Our Family Values
Christ Fellowship is a family of ordinary people following an extraordinary Savior. Like all true churches, our purpose is to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is “full of grace AND truth.” (John 1:14) Jesus is not half grace and half truth. Jesus is ALL grace and ALL truth ALL the time. He demonstrated an unwavering devotion to God’s Word and, at the same time, he displayed profound compassion, mercy, and love. Our church family wants to hold tightly to BOTH of these characteristics in Christ!
Christ Fellowship wants to be full of grace and truth, following Jesus’ example. These values help guide us as we become the kind of church family and the kind of disciples that glorify God:
GRACE
We believe that all human beings are valuable – made in the image of God and worthy of respect and dignity. All are welcome to participate in the fellowship of our church, regardless of ethnicity, class, language, or other worldly distinctions. God created us different on purpose and we are better together.
We were created for unifying worship of God. We worship together regularly, trusting God to use His means of grace in our lives. This is the most important way we practice our faith, hope, and love. Our worship consists primarily of singing, reading and preaching of the Word, corporate prayer, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, giving, and fellowship.
We speak of church membership as adoption. Like every adoption, it is a process. Our church family takes the process seriously, because we want you to know the commitment is real and meaningful. Our church is not an event we attend, but group of people we love. We’re a family, but we’re always adopting!
We are called to generous compassion. We care deeply about the physical, emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual needs of our church family. We also care for the needs of our neighbors – not in a paternalistic way, but in humility. To whom much has been given, much is expected.
The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. We want to help each other finish the race well, but we understand that growth takes time. We will be patiently committed to one another as Christ is patiently committed to His bride.
TRUTH
We believe the Bible is the written word of God. It is the revelation of God’s truth and holds final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
We affirm historic Christian doctrine, which distinguishes us from other world religions and cults. We adhere to some of the most ancient creeds of the faith, including the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed. We believe that Jesus Christ delivered us from sin and death by His life, death, and resurrection.
Christ Fellowship is a member church of the Presbyterian Church in America. Our pastor, elders, and deacons agree with the doctrines of the Westminster Confession of Faith.
We are led by shepherds and servants known as elders and deacons. These men are elected by the congregation and ordained to equip the entire congregation for ministries of word and deed.
We believe that God is King over all things, but not everyone recognizes His authority. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven.” John Calvin said it is the task of the church to make the invisible kingdom visible. We do that by living as kingdom-minded citizens at home, at work, at school – everywhere we go.