Our Core Values
The following are the constant, passionate, biblical core beliefs that drive our ministry:
Worship:
We believe that worship is an active and a free response to God whereby we declare His worth. We believe that the adoration of God is vital to a growing and vibrant relationship with Him (Matthew 4:10; Romans 12:1-2).
Therefore, we will worship God in such a way that his greatness becomes the standard and inspiration for our personal lives and the corporate worship of our church.
Prayer:
We believe that God desires his people to pray and that he hears and answers prayer (Matthew 7:7-11; James 5:13-18).
Therefore, all facets of GCF ministries and activities will be characterized by a reliance on prayer in their conception, planning and execution.
Evangelism:
We believe that the primary task of the Church is to continue the mission the Lord has entrusted to us in the great commission. While numerical growth is not necessarily a sign of God's blessing, and is not a sufficient goal in itself, God desires for us to reach as many people as possible with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; Colossians 2:19).
Therefore, we will pursue methods that will facilitate sharing the Gospel of Christ with others, without compromising in any way our integrity or our commitment to biblical truth.
Teaching:
We believe that the Bible is God's inspired Word. It is given to us for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. So that we will be equipped for every good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Therefore, we are committed to equipping Christians, through the teaching of God's Word, to follow Christ in every area of life.
Community:
We believe that although the believer is not to be "of" the world, he or she must be "in" the world. Since Jesus did not come to drive culture from the people, but rather drive them from their sin, we believe that God has called us to relate to our surrounding culture(s) by being a preservative (salt) and positive (light) presence (Matthew 5:13-16).
Therefore, we will build a community of believers within our church that will, with the help of other churches, embrace that which is good in the greater community and challenge it in redemptive ways. We will seek to be culturally relevant and doctrinally pure.
Family:
We believe that the earthly family, when functioning redemptively, is a powerful expression of God's family and is a dynamic means to continue the Christian faith (Ephesians 5-6).
Therefore we are dedicated to providing an atmosphere that builds up each family member in their faith and models the beauty of God's design for family relationships.
Stewardship:
We believe that the greatest use of our time, talent and treasure is to invest in making fully devoted followers of Christ (Eph. 5:16; Romans 12; Luke 16:1-15).
Therefore, we will model unselfish living by orienting our schedules, service and finances with Christ's emphasis on self-denial and giving to others.
Discipleship:
We believe that a fully trained disciple is a believer who is spiritually disciplined and capable of reaching and caring for their peers - reflecting both the character and priorities of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).
Therefore, we will create an environment conducive to making disciples by providing encouragement, teaching and resources so that every believer can become a contagious Christian.
Leadership:
We believe that as our church grows it will be necessary to multiply men and women of proven character and competence to shepherd various segments of our church (1 Peter 5:1-3; 2 Timothy 2:2).
Therefore, we will commit ourselves to identifying and training all people who are both gifted and willing to multiply them selves in ministry.
Spiritual Gifts:
We believe that for every believer spiritual gifts are given according to His Grace. The gift is a manifestation of the Spirit. It is primarily given for the building up the Body of Christ.
Therefore we encourage the congregation to put to use the gift given by the Spirit. We also believe natural talents are different from Spiritual Gifts. (1Cor 12:7-11; Eph 4:11-13)
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