Our Values

These values define who we are, they are our DNA. They communicate who God has called us to be and direct what we do and where we are going.

ENJOYING GOD

We believe that knowing God and following him is the most enjoyable thing that we could ever do with our lives. Following God is not about adhering to a list of rules and regulations, it’s all about enjoying a relationship with Him. We don’t try harder, we enjoy more. 

Although at times it can be hard, following God is not some ominous, mundane, difficult thing to do. We enjoy God first and foremost.  The more we know God, the more we enjoy Him. 

Our purpose is to glorify God by enjoying Him. We know that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. We love to cultivate a relationship with God daily through prayer, studying His word, worship, and applying His truth to our lives. We are passionate to help others know and enjoy God.

GRACE

People grow best in an environment of grace, so we strive to create an atmosphere of grace. We know that we have received grace from God, and so we give grace to others. We know that we have been forgiven much by God, so we give forgiveness to others. 

We view people through the lens of faith. We choose not to look at where they are now, but we choose to look at what God had made them to be. We believe in people. We believe more for others than they believe for themselves. 

One of the best ways to create an environment of grace is to have fun! So we have lots of fun. We laugh hard, loudly, and often. We take ministry very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

HEALTH

We believe that healthy things grow, and so we focus on helping people become healthy in every area of their life. If we pursue health in each area of our lives, then we know that we will grow to maturity in our relationship with God and our life calling. 

We want to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We want to be a healthy church, with healthy people. Part of our building lives strategy is helping people to become healthy in each of the five major areas of life:

• Spiritual Health: We walk in integrity, humility, character, and purity.  We want the people who know us the best to respect us the most.

• Physical Health: Our bodies are God’s property so we take care of them.

• Professional Health:  We see our work as worship. We understand that we are really working for God. We do our best.

• Financial Health: We are stewards of God’s resources.  We joyfully give the first 10 percent back to God.

• Relational Health: We invest in life-long friendships. We engage in healthy conflict and have hard conversations in a timely manner.

SPIRITUAL FAMILY

The Bible makes it clear that God builds through family, both natural and spiritual. God has called all believers to be a part of a healthy spiritual family.

God Himself, sets the lonely in families. (Psalm 68:6). God has never been about building a religion, a philosophy, or a movement, He's building a family. A spiritual family is made up of God's children, coming together to love God, worship, sacrificially give, and serve one another. Jesus said that the world would know we love Him by the way that we love each other. Yet, so many people feel alone, they feel unloved, they feel insignificant, and what they really want is to feel like they belong. This is where the Church comes in.

We believe the church should be a safe place where people can be honest, where they can share their challenges, where they can wrestle with truth and where they can look for help in a time of need. People matter to God and He wants all of us to experience His love through genuine spiritual family. This doesn't happen through coming together for a few hours a week - it's what happens when people are joined together and do life together.

GENEROSITY

We value the biblical principle of giving our first fruits to God and believe that generosity transforms our lives as Christ followers. When we give, we affirm our commitment to the ongoing mission of Grace Church: reaching people and building lives. As we continue to give generously with our time, talent and our resources, we believe we'll experience the joy of seeing God transform lives.

One of the most powerful things about generosity is the truth that it always makes a difference in the life of both the one who gives and the one who receives. And remember, when you give your tithe (10% of your income), you are acting in obedience and worship to God, inviting His blessing in all areas of life (Malachi 3:10).

DEVELOPMENT

We’re all works in progress. We’re not who we once were, and we’re not yet all that we will become. 

We believe it’s our responsibility to develop what God has given to us. We never want to stop growing, learning, and developing. We are life-long learners. We are easily impressed and teachable. 

We intentionally develop ourselves and others. We fill our relational grid: we pursue mentors, friends, and apprentices. We have our “heads up” looking for people who God wants us to develop. We have a strategy in place to develop people and build their lives. 

We don’t fill positions; we fulfill callings. We help people discover their God-given SHAPE and find their spot on the team. We start with people, not programs.  We value character and humility over talent and gifting.