Our Values
I. We Value Making Christ Known
Found People Find People
At FCC, we want Jesus to become famous in our lives and in the lives of those we serve. We are committed to the person, the teachings, and the mission of Jesus Christ, to bring LIFE to people far from God. His worldwide mission, to ‘seek and to save' the lost is our passion (Luke 19:10, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). Evangelism doesn't have to be a dirty word; when you discover something that changes your life, you naturally want to share it with others. People who have been transformed by God's grace want to share that grace with others.
II. We Value Worship
Success Starts on Sunday
God created people to worship Him. He created us to reflect His greatness and His glory in a unified expression of worship. Worship is when all that WE are, both personally and corporately, responds to all that HE is in our lives. We believe that corporate worship is a beauty of heaven that should be reflected here on earth (Revelation 5:11-12). We believe it was a discipline and strength of the early Church (Acts 2:46-47; Hebrews 10:25), and that it is essential in allowing the Holy Spirit to compose spiritual unity and harmony in the Body of Christ (Psalm 133:1; John 17:23; 1 Corinthians 1:10). Worship is not about what makes us happy, but what makes God happy.
III. We Value Application of Scripture
Teaching is for Life-Change
We believe that people are transformed when they understand and apply Biblical truths (II Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, Romans 10:17, Psalm 1:1-3). The Bible is the living, active Word of God, which the Holy Spirit uses to transform lives. Therefore, we will seek to help every person understand and apply God's word. It will be the authority for all that we do.
IV. We Value Community
I Can't Do Life Alone
We believe that spiritual growth happens best in the context of community (Hebrews 10:24-25, Luke 6:12-13, Acts 2:44-46). In these communities we are to be the church to one another and demonstrate the church to a watching world as we live out the "one another" commands of scripture. At FCC, we grow larger and smaller at the same time through small groups, committed to the value of every member being cared for in a community that will love and prompt him/her to grow. In scripture, whenever someone walked away from the people of God, they generally walked away from God as well. Community is essential to our commitment to follow Christ.
V. We Value Diversity
People Matter to God... Even When They are Different
People matter to God even if they don't know it yet, or if they are different from us. We seek to value people the same way God does. We welcome ALL people and commit ourselves to living out Christ's gift of unity while celebrating diversity. We believe diversity touches the heart of God and His Spirit calls us together in this multicultural, multi-ethnic community of faith (I Corinthians 12:12-26, Ephesians 4:1-6). This calling is NOT to shape a group of people who all look the same, but rather a mosaic of people who reflect God's glory in the world.
VI. We Value Authenticity
Keeping it Real
We believe authenticity, acceptance and honesty create the atmosphere where people can become fully alive (Romans 12:3, Ephesians 4:14-16, 25-26). There is no need to pretend we are better or worse than we really are, but as we accept each other and speak the truth in love to one another, we can help each other grow into ‘fully alive' people. We want FCC to be a safe place where people can come and admit we are broken, we are vulnerable, and we wrestle with real life issues. The church should be a place where we can talk about these struggles without being judged or condemned, but encouraged, supported, and nurtured to grow in our faith.
VII. We Value Serving
Saved People Serve People
God deliberately shaped and formed you to serve him in a way that makes you very unique (Eph 2:10). We believe God expects every believer to get involved in ministry and that every follower of Jesus should seek to serve in their realm of giftedness. In order to serve effectively, we must see as Jesus sees and respond as Jesus leads. We believe the church is to be an active agent of change in society by caring for and serving those who are poor, oppressed, orphaned, at-risk, disabled, marginalized, underprivileged, or in need. We seek to be a tangible and practical expression of God's love through strategic service, compassion ministries, and world missions. (Deut. 10:17-19, Deut. 15:7-11, Prov. 19:17, Micah 6:8, I John 3:17, Matthew 25, James 1:27).
VIII. We Value Multiplication
Reproduction is a Gift of Life
Though we don't place value on numbers alone, we place a high value on multiplication (Gen 1:28). It is a sign of blessing and spiritual health throughout Scripture (Gen 17:2; Ex 1:12-13). We believe leaders should be self-multiplying leaders, small groups should become self-multiplying groups, churches should be intentional about planting more self-multiplying churches, and healthy disciples make more disciples (Matt 14:19; 25:20). We see in natural life that reproduction is a GIFT of life, and it should be deemed that way in our churches as well.
IX. We Value Stewardship
To Live is to Give
We believe that giving is the highest form of living. Church is a partnership where Christ followers are to be servants and stewards of the Gospel (1 Cor. 4:1), and change agents in bringing biblical justice to our world (Deut. 15:7-8). This partnership requires sacrifice, benevolence, and generosity (2 Cor. 9:6-10). We honor God with our tithes, offerings, and all of life's resources (Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-12). We steward what we have been given of time, gifts, and finances, seeing these as being from God's hand, and entrusted to us to further his kingdom and Jesus' mission here on earth.
X. We Value the Next Generation
The Next Generation Matters to God
Jesus valued children/youth and emphasized their worth to the kingdom even when others overlooked them or minimized their importance (Mark 9:37; Matthew 19:14). We believe that ministries to children, youth, and young people should be given great priority. Children are the living messages we send into a time we shall not see. We believe that we have a responsibility to invest in the lives of both kids and youth. They are not only future leaders of the church, but can be present leaders, and we are dedicated to reaching the next generation and equipping them to be fully devoted followers of Christ. They deserve our BEST!
