...from the Pastor

Photo by Tim Schramm

2017 has dawned, and it’s a good time to refocus. Forward focus is critical; surprisingly, churches move forward most effectively by being tethered to their biblical roots. These roots properly understood and applied ought to drive all that we do.  What are the roots of our church family?

• Jesus is LORD—He is Lord of all (Acts 10:36), is the Head of the church, and deserves preeminence (Col. 1:18).

  • Pastors and deacons are servants, not rulers (2 Cor. 4:5).

  • The church exists by His power and for His glory (Rom. 11:36).

• The Bible is the very Word of God—all true (2 Tim. 3:16-17), unbreakable (John 10:35), and the final arbiter of heaven and hell, time and eternity, and death and life (Matt. 24:35).

• All people are sinners (Rom. 3:10, 23), separated from God (Eph. 2:1-3), and in desperate need of restoration to God (Rom. 3:20).

• Sinners can only be reconciled to God by the death of Jesus the Messiah as the final offering for sin—His death and resurrection, received by faith, bring forgiveness of sins and restoration to a right relationship with God (Rom. 10:9-13).

• Faith cannot be coerced; it is the voluntary and free response to God’s gracious initiative (Eph. 2:8-9).

• The church is a covenant community of baptized followers of Christ who commit to God and to one another to gather regularly for worship, witness, discipleship, fellowship, and ministry at home and abroad. Attendance is not mandatory; rather, it is essential.