What we value.

The Church is Not a Building: The church is not a building; it's a community of individual Christians in the process of becoming more like Jesus, as well as people who don't know Jesus and are seeking Him. At Formed For Christ Church, you will find no perfect people. Instead, you'll encounter a vibrant, welcoming community of believers from all walks of life who have been captured by Christ's love, are being transformed by His power, and are experiencing the irrepressible joy of life in Jesus.

 

It's More About Relationships than Religion: Jesus laid down His life so that we may find forgiveness for our sins, be transformed by His power, and experience an abundant life in Him. He is the God of the second chance, the third chance, the seventieth chance, etc. Who desires a relationship with every person on earth. The life that Jesus gives is also meant to be experienced in community with others. Formed For Christ Church is dedicated to helping individuals establish a personal relationship with Christ and cultivate fulfilling, Christ-like relationships with others.

 

Worship is Everything: God created us to worship Him with everything we have and are, and wherever His church gathers should be the most exciting place on earth! At Formed For Christ Church, be prepared to experience a warm, family-friendly, and joy-filled celebration that glorifies the Father, exalts the Son, and makes room for the Spirit.

 

Everyone Has Value in God's Eyes: We believe the followers of Jesus Christ should be the most compassionate people on earth. Formed For Christ Church is committed to being Jesus to others, loving them where they are, as they are, and when they least expect it. God created all humankind in His image and desires a relationship with everyone. The unborn and the born are equally valued in God's eyes. Although we are sinners, God expressed His love toward us by sending Jesus to die on the cross to set us free from our sin so that we can spend eternity with Him. Our obligation before God is to love all persons, understanding such love in the context of the truth of God's Word. In that light, we will demonstrate civility and compassion as we engage in dialogue with others on spiritual and social issues, seeking to embody Christ's gentle and patient love. Since all human beings are made in the image of God, all people deserve kindness and respect, even during disagreements and when under church discipline.

 

Every Believer is Gifted by God and Called to Serve: Every believer has been gifted by God and called to faithfully serve Him. A priority of Formed For Christ Church is to help you discover your calling and giftedness, and then encourage, prepare, and equip you to fulfill God's calling by advancing through the "Identity Development Process" consisting of (4) four classes and the "Circles of Commitment."

 

Prayer is not an Option; it's a Lifeline: Prayer is a spiritual connection with God and is necessary for anyone desiring to know Him truly. It is also the fuel upon which we depend to fulfill our calling. You can expect Formed For Christ Church to model a great reliance on prayer and emphasize its importance within the life of every believer.

 

The Bible is the Word of God: The Bible is the Word of God; it is God's reliable message to us, His divine and infallible blueprint for our lives. At Formed For Christ Church, we live, worship, teach, and serve together under the Bible's authority.

 

We Cannot Outgive God: God has held nothing back from us; we should hold nothing back from Him. The ministries of Formed For Christ Church are provided for by the offerings of its participants. Formed For Christ Church also gives offerings from its income to support other ministries in our area and around the world.

 

Being Comfortable is Risky: There is nothing passive about following Christ; we are not called to be comfortable, stop growing, or do church as usual. In fact, we believe irrelevance is irreverence and "good enough" is not good enough. Instead, we are committed to serving God by all available means and in the most meaningful, relevant, and innovative ways. As a church, we will make the most of every opportunity to glorify God, recognizing that obstacles or challenges are great opportunities to serve Him.

 

Safety of Our Church Members and Environment is Non-negotiable: The adult church workers who assume responsibility for the spiritual wellbeing of children of the crowd (visitors and regular attendees) or congregation (partners), whether as paid staff or as volunteers have a special relationship with those children that gives rise to a duty to protect them from reasonably foreseeable risk of harm from those members of the congregation whom the church places in positions of responsibility and authority over them. All church staff members will undergo a background check before being considered for any volunteer or paid position. At least two-deep leadership is required for all youth events and meetings (ages 17 and under). The only exception is for nursery workers; however, if available and depending on the number of children, more than one volunteer should be present and accountable to work in the nursery. No married man or woman should be alone with the opposite sex who is not their spouse. According to local and state laws, the concealed carry of firearms will be allowed for those who are legally authorized to do so. 

 

Absolute Truth in All Biblical Teaching: All elders and staff must counsel with the Lead Pastor, become Partners, and have completed Disciple Making training prior to any biblical teaching to ensure alignment with Scripture and Formed For Christ Church's core beliefs. From creation to the end times, the Word of God in its entirety must be communicated and discussed in absolute truth. All program curricula and Bible study materials must be reviewed and approved by the Leadership Council before any teaching or preaching. 

 

Sanctity of Marriage: We uphold the sanctity of marriage as God-ordained, a special union between a biological man and a biological woman, within which sexual relations are honored and affirmed by God. We have the conviction that all sexual unions outside of marriage, as thus defined, are sinful. In dealing with sexual sins outside of marriage, we must be attentive to Scripture and therefore consistent in applying our beliefs to both heterosexual and homosexual situations.

 

Created Sexes of Man and Women: We affirm that God's original and ongoing intent and action is the creation of humanity manifested as two distinct sexes, male and female. However, due to sin and human brokenness, our experience of our sex and gender is not always that which God the Creator originally designed. We further affirm God's capacity to heal and transform our brokenness. With this foundational understanding of creation, sin, and redemption, we do not affirm the resolution of tension between one's biological sex and one's experience of gender by the adoption of a psychological identity discordant with one's birth sex. Nor do we affirm attempts to change one's given biological birth sex via medical intervention in favor of the identity of the opposite sex or of an indeterminate identity.