Our Confession, Beliefs, Principles, Values, and Practices
Our Confession
"Jesus Christ is Lord!"
We believe in studying the Bible, but we are not just an intellectual community. We believe in heart alignment (piety), but we are not just a pietistic community. We believe in action, but we are not just a social justice community.
We are a confessional community.
Many ministries have confessions of faith that detail all of their beliefs & practices in an organized way. This is not a bad thing (our own beliefs and practices can be found on this page), but sometimes the document can become "the main thing."
Our confession of faith is simple: "Jesus Christ is Lord." Everything else flows from this!
The Jesus Pledge expands on how we live this out as a confessional community.
Statement of Beliefs & Practices
WE BELIEVE... The Scriptures are Inspired by God and declare His design and plan for mankind and the individual. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error
WE BELIEVE... There is only One True God–revealed (eternally existed) in three persons...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity)
WE BELIEVE... In the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is coequal with the Father. As God's son Jesus was both human and divine. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He rose from the grave three days later to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again reigning as the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
WE BELIEVE… The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ (the Son). He also lives in every born again Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with the power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance for doing what is right. The Christian should seek to live under His control, walking in Spirit on a daily basis.
WE BELIEVE... though originally good, man willingly fell to sin–ushering evil and death, both physical and spiritual, into the world. Sin is what separates people from enjoying a relationship with God. Even though this is man’s condition, God loves people and sent His Son to die for us even while we were still His enemies. This is because people are the supreme object of His creation and are made in the image of God, that He seeks to restore man to right relationship with Himself.
WE BELIEVE… Salvation is a free gift from God to us but we must accept it. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of salvation can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. It is not by works, so no man can boast.
WE BELIEVE... Sanctification initially occurs at salvation and is not only a declaration that a believer is holy, but also a progressive lifelong process of separating from evil as believers continually draw closer to God and become more Christ-like.
WE BELIEVE... The Church has the same mission Jesus had when He walked the earth, to seek and save all who are lost in sin. We believe 'the Church' is the Body of Christ and consists of the people who, throughout time, have accepted God's offer of redemption (regardless of religious denomination) through the sacrificial death of His son Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us the church is the body of Christ and He is the Head. Believers are not meant to do life alone and grow from being in a local body of believers. God calls people to certain local fellowships for, “such a time as this”, to truly live in community with other believers of that local fellowship and to carry out the particular mission of that local church. Our job is to understand we are sovereignly placed and expected by our Lord to exercise our gifts and talents.
WE BELIEVE… that according to the Great Commission, we are to Make Disciples, Mark them through Baptism, and Mature them through the teaching of our Lord.
WE BELIEVE... and practice two ordinances (Water Baptism & Communion)— Water Baptism is by Immersion after repenting of one's sins and receiving Christ's gift of salvation. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, including the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Holy communion (the Lord's Supper) is a symbolic remembrance of Christ's suffering/death for our salvation and anticipation of His second coming.
WE BELIEVE… in the second coming of Christ. God will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus will return personally and visibly.
WE BELIEVE... and look forward to the perfect New Heavens and a New Earth that Christ is preparing for all people, of all time, who have accepted Him. We will live and dwell with Him there forever. 'And so shall we forever be with the Lord!’
Our Holistic Principles
Hope – We Offer Tangible and Spiritual Hope
Partner – We walk alongside Neighbors & Friends as Image-Bearing Equals
Empower – We Cultivate Dignity, not Dependency
Calling and Mission
Our Calling is Shaped by These Incarnational Rhythms:
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Seeking First – Seeking the Lord First. Life in the Throne Room. Practically, this includes Prayer, Scripture, Journaling, and Priority Time. It is not a devotional life, but it is Walking in Christ’s presence and Under His Lordship, being Obedient. We seek to ask: what is God teaching and what is God doing?
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Living Out – Joining God in His Work. Leaving our comfort for the sake of building relationships with others in the city. Living among our neighbors by participating in the community and loving the city in the way that Jesus loves: with compassion, dependance on the Father, honesty, faithfulness, and self-sacrifice. Listening to the heart of the people-with our eyes and our ears. Loving the city and the people with no strings attached. The goal is to belong; to move into the neighborhood.
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Inviting In – The opening of our doors and our hearts. Invitation to Family through togetherness using friendship, food, and fun. Includes aspects of Communion and Oneness through gatherings, café breakfast, worship, prayer nights, Bible based activities, church service, tangible care, benevolent help, and practical life skills education. Finally, we invite in to participate in Mission and join in the process of making disciples who make disciples.
The Mission of h city mission is to host the incarnational presence of Christ for the renewal, restoration, and repair of Highland City. This Mission is not over until every person in Highland City is part of the family of God, under Christ; and every tangible need in the city is met.
The Jesus Pledge
We pledge our lives to Jesus and the gospel. We want the gospel not to be just part of our lives or something that makes us feel good, but to be the very center, controlling everything. We want only the knowledge of the love of God. We want to know Christ.
We want no desire, idol, or sinful way of dealing with hurt to control any part of our lives no matter how small. We put away from ourselves the love of money, power, comfort, and success. We count everything rubbish.
We bind ourselves to Christ as bondservants for life. We want no master other than Christ. We purpose to own nothing. We surrender to Jesus our families, our friends, our ministries, our ideas, our possessions, and our future.
We commit ourselves to total submission to one another and a willingness to learn from all kinds of Christians. We commit ourselves to speak only God’s words, not our own. We commit ourselves to speak the truth in love to one another.
We want to be lovers of people. We want to know how to lay down our lives for others, especially those closest to us, and we purpose to do that, as God gives us grace.
We understand that this will mean suffering in our lives, as we partake in the sufferings of Christ. But we always want to be dying so that we can always be living in Christ.