news of God's love and forgiveness with others, inviting them to faith in Christ, and to fellowship in the Church. (Mt. 28:19-20; Rom. 10:14-15)
   
• We believe water baptism for individuals who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is a public witness of their new birth experience. While the mode of baptism is optional, we encourage immersion to symbolize the death of our sin nature, our burial with Jesus, and our resurrection as a new creation in Christ. (Mt. 28:18-20, Acts 22:16, Gal. 3:26-27, I Peter 3:21, I Cor. 12:13, Romans 6:3-7)
• We will meet regularly as a congregation for fellowship, worship, teaching, and for observing the Lord's Supper, recognizing the Church as a miracle of God's grace. Here people with faults and limitations find love, acceptance, fellowship, rebuke, forgiveness, and counsel under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We will work to maintain this fellowship of faith in transparent relationships. (Heb. 10:24-25; Acts 2:42-47; John 13; I Cor. 8:9-13; Rom. 14:1-4; I Cor. 5:12-13; Col. 3:15-17)
   
• We will use our God-given gifts and abilities, recognizing God's ownership in all areas of our lives, to help build up the body of Christ; giving generously and proportionately of our time and money for the work of the Church. (I Cor. 12 & 14; Rom. 12:3-8; Eph. 2:10; I Cor. 16:1-3; II Cor. 8:13-15, 9:6-15; I Tim. 6:17-18)
   
• We accept and will follow the approach in Matthew 18 by practicing loving forms of correction when there is sin or lack of spiritual growth in the congregation, recognizing that the role of discipline is the restoration of relationships. (Mt. 18:15-17, 7:1-5; Gal. 6:1; I Cor. 5)
   
• We encourage and affirm singleness, marriage and children as gifts from God. We believe that marriage is a permanent covenant relationship between one man and one woman, and that husbands and wives take seriously their respective roles of leadership, submitting to one another in love, as Christ loved the church. We strongly encourage the nurture of children as a high priority of parents. (Mt. 19:1-12; I Cor. 7; Eph. 5:21-33)
   
• We will show unconditional and nonresistant love toward all people, including our personal or national enemies, and especially toward members of the family of faith. ( Rom. 13:8-10, 12:9-21; Mt. 5:43-48; John 18:1-11)
   
• We will live a life of responsible and joyful discipleship, applying principles of modesty, simplicity, and economy to decisions about our houses, cars, recreation, and wardrobes. (Mt. 6; I Peter 3:1-7; I Tim. 2; I Cor. 11:1-16)
   
• We will speak the truth in a spirit of love, avoiding all forms of obscenity, swearing, or vulgar speech. (Eph. 4:25-32; Mt. 5:33-37)
   

We will give attention to proper diet, rest, and exercise for our bodies, seeking to avoid overeating and harmful use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. (Rom. 12:1; I Cor. 6:12-20, 10:23-24; Eph. 5:18)