What We Believe

Beliefs   We believe that there is only one God who has revealed Himself in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is the creator, the sustainer, and the controller of all creation and the affairs of mankind. We hold that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of a virgin and that He is sinless and perfect. We believe that He is the Living Word and Truth who not only taught the truth and demonstrated God’s power in miracles, but also willingly died on a cross as payment for man’s sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to guide His church. We understand that the Bible is God’s inspired Word, the authoritative rule of faith and practice for all believers in Christ. We believe that the Scriptures along with the power of the Holy Spirit, are the primary means of guidance and strength for all Christians. We feel that every Christian needs to become an active participant in a local church to experience spiritual growth by the development of meaningful relationships and discovery and use of spiritual gifts and ministries that God has given them.   Synopsis of Our Mission & Values Beliefs Our mission is to be a progressive church that builds on the Word of God to make disciples of Jesus Christ by Exalting God, Edifying Others, Equipping People for Ministry, and Evangelizing the World for Christ. While mission gives us purpose, our values give us character. They are a group of principles, beliefs, and perspectives that are central in our lives and are the content of who we are becoming in relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord. At CGC we value: God’s Word: believing the Bible as the revelation of absolute truth which defines principles for successful living, and following Jesus Christ, the living Word, in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 4:1-10; II Timothy 3:16-17; Psalms 119:105; Hebrew 4:12; I John 1:1-3, 4:13; James 1:21-22) Love: living in intimacy with the Lord, passionately and unconditionally loving Him and all people, without trying to prove something or gain something in return. (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 10:35-45; Philippians 2:2-4; I Corinthians 13; I Thessalonians 3:12-13; I John 4:7-21) Worship: glorifying God with celebrative, creative, and intimate worship with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, conforming to the likeness and image of Jesus Christ. (Psalms 95:1-7, 150:1-6; Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 8:29; Galatians 4:19; Romans 12:1-2) Prayer: seeking God’s face and being guided by His voice, peacefully and joyfully walking with Him throughout the progressive stages of life, reaching ones God-given potential and destiny. (Psalms 73:23-24; Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 40:31; Philippians 3:12-14, 4:7-9; John 14:26-27) Faith: living expectantly in the hope of God’s promises and being empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in supernatural strength, joy, and prosperity in all circumstances of life. (Isaiah 40:31, 61:10; Zechariah 4:6; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 4:20; Romans 15:13; III John 2; Psalms 1:1-3; Habakkuk 3:17-19; Luke 1:39; II Timothy 4:18; Philippians 4:11-13) Integrity: demonstrating honesty, transparency, sincerity, respect, humility, and Christlike moral behavior and ethics in all walks of life. (James 4:7-10; Proverbs 19:22; Acts 24:16; Romans 1:25-32; II Timothy 3:19-22; Romans 13:8-14; Ephesians 4:22-32; Galatians 5:16-26) Unity: showing mercy, acceptance, and forgiveness toward all people, always speaking blessings and seeking to maintain a spirit of unity in the bond of peace with the body of Christ. (Matthew 5:7, 43-45; Ephesians 4:2-4, 29-32; Psalms 133; Proverbs 18:21; James 3) Stewardship: joyously and diligently using God-given resources (time, spiritual gifts, skills, money, and strength) to advance the Kingdom of God and give Him glory. (Matthew 25:14-30; Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-12; II Corinthians 9:6-10; Luke 6:38; II Thessalonians 3:10) Servanthood: joyfully serving others with a spirit of excellence, as to the Lord, in the home, the church, and the community, functioning as a unified community of individuals and teams. (Matthew 20:26-28; Ephesians 4:16, 6:7; I Corinthians 12:12-27; Colossians 3:23-24) Small Groups: building a relationally based church committed to growth and effective ministry through friendships, evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development in small groups. (Matthew 5:1-2,10:1, 20:17, 26:20, 28:16-20; Mark 3:16, 16:14-20; Acts 2:47) Family: nurturing Christ-centered, vision led, and Spirit empowered family relationships between children-children, parents-children, and husbands-wives. (Malachi 4:5-6; Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-4; I Peter 3:1-8, Proverbs 31; Genesis 2:24; II Corinthians 7:1-17) Generations: uniting people of multiple generations for relational strength and mentoring, and to release life-changing and culturally relevant ministries to the church and the world. (Psalms 78:1-8; Deuteronomy 6:1-9;I Timothy 1:18, 4:12; Titus 2:1-8; I Timothy 1:5) Humankind: treasuring life as God’s gift, from conception to death, and showing mercy and justice toward all people: young and old, rich and poor, and of all ethnic and cultural diversity. (Isaiah 1:17; Galatians 3:28; Jeremiah 1:5; Psalms 127-128; Proverbs 29:7; Acts 10:28) Healing: trusting in the love and power of Jesus Christ to set people free from sin and bondages, and to heal and restore wounded lives in spirit, soul, and body. (Luke 4:18; Matthew 8:17; Acts 10:38; Galatians 6:1-2; I Thessalonians 5:23; Isaiah 61:1-4; II Corinthians 10:3-5) Warfare: calling on God and agreeing with His will for spiritual revival and transformation of individuals, cities, and nations, destroying the kingdom of darkness. (Chronicles 7:14-16; Isaiah 62:6; Jeremiah 29:11-14; Matthew 12:22-29, 16:18-19; Ephesians 1:16-23; Revelations 11:15; Matthew 11:12; Luke 10:19-20; Romans 16:20) Harvest: presenting the gospel in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit to unreached people and discipling them, extending the Kingdom of God in revival and global harvest. (Luke 10:2; John 4:34-38; Romans 1:16; I Thessalonians 2:8; Matthew 16:18-9, 24:14, 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Revelation 5:9-10, 7:9; Isaiah 61:1-5)