WHO WE ARE

We glorify God by making, growing and sending disciples of Jesus Christ.

FOR GOD

God does everything for His own glory. As image bearers, we want to be a church that does everything for His glory as well. This includes our gatherings, our strategies, our efforts, and our sending. We don’t want to be a church that is competing for that glory.  If God is the deepest desire of our souls then His name and renown will also become our desire. (Isaiah 26:8)

FOR THE CHURCH

We are for the church because she is the blood-bought Bride of Christ. We know the church is not perfect, but she will be when Christ returns for His bride. The body of believers is supposed to be closer to us than our own families (Matt. 12:46, Luke 14:26). Our goal is not merely to get along but to love each other to the extent that Christ loved us.

FOR THE CITY

Village Church is not a place for people to gather to know God but a people who are sent back into the city for God. Our church will be sent out into the city every week to live and to work as missionaries carrying the name of Jesus into their schools, workplaces, and homes. (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8)

FOR THE WORLD

We will be involved in mission efforts around the world through church planting. We care about the nations because it brings glory to God, good for the nations, and disciples our people. (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8)

Biblically Founded

We believe in the accuracy, truth, authority, and power of the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God. We don’t just trust the Words of Jesus, we trust the methods of Jesus in how we gather, disciple, and live on mission. We will preach and teach from the Bible, draw our methods and strategies from the Bible, build community and oneness around the Bible,  and equip ourselves by the Bible. (Acts 2:42, Matthew 28:20)

Gospel-Centered

We cannot claim to be for God, for the church, for the city, and for the world if we do not center everything we do on the Gospel. The test of a gospel-­centered church is its doctrine on paper plus its culture in practice. We do not want to assume that our church is faithful to the gospel. We will examine whether we are often and honestly.

Culturally Aware

Churches will inevitably face the challenge that focusing on giving people what they want is inherently unsustainable. We will study the culture around our church in order to reach them but not entertain them. We see the better approach is to build a church not around what people want this week, but around what they will always need: salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. In the end, the only gospel that satisfies is the gospel that saves. 

Relational Discipleship

The first thing Jesus told His followers is “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men” and the last thing He said to them is “Go, therefore, and make disciples.” (Matthew 4:13 / Matthew 28:19) So we believe this must be important for us to build our lives around. We also see that Jesus did this primarily with living life with Gospel intentions, demonstrating a pattern for His church to follow. 

Plants Churches 

We want to see churches planted both locally and globally through supporting, training and sending.

ABOUT GOD: God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He is one in essence while eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are the one and only living and true God. (Gen 1:1, 26,27; Psa 90:2; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2)

ABOUT THE FATHER: God as Father reigns with providential care over his universe, his creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purpose of his grace. He is all powerful, all loving and all wise. God is the Father of truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in his attitude toward all people. (Gen 1:1; Ex 3:14; Deut 6:4; Isa 42:5-8; 64:8; Jer 10:10; Matt 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:10-11; John 4:24; 14:6-13; Rom 8:14-15; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 4:6; 1 Tim 1:17)

ABOUT JESUS CHRIST: Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Though he preexisted eternally as God, Jesus Christ was conceived of the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, lived a sinless human life and offered himself as the perfect penal substitionary sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He physically arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate his power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord. (Matt 1:22, 23; Isa 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Heb 4:14, 15; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Rom 1:3, 4; Acts 1:9-11; Phil 2:5-11; Col 1:13-22; 1 Tim 6:14, 15; Tit 2:13)

ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows spiritual gifts by which they serve God through his church. He seals the believer eternally for God. As Christians we seek to live under his control daily. (John 16:7-13; 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor 2:12; 3:16; 2 Cor 1:22; 3:17; Gal 5:25; Eph 1:13; 4:30; 5:18)

ABOUT THE BIBLE: The Bible, comprised of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s very Word to us. It was written by human authors under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth and authority for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is inerrant in the original writings and is the infallible truth in all matters it touches. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. (Psalm 12:6; 119:105, 160; Prov 30:5; 2 Tim 1:13; 3:16; 1 Pet 1:25; 2 Pet 1:20, 21)

ABOUT HUMANITY: People were created innocent and in the image and likeness of God, for fellowship with God, but our first parents sinned bringing forth death (which means separation from God) to themselves and their posterity. As a consequence all people are now sinners both by nature and by choice, are alienated from God, and apart from salvation through Jesus Christ are eternally separated from God. (Gen 1:26, 27; 2:17; 3:6, 19; Rom 3:10-18; 5:12-21; Eph 2:1-3)

ABOUT SALVATION: Salvation is a gift of God and is received by individuals only through repentance and personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. People are justified by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, apart from human merit, works, or ceremonies. All true believers, “born again” by the Spirit through faith in Christ, are kept secure in Christ forever and will exhibit the present evidence of a transformed life. (John 3:16; 10:27-30, 14:6; Rom 3:23; 8:33-39; 2 Cor 5:17 Eph 2:8-10)

ABOUT ETERNITY: People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are literal realities of eternal existence. (Matthew 1:8; 2:44,46; John 2:25; 3:16; 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15)

ABOUT THE CHURCH: The local church is the tangible manifestation of the universal church, the body of Christ. Its two ordinances are Baptism (of believers only, by immersion) and the Lord’s Supper. (Matt 3:13-17; 26:26-30; Rom 6:3-5; 1 Cor 11:23-29; 12:13; Col 2:12)

ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS: The Holy Spirit gives every believer spiritual gifts to be exercised for the building up the body of Christ. There is not a second blessing commonly called “the baptism of the Holy Spirit” nor is the gift of tongues evidence of it. While there is dispute concerning the contemporary presence of the sign gifts (miracles, healings, tongues, and interpretation of tongues) they are not normative or necessary for the work of the church today. Because tongues-speaking has little value in the worship service, hinders our ministry to seekers, violates our understanding of order, and inhibits the edification of many in our body, it is not encouraged in any church gatherings.
(John 10:41, 42; Rom 14:19-21; 1 Cor 12:4,13; 1 Cor 14:19, 23, 40; Eph 4:11,12)