JESUS

It starts with Jesus. It is not our ministry, but His. We are concerned about identifying what He is doing and joining Him as He leads. He is always at work (John 5:17). Therefore we can never lose sight of the Great Commission (MISSION – Matthew 28:18-20).

 EQUIPPING

We believe that all God calls and equips all of us to serve Him. Our task is to help each person grow deeper in spiritual and emotional health. We currently do this by a focus on sound biblical teaching, practical application in small groups, emotionally healthy spirituality, helping without hurting.

 ENGAGING

We believe that church is not something we do or go to. Church is who we are. And we are God’s people all week long, not just when we are gathered in groups. We are working to build life-transforming relationships in all the places God has us. We do this by helping without hurting. This is a spiritual battle (1 John 4:4).

 HOME, WORK SCHOOL & WORLD

This is the marketplace. It consists of all the places where we find ourselves all week long. God calls us primarily to our community, but we also have a stake in what He is doing in our region and world (Acts 1:8). The marketplace is the focus of our VISION. We don’t go to church, we are the church. We are the church all week long and not just when we are gathered in a group.

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

Churches seem to be so divided. Churches and church people seem to spend most of their time arguing with one another about things that don’t really mean that much.

We believe that God desires the Church to be as one people. Jesus prayed for this unity, "I pray also for those who will believe through [the disciples] message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you sent me." (John 17:20-21. NIV)

We also believe that denominational labels, rules and distinctives serve only to divide and separate Christians rather than unite them. We will be most effective in our witness to the world of the Good News of Jesus Christ, if we concentrate on the things we have in common as believers, rather than the things which may separate us.

Over and over the New Testament uses the phrase "church of God" to denote Christians. e.g. "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ -- their Lord and ours." (1 Corinthians 1:2 NIV) Of course there are many different groups and organizations that use the phrase "Church of God" for this very reason. That is why we add the city of our headquarters, (Anderson, Indiana).

We have chosen to be a part of the Church of God, rather than be associated with any particular denominational tradition because we choose to be a movement toward the unity of all believers as a witness to the world. The Church of God (Anderson) has a heritage of this kind of unity.

We also choose to associate with this voluntary group of non-denominational churches for the sake of accountability. We believe it is healthy for us to be in a relationship with other believers. It keeps us honest and on-track in our ministry. It keeps us from drifting into excesses or unbalanced doctrine.

We are thankful for these brothers and sisters that make up the Church of God. Together we are able to provide ministry opportunities, missions and colleges that a single congregation could not sustain.