god is at work to reconcile and renew his people and his creation

Paul tells us that God reconciles us to Himself and calls us into His ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). Therefore, by grace, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we participate in His redemptive work. As a church we identify three specific ministry aims for Christ Community as we participate in God's work of reconciliation and renewal:


we seek to grow in the gospel

As we mature in our faith in Christ, we grow more and more conscious of our dependence upon the grace of God. "Growing up" in Christ involves abiding in Him more fully. Our spiritual formation is not principally our work, but His. Jesus in the Author and the Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

We desire to grow in our understanding of how the gospel enriches and shapes all of life. Our dependence upon Christ, and His grace to us, becomes the lens through which we view the world. Everything we do begins and ends with the gospel, because it is both the entry point and destination of our faith.

we seek to bless our city

Jesus calls us to be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We believe these metaphors should significantly inform our ministry vision. As salt, we are called to both preserve and flavor. Salt does not exist for itself. Salt preserves so that its object will be enhanced and not decay. It flavors so that its object will be enjoyed more fully. We are salt in the world. Light also, does not exist for itself. Light exposes darkness and reveals beauty. As God's light, we are called to engage broken places in the world, and to illuminate the restoration that comes through faith in Christ.

As salt and light, we do not exist for ourselves, but for the city to which we've been called. Our goal is not to use the people and resources of our city to build a great church - but rather, to be a faithful church that we might build a great city. We are a church in the city, for the city.

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we seek to represent the kingdom community

Jesus modeled prayer for us, instructing us to pray, "Our Father...Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." We aim to represent Christ's resurrected kingdom community.

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The picture of Christ's bride in the kingdom to come is an image of a beautifully diverse but united people. This "to be" kingdom community is theologically diverse. We will be one community of faith. This"to be" kingdom community is physically diverse. The blind, lame, and marginalized are not forgotten, but share in the fellowship of God's people. This "to be" kingdom community is economically diverse. The poor and the rich will sit at Christ's feast together. This "to be" kingdom community includes people with diverse reputations and backgrounds. Nicodemus, the former Pharisee, will worship together at the feet of our Savior with the thief who was on the cross next to Jesus. This "to be" kingdom community is also ethnically diverse. God calls all the people of the earth, from every tribe, tongue, and nation to Himself.