Distinctives
On this page you will find some of our distinct beliefs.
You will also get an idea of how these beliefs affect the way that we approach missions.
Biblical
We trust and treasure the Bible. Our ultimate missions manual is nothing less than God's Word. The Bible teaches us how to share the gospel. The Bible shows us how to make disciples. The Bible models for us what it looks like to plant churches. And so when it comes to mission work, we want to preach the biblical gospel and to plant biblical churches. In those churches we want to see: the Bible read, the Bible preached, the Bible prayed, the Bible sang, and the Bible seen.
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
John 6:68
GOD
God-Centered
All creation exists for God's glory.
Man's salvation exudes God's glory.
Christ's church exposes God's glory.
Evangelism is the proclamation of God's glories that radiate from Christ. Discipleship is teaching people the God-glorifying obedience of faith. Church-planting is the gathering of God's people into local lighthouses that shine forth the bright glories of God into the world's darkness. Mission work is prepared by God. Mission work is performed through God. Mission work is pointing to God.
"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
Psalm 46:10
God-Commanded
When the Lord redeems us from our slavery to sin, our hearts yearn to offer acceptable worship to him. We offer acceptable worship when we worship God in the way that he has commanded for us to worship him, both in spirit and in truth. Only God gets to say how we should worship God, not us. And he has not left us in the dark on this matter. He has given us his holy promise, through whom we worship him: the Spirit. He has given us a holy day, on which we worship him: the weekly Sabbath. He has given us his inspired holy songs, with which we worship him: the Psalms. So when the Lord's people gather together on the Lord's Day, we want to worship our Lord using our Lord's songs in the Lord's way. God has commanded us how to worship him. We do not add to what he has commanded. We do not take away from what he has commanded. We simply do what he has commanded.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
Exodus 20:8
"...Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
Colossians 3:16
Sabbath
&
Psalms
Regal Gospel
We believe that central to evangelism is the proclamation of Jesus as King! He reigns. Biblical evangelism doesn't just present Jesus as Savior but rather, as a gracious King who saves. Sinners can't have Jesus as Savior if they haven't submitted to his rule as King and Lord. Through evangelism we freely extend the King's good news, commanding all sinners: repent and believe the good news of his kingdom! We urge sinners to respond, fully trusting that God will grant repentance and faith to those whom Christ has ransomed.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
(Luke 2:11)
Jesus "went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God."
(Luke 8:1)
And Jesus sent out his disciples "to proclaim the kingdom of God"
(Luke 9:2)
Covenantal
We understand the Bible through the lens of God's covenants, which culminate in Christ. As a result, we see salvation, the church, and the sacraments from a covenantal perspective. We believe that Jesus came to bless all the families of the earth. Therefore, we preach a household gospel and we practice household baptism.
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household...and he was baptized at once, he and all his family."
Acts 16:31, 33b
Family Worship
One result of a covenantal understanding of the Bible is the belief that God graciously covenants with families, not just individuals. Every covenant from God to man in the Bible reflects this, showing that God is a God of families. Entire households made up the church in the Old Testament. The new covenant church is composed no differently, still including entire households. Read the letters of Ephesians and Colossians and you will note that entire family units are addressed: husbands and wives; fathers and children. That's because each member of those family units was present in the church gathering (Colossians 3:18-21, 4:16). Two practical applications flow from this: 1) Families worship together in the home and 2) Families worship together in church. That's what we ourselves practice. And that's what we want to see practiced as a result of our endeavors. Jesus came to bless all the families of the earth (Acts 3:25). Amen. So let them be blessed by him together. And so let them bless his name together.
"For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD..."
Genesis 18:19
But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Joshua 24:15
Discipleship
We believe that in order to see a lasting work, evangelism must be followed by discipleship. We believe that disciples are the living stones that make up healthy churches. Therefore we are not merely looking for people to profess faith in Christ, we want to see them progress in the faith. King Jesus commanded us to make disciples.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
(Matthew 28:19-20a)
"When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith..."
(Acts 14:21-22)
1647
Confessional
We believe that God's Spirit has been leading God's people to understand his Word for thousands of years. We aren't the first ones to study the Bible, so we get the privilege of gleaning from and being guided by the many godly Christians who have gone before us. We believe that the ecumenical creeds and Westminster standards are documents that faithfully consolidate and communicate what the Bible teaches on various different topics. Generally speaking, if you want to know what we specifically believe on a specific topic look at the Westminster Confession of Faith. Missionally speaking, we want to see healthy confessional churches planted. Practically speaking, we believe that the Westminster Standards are also good discipleship tools to help people understand some of the basic teachings of the Christian faith, instructing them in both doctrine and duty.
"Ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is;
and walk in it, and find rest for your souls."
Jeremiah 6:16
Sovereign Grace
God's glorious grace is dearly held in the heart by every Christian. When it comes to God's most gracious salvation of sinners, we savor the free will of God, who overflows with grace. We believe that God in his grace looked on with pity on the bound will and deadness of the hell-bound human race. Then, out of his own good pleasure, God chose many people to be his and with him forever. He sent his Son Jesus to effectually and particularly accomplish redemption for them. And in due time, the Holy Spirit applies the redemption Christ accomplished for them to them. The Spirit then preserves and enables God's people to persevere to the end.
"Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases."
Psalm 115:3
Interconnected Churches
The glory of God most clearly shines in the face of Jesus Christ. But what, on earth, is the locus of that glory? It is Christ's church. This is what Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:21 "To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." The end goal of mission work is not simply to share the gospel. Nor is it to make a few disciples here and there that aren't connected to a local church. We believe that end goal in missions is to see God-glorifying churches planted. And for those churches to mature and multiply with a sense of interconnectedness to one another (Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 Corinthians 8:23, Galatians 1:2, Revelation 1: 4).
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God,
the rock on which he said:
"I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
(Matthew 16:18)
Postmillenial
Isaiah tells us that there will be no end to the increase of Christ's kingdom and the peace that it brings. That's why we believe in a victorious gradualism, the slow and steady spread of the powerful gospel of Christ until the earth is saturated with the knowledge of Gods glory, as the waters cover the sea. Think gradual, global conversion. The end result is that comparatively many will be saved, which will progressively transform the world as we know it. With regard to missions, this gives us great hope for the task at hand. This also leads us to expectantly pray for fresh outpourings of the Holy Spirit as we share the powerful gospel of Christ.
"I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
Revelation 7:9-10
