Joy as Purpose

In the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” The most basic reason for the existence of Christ Community Church is the same: to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. (John Piper, Desiring God)

Historic Beliefs

We stand with all Christian churches in affirming the Apostles’ Creed. We stand in the Protestant and Reformation tradition in affirming the historic views of the Westminster Confession of Faith. 

But churches that share a doctrinal commitment still have to decide how those doctrinal views will be explained, lived out, and applied to the lives of the people in the church fellowship and how they relate to the culture in which we live. The application of our doctrinal views to our life situation is reflected below. What follows is a summary of how our beliefs will be lived out in our community.

Community Values

TRANSFORMATION BY GRACE
God’s grace in Jesus Christ is the only power that will produce substantial, healthy change in anyone! Christianity is not another “religion.” The common denominator in all religions is some version of becoming acceptable by doing right things. The message of the Bible is that we are accepted through what Jesus did, not by what we do. Believing God and living out what God says produces true change! We can’t change ourselves just by trying harder, but God can and will change us by the power of His Spirit who works in us. 

AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY
The Bible does not call us to a private, isolated, individual relationship with Christ. To be “in Christ” by God’s grace is to belong to the people of God. This is not an "extra" add-on. Biblical community is the objective of the the good news of Jesus Christ, the means by which the good news of Jesus Christ spreads, and the context for living a godly life. We are an intergenerational church that is growing to recognize our need for the whole church. Our worship is participatory: singing, praying and responding to God is not something we simply watch others do, it is the work of the whole church. 

MISSIONAL LIVING
Christ has not called us to isolate ourselves from the world. He has called us out of the world to belong to Him and has sent us back into the world to be witnesses and servants as we live out the callings God has given us in our homes, schools, places of work, etc. God has placed us in this place at this time to serve Him. God’s Kingdom includes the nations. Our hearts need to be drawn into God’s passion for those who are disconnected from Him.