“We envision a church where unchurched people love to attend. Our mission is to help people love God, love others, and serve the world. We do this by creating environments where people are encouraged and equipped to pursue, intimacy with God, community with believers, and ministry to others.”
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37-38). We seek to help people express their love for God through our congregational times of worship. We present biblical and practical teaching, uplifting singing, and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere for people to connect with God. We offer contemporary worship experiences (9:30 & 10:45 a.m.), as well as a traditional worship experience (8:00 a.m.). We also seek to create an environment for worship so you can be comfortable inviting your family and friends to our services. It is our desire that unchurched people you invite will want to come back and take a next step in their spiritual journey. Three essential ingredients for us accomplishing our goal are appealing settings (physical environment, first impressions, parking, preschool through student space, etc.), engaging presentations (from the pulpit all the way down to the preschool department), and helpful content (teaching that is both biblical and helpful for life). Our goal is for people to experience intimacy with God.
Jesus said the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Life was never meant to be lived alone. God formed us for relationships. He designed us for connection. We seek to help people experience Christian community through small groups we call, "LifeGroups." We believe life-change happens better in circles than in rows. It is in a LifeGroup that our large church becomes small; neighbors get to know one another; friendships are formed; pastoral ministry is multiplied. LifeGroups enable you to find the people and the perspective to savor the highs, survive the lows, and share the points in-between. LifeGroups are the heartbeat of our congregation! Our strategy is to continually connect people to groups. Now that space is becoming more limited on our campus, and because many people want to serve on Sunday without having to give up their group, I have instructed Pastor John Shultz to begin more off-campus groups. Right now approximately 100 people enjoy a group in homes during the week. I envision hundreds more people in off-campus LifeGroups in the next five years. Our goal is for people to experience authentic community.
Jesus sent His followers into the world with the mission of sharing God's love through the Good News that Jesus is the Savior (Matthew 28:19-20), and through acts of service to people in need (Matthew 22:39). Our members are challenged with opportunities to serve, pray, and give through practical ministries that make our community and world a better place. Whether it is helping out in a local school, feeding the homeless in a local soup kitchen, or working in our orphanage in Haiti, our members are selflessly serving the world. Through the financial contributions of our members we are able to support missionaries and ministries that truly change the lives of people in Jacksonville and beyond. We want to make it easier for you to serve, pray, and give. Our goal is for people to experience ministry to others.