| Grace
and Truth |
|
| We
believe that grace and truth are inseparable. |
Jesus
loved people enough to accept them as they were, and too much to
leave them there.
He never avoided the truth, but consistently presented it in a
gracious
and loving way. We are committed to presenting biblical truth
in exactly the same manner. We feel that truth will not be
heard effectively outside the context of grace, and that it is
impossible
to be truly gracious without teaching the truth - they cannot
be separated.
| Relevance
and Inclusion |
|
| We
believe that relevance and inclusion please God and attract
people. |
We
feel strongly that using culturally relevant methods to present
timeless
truth is an effective tool for reaching people. This means
we will continually evaluate and change our methods as necessary
to remove as many barriers to connecting with God
as
possible.
We also want anyone, regardless of his or her background
or beliefs, to feel welcome and accepted at WCC.
Relevance and inclusion were two hallmarks of Jesus' public ministry.
| Worship
and Teaching |
|
| We
believe that dynamic worship and teaching are at the
heart of life change. |
Throughout
history God has used heartfelt, passionate worship and clear,
relevant teaching to capture the hearts and minds
of people. We are committed to helping people experience
God in an environment that encourages passion and
intimacy with God and openness to his Word.
| Leadership |
|
| We
believe that the church should be led by maturing believers
with leadership gifts. |
It
is very clear in Romans 12: 4-8 that the church functions best
when
all believers are serving in their specific area(s) of spiritual
giftedness - teachers should be teaching, administrators
should be administrating, leaders should be leading,
etc. This is why specific ministries within WCC
are led
by leaders and the church itself is governed by
appointed Elders who meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:2-7
and Titus 1:5-9.
| Servanthood |
|
| We
believe that servanthood is the essential mark of a fully
devoted follower of Christ. |
Fully
devoted Christ-followers are not consumers: they are actively
engaged
in serving God and others by the stewardship of their spiritual
gifts. Mark 10:45 says, "For even the Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve." We
must follow his example.
| Authentic
Relationships |
|
| We
believe that loving, authentic relationships should permeate
all of church life. |
The
Word makes it clear that life at its best happens in the context
of community;
a place of unity where people can be known
and loved deeply. We believe this happens best in smaller groups
of people gathering for the purposes of developing
relationships and caring for each other.
| Full
Surrender |
|
|
| We
believe that full surrender to Christ and his cause should
be normal for every believer. |
We believe that
the principles of stewardship, servanthood, sacrifice,
and the pursuit of Kingdom goals should typify every believer's
life. This should be a normal response to God's
grace, mercy and forgiveness. This is what happens when
Christ
becomes Lord of our lives.
|
