What we value.

+ Being Radically Jesus Focused

To follow Jesus is to organize one’s entire life around three goals:

-To Be With Jesus

-To Think Like Jesus

-To Do the Things He Did

+ Freedom is Possible

We are convinced that it is possible to gain freedom from addiction, depression, anxiety, fear, anger, envy, greed, lust, pride and anything else that keeps us from the "Life-to-the-Full" Jesus promises. There is a better option in combatting sin than "try harder" or "don't try at all"--i.e. legalism vs. easy grace--neither of which are effective in bringing about transformation. A life characterized by victory over sin can only be realized in the here and now by fully understanding what Christ has done and believing what scripture says about those who give their complete allegiance to Jesus--things such as (just to name a few):

  • We are new creations (2 Cor 5:17)
  • We are more than concquerors (Rom 8:37)
  • We are sons and daughters who have been freed from the slavery to sin (John 8:36)
  • We are slaves to righteousness (Rom 6:18)
  • Our hearts of stone have been replaced with new hearts of flesh (Ezek 36:26)

If you long for this and would like to have a conversation, we welcome it. For more on this subject, we recommend the following influential work: No Longer I:The Power of the Gospel Like You Have Never Heard It Before by Jacob Hotchkiss. One can also search Romans and Hebrews asking the Holy Spirit to reveal and give us faith that the audacious claims of the authors aren't too good to be true and can be realized in the hear and now.

+ Neighboring

Jesus said the two greatest commandments were to love God and to love our neighbors. We desire to empower followers of Jesus to learn how to authentically represent Him to the people on their street, in their apartment buildings, and in their work and recreational spaces--ultimately, gathering them into a micro-church where all learn to become like Jesus.

+ Ruthlessly Eliminating Hurry and Distraction

In our current cultural moment, hurry and its cousin, distraction, are the greatest enemies to becoming like Jesus. As a result, the first step to becoming a disciple of Jesus is to take one’s foot off the gas and step on the brake. This requires trimming some of the nonessential activities that crowd our days. In an age of smartphones, Netflix, X-box and all the activities that are considered necessary, this is not easy. For some, it may require questioning one’s 50-plus hour work week. Entering the Kingdom of Jesus is to adopt his lifestyle, pace, and daily rhythms. To walk with Jesus is just that—walking, not running.

+ The One

Jesus compares himself to the shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the one that has wandered off (Matthew 18). This means leaning into a way of discipleship to Jesus that is focused on finding people who have lost their way. We want to be part of a movement that is made up of many transformational groups of 3-20 people.

+ Transformational Tables

As we read the Gospel narratives, we see that Jesus spent a lot of time eating and drinking with types of people the religious culture of the day considered to be far from God. Their complaint was that “he ate and drank with sinners” and accused him of being a “glutton and a drunkard.” In an age of fast food drive-thrus, gathering around a table has become less and less common--not only for families but even more so with our neighbors. Gathering around a table powerfully transforms relationships as well as lives--just as it did for those who ate and drank with Jesus. Part of our practices and rhythms will be to intentionally host dinners in apartment complexes and homes throughout our community. When appropriate, we will go to where they are. This fits Jesus’ example of inviting himself into the homes of Matthew and Zacchaeus—tax collectors.

+ Becoming Emotionally Healthy and Whole

It’s not uncommon to find someone in the western church to be incredibly articulate, biblically knowledgeable, a skillful teacher and yet have the emotional maturity of a toddler--they look great on the outside but, on the inside, they’re a mess. While perfection is not possible in this life, pursuing wholeness is--and why wouldn’t we want that? In addition, it is too easily accepted that we are all broken and will likely remain that way until we enter eternity. Jesus and His Kingdom is all about being saved, healed and delivered--in this life! How healthy are you? Download and review Habits for Wholeness Bookmark.

+ Biblical Justice

Bringing the reign and rule of Jesus to this world requires every follower of Christ to engage in bringing Biblical justice to their neighborhood, city, state, country and world. Jesus began his earthly ministry by opening the scroll of the synagogue and reading the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come” (Luke 4:18-19). To be like, think like, and do the things Jesus did, is to release captives, fight poverty, and free the oppressed.

+ Spiritual Transformation

A mature disciple of Jesus is someone who knows how hear and recognize the voice of Jesus, and then they quickly and easily obey what He said. By doing this, we become like Him, think like Him, and do the things He did...ultimately living life to its fullest. We do this by:

Discovering Our Identity:

We experience transformation by identifying the lies we’ve come to believe about ourselves, God, and others and replacing them with the truth of God’s word. Any thought we have that contradicts His thoughts must be challenged, rejected and replaced.

Practicing Daily: In order to experience the daily presence of God in our lives, we must make room for Him. We do this through spiritual practices -- daily rhythms and disciplines that invite God to work in our lives and the lives of others. These include the practices of Jesus such as prayer, silence, solitude, fasting, public worship, scripture-reading, service, meditation and observing the sabbath. They also include corporate and private practices that the church has observed throughout its history such as confession & repentance, simplicity, examination, fixed times prayer, communion, relational & emotional health, generosity, hospitality, peacemaking, prayer-walking, taking time for retreat, and more (see Matt 5:19 & 7:24). (More Detail)

Embracing Community:

We commit to a small community of people who practice transparency and authenticity, creating environments where it is safe to share one’s struggles, fears and dreams.

+ What We Believe

We have chosen to not post a doctrinal statement on our website. This is not due to a lack of commitment or conviction, but due to the desire to invite conversation. That being said, our core beliefs, the ones we hold tightly to, can be summed up in the Apostle's Creed.

There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.

Every time the Creed is spoken, we affirm our allegiance to the Trinitarian God and align ourselves with the Church that has come before us–

I believe in God, the Father almighty, I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.*

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the global Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.