Grace Church exists to honor and follow Jesus Christ in such a way as to impact our world with His love and grace.
When asked to identify the greatest of the commandments, Jesus answered with these words: “ 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ” (Matthew 22:37-39).
At the close of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He commissioned His followers with these words: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19, 20).
These two statements, commonly identified as the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, underlie our foundational commitment upon which our vision is based.

Grace Church will be a church that never stops dreaming. A place which takes bold steps of faith in response to God's leading, believing that He will do far beyond whatever we could imagine because of His supernatural power. We pray for Grace Church what the Apostle Paul prayed for the church of Jesus Christ when he said, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:19,20)

GOD - TRINITY
God is creator and ruler of the universe. He is eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each of Whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality.

GOD – THE FATHER
God, the Father is an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of people; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:1,26; Dt. 6:4; Ps. 90:2; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 3; 4:24; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 1:20; Ephesians 4:5-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is God, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He set aside the things He could do as God, and became a man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and entered the human race through a virgin birth. He lived a perfect life, then died on a cross, paying the penalty for our sins. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave, conquering death. He ascended to Heaven's glory where He is our High Priest and Advocate.
He will one day return to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Acts 1:6-11; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 15:12-19; Phil. 2:8; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Jn 1:7-9)

THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is God, co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make us aware of our need for Jesus Christ. (John 16:8-10) From the moment someone asks Jesus to be in charge of their life, the Holy Spirit makes a permanent home in that person. (Rom 8:9). He places (baptizes) the new believer into the body of Christ. (1 Cor 12:13) guaranteeing salvation, providing God's strength, wisdom, courage and guidance in their lives. (Acts 1:8,4:8-14, Eph 5:18). He gives understanding of spiritual truth (John 16:13; 1 Cor 2:10-14), aids in our worship and helps us to pray. (John 4:24; Rom 8:26) The Christian seeks to live under His daily control-His filling (Eph 5:18) and replicate the character of Christ through the fruits of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22-23)

THE BIBLE
The Bible is the Word of God. It was written by people who were chosen and inspired by God. We can trust the truth of the Bible completely. It is the only perfect guide for how to live and what to believe. (Psalm 12:6; 119:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Matt. 5:18; 1 Thess. 2:13; Timothy 1:13; 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

HUMAN BEINGS
God created all people to be His image bearer. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Our potential to be like God in our character was damaged when we decided not to follow God, but went our own selfish ways. Because of this disobedience (sin) humanity incurred both physical and spiritual death. As a result, all human beings are born with a sinful nature. The only way for us to recover our relationship with God and our wholeness is by asking Jesus Christ to enter into and lead our lives. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 51:5; Rom 3:9-12)

SALVATION
God did all the work to make eternal life possible. Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self–improvement or good works. When we realize that we've turned away from God we simply need to ask God for forgiveness and put our life fully in the hands of Jesus Christ. When this happens, we're reconnected with God forever. Those who believe that Jesus is God, that He died and rose again, and ask Jesus to take charge of their lives are saved and will live forever in the presence of God in heaven. (John 14:6, 1:12; Acts 16:31; Rom. 5:1,12-19; Romans 6:23; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 1 Jn. 1:7-9)

ETERNAL SECURITY
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the follower of Jesus Christ is secure in that salvation for eternity. You cannot “lose” your salvation, for salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by self–effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.
(John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10,14; 1 Peter 1:3–5)

ETERNITY
People were created to exist forever. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting joy of the saved, and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost. (John 3:16, 2:25, 5:11–13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 1:8; 25:31-46; Lk. 16:19-31; John 5:28-29; I Corinthians 15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Rev. 20:1-6; 21:1-8)

THE CHURCH
The universal church is comprised of all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. Local churches are groups of believers who identify with one another to worship, grow in faith and serve together, exercising their spiritual gift(s) to fulfill God’s redemptive purpose in this world. Every believer should be committed to a local church. The church is God's primary way to accomplish His purposes on earth today. (1 Cor 12:12-13; Eph 1:22-23, 4:15-16; Matt 18:17; Acts 2)

FAITH & PRACTICE
Grace Church recognizes that it cannot dictate in areas where the Bible is silent. Rather, each believer is to be led in those areas by the Holy Spirit. We agree to disagree, and to love each other. In short . . . we take the Bible and Jesus Christ seriously but we're not legalistic, which means...

• In essential beliefs we have unity.
  "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.” (Romans 15:5)
  
• In nonessential beliefs we have liberty.
  "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
  
• In all our beliefs we show love.
  "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (I John 4:7)

Worship is our loving response to God for His greatness and grace. Our worship is designed to help people encounter the living God in a way that results in changed lives. Corporate worship is a dynamic witness to God’s power and love for all who attend. We imagine corporate worship where people encounter God and lives are transformed. (Psalm 95:1-7; John 4:24)

Prayer is an expression of our total dependence upon God and the primary means by which we draw upon His power. We believe prayer is the primary spiritual resource through which God acts to fulfill His redemptive purposes in and through our lives. Prayer will be foundational to all we do. (Psalm 66:16-20)

Fellowship is a demonstration of Christ-like love for one another. We seek to have every person connected into the life of the church so that they feel welcomed, appreciated and needed. Therefore, we provide opportunities for people to develop meaningful relationships. However, we believe the primary means of spiritual growth, life-change and pastoral care happens best in small groups. We consider it vital that every Christian participate in a small group where they can share in caring for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of his/her sisters and brothers in Christ.

Discipleship is the life-long process of maturing as followers of Christ Full devotion to Christ and His cause is normal for every believer. We seek to encourage, develop and nurture people to become more like Jesus Christ by creating an environment that leads to spiritual maturity through Bible study, small groups, seminars, retreats, mentoring, and leadership development.

Evangelism is every believer’s responsibility to communicate, in word and deed, the life-changing message of Jesus Christ both locally and globally. We desire to be a mobile team of Christ followers dedicated to building genuine relationships with people to help connect them with Jesus Christ and the Grace Church community of believers. All believers have been commissioned to reach those in their spheres of influence as well as support worldwide missions. (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Eph 6:19-20)

Serving others is the mandate of all Christ followers. We encourage each person to discover and use their spiritual gifts to accomplish God’s purpose and serve in meaningful ministry, (Romans 12:4-6)

Stewardship recognizes that everything I am or own belongs to God.
Christ followers are challenged to the careful management of the time, talents and treasures that God has entrusted to us. Every believer is to use the resources God provides to accomplish His purposes in the world through the local church. (2 Corinthians 8:7; Col 3:17; 1 Tim 6:17-19)

Baptism
We believe that all Christians are baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit when they are born again. We believe that water baptism by immersion is the biblical testimony of the professed believer in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:28-41,47; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 8:36-40; 10:47; 18:8; Romans 6:3-4; I Corinthians 12:13)

The Lord’s Supper
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a visual reminder of the sacrifice Jesus Christ paid for every person by dying on the cross. Those who partake of the Lord’s Supper should be born-again believers, walking in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:42-46; I Corinthians 11:23-29)