Loving God

First and foremost, we want to help people learn to love the God who first loved us! We believe God wants joyful disciples who will walk intimately with Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, to the glory and delight of God the Father. Gathering together for worship and teaching helps us grow in love for God and His Word.

Loving People

Our love relationship with God inspires and empowers love for other people! We are committed to growing in community with others. Our Community Groups help foster this.

Serving And Sharing

The natural result of loving God and loving people is to serve others and to share God's love with them. God has designed each of us for this, and we believe there's a ministry in the church and in the community for everyone, where we can share our faith as a lifestyle.

We Are Faithful To Scripture

In the Bible, we have God’s instruction about Himself, about us, and about how we are to live our lives.  We purpose to learn, to instruct, and to submit ourselves to the teachings of the Bible as our first and final authority.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

We Are Empowered By The Holy Spirit

God’s presence among us is made evident through the work of His Spirit.  We gladly depend on the direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit for effective ministry and are a charismatic church.  We expect the presence of God among us all week long and also when we gather together, anticipating and encouraging spiritual gifts to be used as a regular and ongoing practice.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

We Engage With God Through Prayer

God’s power gets things done much more effectively than our own limited wisdom or strength and we happily acknowledge our reliance on Him!  We believe God moves on our behalf and gives us direction as we enjoy relationship with Him through prayer.  As we pray we come relationally to Him as our Father, much as Jesus did (Luke 11:2).

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

James 5:16 “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

We Are Intentional About Diversity

God’s church is called the “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15) – a people united as one across cultures, ethnicities, age groups, genders, social classes, etc. God has also revealed Himself as the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” (Exodus 3:16) a God who works through generations.  We are a church where rich and poor, male and female, and old and young of all cultures are valued, with special emphasis on reaching the future generations of emerging leaders.  This powerful unity produces tenacity, vitality, and a beautiful demonstration of the glory of Christ in His church.

Psalm 71:17 “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.  So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”

Ephesians 2:15,16 “that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross”

We Love Our City

God loves cities.  In fact, the fulfillment of His purpose on the earth is revealed in Revelation 21 as a city!  We desire to serve and be a meaningful part of the great city of Spokane.  We are here to join in what God is doing in the families, neighborhoods, universities and industries of this city and to invite people to join in what God is doing with us.

We Celebrate The Centrality Of The Local Church

Jesus directed His followers to go make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18).  Those followers obeyed that command by beginning new churches everywhere they went.  We are devoted to that mission, and purpose to equip, release and partner with God-appointed leaders to begin new grace-founded, Spirit-filled churches within the Spokane area, our region, and the world.

We Are Here For One Another's Success

God is committed to the ultimate success of each follower of Jesus (Romans 8:28-30; Philippians 1:6).  We take great joy in partnering with one another in friendship to help discover, support, and walk out the purpose of God in our lives together.

Hebrews 10:25 “And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…”

We Are Thrilled And Motivated By Grace

God loved us while we were still sinners, not waiting for us to “get it right” in order to pursue relationship with us.  We desire to have that same atmosphere in our relationships, fostering an atmosphere that is both free of legalism and full of the freedom that comes through knowing all sin is forgiven and we are eternally secure!

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

We Respond To God In Worship

God’s salvation extended to us through Jesus Christ causes us to respond!  We celebrate His grace and goodness in our lives, declaring the greatness and majesty of God with thankful hearts.  This finds expression both when we gather together and throughout our every-day lives.

Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Psalm 100:2 “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.”

We Love Generosity

God’s work in our hearts transforms us to be radical givers from the way we tip in a restaurant to the way we invest our time, skills and finances in the local church and in others.  We aim to invest enthusiastically for the benefit of others because we believe God blesses His people for the purpose of extending His Kingdom.

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Proverbs 11:25 “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

We Live Missionally

God’s mission on the earth can be summed up, “to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).”  We embrace Jesus’ invitation to us to join with Him in reaching and transforming all people groups with the good news that Jesus saves.  This begins locally and continues out into nations.

Matthew 28:18-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We Embrace And Empower The Poor

God’s heart for the poor is revealed throughout the Bible through His admonition to “remember the poor.”  We receive this commission wholeheartedly and look for ways to genuinely bless and partner with the poor in our own church family, city, and beyond.

Galatians 2:10 “The only thing they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”

Psalm 113:7-8 “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, / to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.”

 

We Work Together In Team

God has revealed Himself in the context of team:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  We see that the Bible clearly states that the local church is to be humbly led by a team of elders.  This team of qualified men is charged with the responsibility to equip and release the church, including both male and female, into the varied ministry and leadership roles that are so vital to a healthy church!  Every area of ministry functions best when gifted teams of people serve together.

Acts 14:23 “And when they had appointed elders [plural] for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

1 Corinthians 12:18-20 “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.”

We Receive And Are Shaped

By Apostolic And Prophetic Ministry

Because the church is built on Jesus Christ through the foundation laid by apostles and prophets, we willingly receive and actively pursue relationship with recognized apostolic and prophetic ministries, especially within the Regions Beyond family of churches.  These foundational ministries help local leadership to clarify and focus vision and direction, stretching our vision to include cities & nations while also giving specific input as to how to “be the church” in our time and location.

Ephesians 2:20 “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”

We are a part of Regions Beyond, a diverse family of churches joined in apostolic partnership around the world.  We celebrate a rich diversity of cultural context and style.  We fully share in gospel partnership through a commitment to planting and strengthening local churches across the nations.  Our desire is that each church is a loving, prayerful, worshiping community, centered on Jesus, rooted in the Word of God, and fully empowered by the Holy Spirit to be an effective witness.  Our hope is that each church will reflect the glory of God through joy, generosity, humility, compassion, service, grace, and integrity.