Our Mission Statement:
Love Jesus. Love Others. Serve.
Our Vision Statement:
To reveal Jesus from our front door to the ends of the earth by: Seeking to live a life worthy of His name, sharing the Gospel, and meeting the needs of our community.
Statement of Faith
Community Church is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and hold the beliefs of these statements:
God
There is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 5:48, & Matthew 28:19
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the just for the unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness, and peace.
Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 1:34-38, 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 2:9, Romans 5:9, Acts 2:23-24, Hebrews 8:1, & Matthew 26:64
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine person, sent to dwell, guide, teach, empower the believer, and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
John 14:15-18, John 16:13, Acts 1:8, John 16:7-11
The Bible
The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of the Christian faith and practice.
2 Peter 1:20-21 & 2 Timothy 3:15-16
Sin
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God; he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with sinful nature, are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment; and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss.
Genesis 1:27, Romans 3:23, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, & Revelation 6:1-14.
Salvation
Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God.
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving the power for holy living and effective service. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.
Titus 3:4-7, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Acts 1:8, ROmans 6:1-14, Matthew 8:16-17, & James 5:13-16
The Church
The church consists of all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all the nations. The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the witness, preaching the gospel to all the nations. The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Ephesians 1:22-23, Matthew 28:19-20, & Acts 2:41-47
The Afterlife
There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life; for the latter, a resurrection unto judgement.
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be personal, visible, and premillennial. This is the believer's blessed hope and is vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23, John 5:28-29, Hebrews 10:37, Luke 21:27, & Titus 2:11-14
Right Practice
Below is a description of what we believe and practice as a church family in regards to baptism, communion, and church membership.
Water baptism identifies a person as a disciple of Christ and celebrates the passage from an old life into a new life in Christ. Simply stated, it is an outward sign of an inward change. Jesus introduced water baptism in connection with His Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). He said that new disciples were to be baptized in the Name of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus meant this to be a permanent practice, called an ordinance. We encourage water baptism, specifically immersion, for all who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. In New Testament times, baptism followed repentance and faith. Peter invited his listeners on the day of Pentecost to “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Three thousand people responded to the invitation, and “those who accepted his message were baptized” (Acts 2:41). When the apostles took the gospel across the Roman Empire from Jerusalem, new churches were planted, and believers were baptized soon after they turned away from sin and put their trust in Christ for salvation. Acts 18:8 says, “Many of the Corinthians who heard [Paul] believed and were baptized.” Community Church follows the same practice of baptism subsequent to conversion to Christ. Those who have repented of sin and put their faith in Jesus for eternal life are encouraged to take this step of obedience.
We believe that Communion is an ordinance (permanent practice) that allows the family of God to come together in unity to commemorate the gift of grace through Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. At Community Church, we celebrate an “open table” which simply means that a person does not need to be a member at Community to enjoy communion. For those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, we open the table to take communion together as a family. Luke 22:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 show the symbolism of this practice. The partaking together of the bread and the cup reflects our humble acceptance of the gift of grace and our thankfulness for what Christ has done on our behalf. We believe that the bread represents the body of Christ which was broken (beaten, tortured, and hung on a cross) on our behalf. We see Christ as the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and therefore when we take the bread, we are recognizing the sustaining power of Christ in our lives. The cup, which is grape juice at Community, represents the blood which poured from Christ as he was tortured, hung on the cross, and pierced with a sword. Christ’s sinless sacrifice through His blood is the ultimate payment for our sins. We drink the cup as a reminder that we are not capable of rescuing ourselves from sin, but Christ was fully sufficient for this act. We are thankful for what He has done for us and we embrace communion together as a family.
Membership at Community Church is not required to enjoy the benefits of being a family together. However, we encourage membership to all those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, seek to glorify God, and agree with our Statement of Faith. Membership classes are typically held once per quarter. Membership at Community denotes a special bond between each member and the church. We are joined together through Christ in unity of the Spirit and we enjoy each other’s presence and hold each other accountable to live as though we are children of God. Members may serve in areas of Spiritual leadership (Catalyst group leaders, Bible study leaders, deacons, elders, etc) and also are eligible to vote on any items that are presented in accordance with our by-laws (election of leaders, hiring of pastoral staff, purchase or sale of property, etc.). We are grateful to all who consider Community Church home and we see membership as a precious extension to that relationship. We are a family, adopted by God, paid for by Christ, and bound together by the Spirit. What a privilege it is to be in this family together!