This coming month, we will celebrate our 11-Year Anniversary as a local New Testament Church. Anniversaries are not only a cause for celebration, but a great opportunity to reflect and remember. As we do, we want to thank the Lord for His faithfulness. We exist for His glory, and we are accountable to Him in all that we do.
When GraceLife began back in 2011, we wanted to carefully examine the scriptures so that we could succinctly enumerate our values and priorities. We remain committed to the following Core Distinctives, and should the Lord tarry, we look forward to continuing to serve our Savior and carry out His mission for His church.
Biblical Teaching – We are committed to the diligent study and accurate teaching of the Word of God, embracing its sufficiency. We desire to teach and attend to proper hermeneutics and encourage corporate and personal Bible study; acknowledging our submission to the veracity, power and authority of the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. (Isaiah 40:8; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Peter 1:3; Hebrews 4:12)
Authentic Worship – With regard to our corporate times of praise and worship, we are committed to glorifying and exalting the Lord with our voices and our hearts. We are diligent to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, singing biblically accurate lyrics in a blended musical format utilizing a variety of styles and instrumentation. (1 Chronicles 29:11; John 4:24; Colossians 3:16)
Effective Discipleship – We strive to teach, train and produce disciples and disciple makers. We are committed to encourage men toward shepherding leadership in the home and in the church and encourage women to fulfill their role according to Titus 2:3-5. We want to assist and equip our parents to fulfill their biblical mandates as it relates to their children. (Ephesians 4:12; 2 Timothy 2:2; 3:16-17; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:3)
Personal Holiness – With Christ as our model, we want to be individually characterized by personal holiness, being doers of the Word and not hearers only and to truly exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We want to express the joy of the Lord in how we live, knowing that His commandments are not burdensome. (1 Peter 1:16; James 1:22; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 John 5:3)
Fervent Prayer – We desire to be a church that is dependent on God through personal and corporate prayer. We exhibit our faith in God as we pray, trusting that He hears and answers our prayers in accordance to His own sovereign will. (Matthew 7:7; Luke 5:16; Acts 2:42; James 4:3; 5:16)
Compassionate Outreach – We desire to be a light in our community. We want to be proactive in sharing our faith, proactive in challenging others to walk with Christ, and proactive in engaging the community at-large in meaningful dialogue about Jesus Christ. We fully embrace the Great Commission and will eagerly invest our time and resources in local and global evangelism. We will endeavor to equip, train and encourage our body to boldly share the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and we will endeavor to assist those in need. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Colossians 4:5-6; 1Peter 2:9; 3:15)
Spiritual Maturity – As Spirit indwelt and empowered believers we want to run together the race of the Christian life and pursue spiritual growth and maturity. We want to grow up in all aspects into Christ. We want to be the body of Christ, utilizing our spiritual gifts to the glory of Christ and for the edification of each individual part. (Ephesians 3:20; 4:12-16; Hebrews 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:7).
Meaningful Fellowship – We desire to foster and facilitate fellowship opportunities inside and outside the walls of the church building, encouraging meaningful interaction, investment, and hospitality among our people. We are committed to the assembling of ourselves together as a family of believers motivated by a sincere love for Christ and each other striving to stimulate one another to good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 John 1:3; 1 Peter 1:22; Acts 2:42; 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15)
Corporate Unity – In God’s design He assembles a diverse group of Christ-followers in a local church environment where He commands unity. Unity occurs when there is a proper recognition of, and submission to, God-ordained leadership in the church. Love, humility, obedience, service and selflessness are essential in a church that is unified and committed to Christ. (Philippians 2:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:12; 1 Peter 5:1-3; Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:17)
Welcoming Environment – We want to promote a welcoming and inviting atmosphere in our church that clearly displays our love and care for people—all kinds of people. We want to minister to all those the Lord brings into our assembly and not hold to an attitude of personal favoritism. Yet while we desire to minister to people right where they are, and invest in their lives, we always desire to speak the truth in love, never excusing or ignoring unrepentant sin or unrighteousness. The church consists of the “called out ones” and is to remain pure and blameless before the Lord. (James 2:1-3; Ephesians 4:15; 5:27; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 6:1)