OUR PURPOSE/VISION

We desire to be a Gospel-centered, Bible-focused, Relationship-driven church and community of people dedicated to worship that expresses our love for the Lord, nurture that expresses our love for the church, and outreach that expresses our love for the world.

As we strive towards our core goals of iworship, nurture and outreach, our overall mission as a church is to love God, love each other and love our neighbor while reflecting our core values of love, faith and holiness.

We believe that the work of ministry is accomplished as each member of our church family recognizes his or her God-given gifts, is equipped for ministry, shares the love of Jesus Christ, lives out the Gospel and spreads God's Kingdom in their "spheres of influence" and teaches and encourages others to do the same.

Over the next five years, our areas of strategic emphasis under our core goals of worship, nurture and outreach include:

Worship

» Strong expository preaching and teaching from the pulpit which is Gospel-centered, Bible-focused and relationship-driven.

» Dynamic music ministry which is Gospel-centered, Bible-focused and relationship-driven.

Nurture

» Near 100% church congregant participation in a Faith Home Small Group, MIC Small Group, WIC Small Group, Community Outreach Small Group, and (or) Adult Sunday School.

» Expanded family-orientated ministries with an emphasis on dynamic children and youth programs.

Outreach

» Expanded family-orientated outreach programs to our local community focusing on our "church neighborhood" (people living within 5-7 miles of our church property) and neighborhoods where our congregants live.

» International missions programs which integrate church congregants in a personal and relational manner.

OUR CENTRAL GUIDING PRINCIPLE: GOSPEL CENTRALITY

The Gospel of Jesus Christ drives and overarches all we do and is the central focus of our church since we believe it provides the answers for both non-Christians and Christians to our deepest longings and needs as individuals and as a society.

OUR CORE VALUES

Holiness: We believe God is holy and righteous and that he provides righteousness and eternal life to us by grace as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ; therefore we seek to live our lives in a way which shows our thankfulness for this gift and reflects what it means to be true sons and daughters in God's loving family.

Love: We believe that because God is love and he first loved us, we are able to love; therefore we seek to demonstrate authentic love out of a grateful response to God's unconditional love for us, not just to each other, but to all His world.

Faith: We believe God is always faithful and completely trustworthy and that he graciously grants faith to those who earnestly seek him; therefore we seek to be a faithful people and demonstrate dependent faith and hope in all we do.

OUR MISSION

Our church's mission is to love God, love each other, and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:35-40; Matthew 28:48-20).

OUR CORE GOALS

Worship that expresses our love for the Lord: To worship the revealed Triune God joyfully with our whole lives.

Nurture that expresses our love for the church: To nurture disciple makers as servant ministers towards Christlike maturity in loving community.

Outreach that expresses our love for the world: To reach out with the Gospel to Oconee County, the greater Athens area, and the world in word and deed.

OUR MINISTRY MODEL

The work of ministry is accomplished as each member recognizes his or her God-given gifts, is equipped for ministry, shares the love of Jesus Christ, lives out the Gospel and spreads God's Kingdom in their "spheres of influence" and teaches and encourages others to do the same, who in turn, teach and encourage others to do the same (2 Timothy 2:2; Ephesians 4:44-43; Colossians 4:28).