Our Mission

We are a member of Converge (formerly known as the Baptist General Conference) and a people who profess a living faith in Jesus Christ, who, as God incarnate, so loved the world that He came to redeem us and give us a life that is rich and abundant. We also affirm that the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) is the authoritative Word of God in which He reveals Himself and gives us the standard for life.

Our mission statement articulates the way we believe God has purposefully gifted and called us to serve the city and time in which we find ourselves. Ultimately we long to see God glorified in the making of disciples and the advancing of His Kingdom. The God we serve is the Almighty, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Messiah, The Savior, The Redeemer, and our Friend.
We aim to go forth and serve him well in response to the love and grace he has shown us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

We Believe

In-A-Triune-God

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men and He hears and answers prayer. We believe God is loving and compassionate, just and kind, and that His deepest desire is to live in an intimate relationship with all people.

God the Son
We believe that because of His desire to live in relationship with us, God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. We believe Christ is God in the flesh, born of a virgin, fully God and fully man. Through his sacrificial, substitutionary, atoning death and victorious bodily resurrection Jesus made it possible for all people to live in a relationship with God. We believe Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Through Him and him alone can people enter into a relationship with God. We believe Jesus is presently interceding perpetually for His people, and that one day He will return, personally and visibly, to earth to establish His eternal kingdom.

God the Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is God’s presence among us. We believe the Holy Spirit came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. We believe that He gives gifts to every believer to enable him or her to share in the ministry of God’s purposes in the world. We believe in all the biblical gifts of the Spirit and encourage people to discover and use their gifts properly for the benefit of God’s Kingdom.

The-Bible-is-the-Living-Word-of-God

We believe the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, and that the entire Bible was written under inspiration of the Holy Spirit and thus has supreme authority in our lives. We believe God reveals himself to us through the Scriptures of both Old and New Testaments, and that the Scriptures are the standard and basis upon which we build our faith and live our lives.

The-practices-of-Baptism-and-Lord’s-Supper

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God and that through baptism we identify ourselves with the death and resurrection of Jesus. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ to both remind us of His atoning death and to serve as a proclamation of what Christ’s death has accomplished. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In-New-Life-By-Grace

We believe that because all human beings are created in God’s image, every person has dignity and their worth is dependent, not on accomplishments, but on God’s love. Because God sees humanity as worth dying for, we affirm and acknowledge the dignity of all.

At the same time, we acknowledge that all human beings are sinners by nature and choice and are therefore relationally separated from God and under condemnation. However, we joyfully proclaim and receive the Good News that because of Jesus Christ forgiveness is possible and salvation comes to the repentant sinner only by grace through faith in what God has done, not through good works or even good religion.

In-The-Universal-Church

We believe the church of Jesus Christ is a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all who have believed in the atoning work of the cross and received the forgiveness offered by Christ are members of His church, regardless of denominational affiliation.

In-Religious-Freedom

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith. We also believe each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. Therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.

In-Living-For-God’s-Glory

We believe empowered followers of Jesus Christ should continually seek to glorify God in all they do, bearing witness to His presence in their lives. To do so, we believe it is imperative that followers of Jesus embrace these characteristics of a vital faith:

  • Regular participation in worship and corporate prayer
  • Daily devotion and personal prayer
  • Personal growth through Bible study and group learning activities
  • Obedience to Christ and the Scriptures in personal behavior
  • Commitment to others in the Body of Christ through caring for one another
  • Stewardship of God’s blessings, sacrificially and generously giving of our time, talents and treasures
  • Sharing God’s love in mission and service to others outside the church

In-Heaven-And-Hell

We believe every person has an eternal destiny and that destiny is determined by whether or not they place faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We believe that all believers will spend eternity with their loving Creator in a place void of sorrow, pain or difficulty. We believe all who do not believe will spend eternity separated from God, the source of love and goodness, in a place devoid of anything that is good, a place of endless suffering.

Our Values

Service

The New Testament term, diakonos, derives from a verb meaning “to wait at table, to serve.” As the Son of man, Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45).

The diakonos gives hospitality (Matt. 8:15), distributes food (Acts 6:1), sets a table (John 12:2), does the work of a deacon (1 Tim. 3:10), or exercises spiritual gifts (1 Peter 4:10-11). In the New Testament, the idea of “serving at table” is expanded to encompass “the service of the saints” (1 Cor. 16:15). Paul regarded the collection of money for the church in Jerusalem as a “service” (2 Cor. 8:4; 9:11-13), along with preaching and ministering in spiritual things.

Significant-Relationships

In the gospel of John, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35 ESV). The New Testament repeatedly admonishes Christians to love one another (1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Tim. 1:5; 1 Peter 1:22). Because of his or her relationship with God, the believer now has a special connection with other believers. The love of God binds them together in a way nothing else can. Christians are to encourage one another, “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up” (Rom. 15:2 ESV; cf. 1:12).

Celebratory-Worship

One definition of worship is “where the sacred meets the profane”, where we center on God, and include everyone who is interested in meeting Him, even curious onlookers. We regularly come before our Heavenly Father and submit to His authority and power. We come with reverence and holy fear, but also in love and joy for the redemptive work He is doing in our individual lives, and in His church. We come together as a body of believers, whose Head is Jesus Christ, and celebrate His life, death, resurrection; and, the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work through us. Worship is the process of giving everything over to Him, setting ourselves apart for His purpose, and transcending our brokenness.

Rom. 12:1-2 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Being-Doers-Of-The-Word

Our greatest understanding of God comes from the Bible. It is life-giving, and we become life-giving as we do what it says. The Holy Spirit helps us to interpret scripture, and the Word helps us discern what is of the Spirit and what is not. Tim Keller has said, “An authoritative Bible is not the enemy of a personal relationship with God. It is a precondition for it.”

James 1:22-25 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

Practical-Biblical-Teaching

We believe that the Bible is God’s word to His people. In order to do what the scripture says, we need to help each other understand what it says, and to continue to engage with scripture for the rest of our lives. The Bible is historical, “His story”, yet its truth transcends time. In order for Trinity to continually improve our understanding of God and obedience to Him, we need to better interpret His Word through learning, studying, and meditating on it. Then we will know what it says, what it means, and what it means for us.

2 Tim. 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God (lit. you, a man of God) may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Reconciliation

To be reconciled with one another is to glorify God as we are the body of Christ “And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his
presence.” Eph. 1:23.

We should be a showcase for his forgiving grace and to be full of love for God and each other. “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37-40)

We are to be a community of harmony and peace living together in love, bound together by the Holy Spirit. “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose.” (Phil. 2:1-2)

Reconciliation demonstrates God’s reality among unbelievers. “My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father–that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17:21)

Generosity

In seeking to live generously, we must first recognize that we are the recipients of the greatest act of generosity ever known! Generosity is born out of overflowing love and is demonstrated through sacrifice, as modeled by Jesus’s death on the cross – “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

Because we also submit that all our blessings come from God (James 1:17) and we are simply stewards of that with which he entrusted us, we are free to generously pour out our time, energy, talents, and resources on others across our city, and the world (2 Cor. 8:1-5 & 9:6-8), knowing that we have been blessed to be a blessing! (1 Tim. 6:17-19)

As Erwin McManus says, “The apex of generosity is sacrifice”, thus our goal in seeking to live generously should not be about how much we give, but how much it costs us.