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OUR
POLICY - What we believe!
The third
dynamic of Discovery Church can be seen in our Core Values and
Statement of
Faith. Discover what we are
really about!
Our Core Values
Because
we are a collection of diverse individuals, we all have slightly different values with
regard to how we go about serving Christ. Yet certain common
scriptural values unify our efforts
and define our distinctive. We summarize our core values by using the following
statements:
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The
Bible is our Standard.
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We
believe that the scriptures are the beginning and final
authority for everything that we do in life. In them, God
reveals to us Himself, His purposes, principles, and plans. All
that we do should start with God's heart and we should pattern
our lives and ministry out of that.
click here for our
Statement of
Faith.
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2
Timothy 3:16-17 "All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God
may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
(also:
Romans 12:7; James 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12; Acts 2:42; Acts 20:32)
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We believe in the importance of reaching as
many lost and unchurched people as possible, utilizing every possible means,
so that the maximum number of people in our generation might enjoy
the abundant life of Christ. We also recognize that this
is best accomplished through relationships and happens
most frequently through a process, as opposed to an event.
The lost and unchurched
are so important we devote our weekend services as
well as various other large and small group
ministries to reaching them.
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Luke
19:10 "For the Son
of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
(also:
Luke 5:30-32; Luke 15; Matt. 18:14).
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An
authentic relationship with God,
the pursuit of spiritual growth,
and authenticity is normal
and should be a top priority
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We
believe the most important thing anyone can do is to develop a
daily , growing
and authentic relationship with
God in which they experience the love of God, that will be reflected
in their communion with Him and the character of their own lives.
This relationship is only possible through Jesus Christ - no one
else.
We believe that
is normal for Christ-followers to pursue continuous
spiritual growth. This includes the
concepts of full devotion to Christ, personal spiritual growth and authenticity,
stewardship and servanthood, character and wholeness, as
well as the pursuit of Kingdom goals.
We strive to
help believers develop such a relationship with worship and bible teaching, small groups,
discipleship groups and various training
ministries.
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Mark
12:28-30 "Of all the commandments, which
is the most important?"... "The
most important one," answered Jesus... "'Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind and with all your strength.'"
(see
also: I Kings 11:4; Phil. 2:1-11; 2 Cor.8:7).
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relationships should permeate
every
aspect of church life.
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We
believe in the importance of unconditional love as
demonstrated first to us by Christ. Therefore, we desire to
foster relationships in an atmosphere of genuine love,
acceptance, and forgiveness toward every person. This
pleases God and reflects His character more than anything
else we say or do. God's love should be shown in our
love-driven ministry, ministry accomplished in teams (Team
Discovery!) and
relationship building.
Simply
put, we strive to show the love and character of God in
everything we do!
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1
Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails. But where
there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are
tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it
will pass away.
(see
also: Nehemiah
3, Luke 10:1, John 13:34-35)
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We believe in the importance of identifying
and helping Christians develop the spiritual gifts they received at
salvation, in order that they may minister in the church in ways
that are both fruitful and fulfilling. We not only believe that each
church ministry should be based upon spiritual giftedness, but that
it is best expressed through groups or teams of people with like
hearts. The result should be empowerment,
servant leadership, strategic focus, and intentionality.
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1
Corinthians 12:7, 11, 18 "Now
to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the
common good...All these are the work of one and the same
Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he
determines...But in fact God has arranged the parts in the
body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."
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Equipping
and encouraging members
for ministry is the role of leadership.
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We
believe in the importance of training and developing all
members which in turn will enable us to care for more people
The more people are equipped for each ministry area, the
more the span of care and quantity of service, is kept at a
reasonable level. It is the primary responsibility of staff
pastors to equip and encourage, coordinate and reproduce team leaders, who in
turn do the primary ministry and care giving, enabling the
maximum amount of people to be helped.
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Ephesians
4:11-14 "It was he who gave some to be
apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and
some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for
works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built
up, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to
the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
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be compelling and excellent.
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We
believe in the importance of doing whatever it takes to
inspire people to Christ and to the fullness of His kingdom.
Some of the primary ways of moving people toward where they
need to be in God include: encouragement; creativity; the
supernatural; excellence; evaluation; and prayer.
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Luke 14:23
"Then the master told his
servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make
them come in, so that my house may be full.'"
I
Corinthians 9:22 "I have become all things to all men
so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this
for the sake of the gospel."
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All
authentic, long lasting
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We
believe in the importance of being process-oriented, rather
than event-driven. There is no one single event that will
totally transform or perfect a persons life. There needs to
be a series of things, a process, that will create an
ongoing forum and field for the life to be changed.
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Mark 4:26
". . . the kingdom of God is
like a man who casts see upon the soil; and goes to bed at
night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows
. . ."
Philippians
2:12 " . . . work out your salvation."
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Anointed teaching is the
catalyst for
life-change
that
happens best in small groups.
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We
believe in the
concept of teaching for life change. Our teaching must be
culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure. Our goal
is to present the
ageless wisdom and truths of Scripture in ways that connect with people's lives and
helps them live life in
the 21st century.
We
believe that, while "teaching from the podium" is the
catalyst for transformation, consistent life-change happens best in
a small group or relational setting. It is in small groups or
relationships that the concept
of community (fellowship, discipleship, vulnerability, and
accountability) happens.
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(Rom. 12:7; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; James 1:23-25).
(Luke 6:12-13; Acts
2:44-47).
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Excellence
with an attitude
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We
believe that everything we do must be done with a goal of
excellence and an attitude of humility. This includes
our prayerful planning, execution, evaluation, and critical
review. Our goal is to offer our best to a God who
gave His best. Such an attitude honors God and
inspires people.
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(Col. 3:17; Mal.
1:6-14; Prov. 27:17).
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We
believe that both the overall ministry goals Grace, Growth,
Groups, Gifts and Good Stewardship should always be kept in
balance. |
We
believe that both the overall ministry goals Grace, Growth,
Groups, Gifts and Good Stewardship should always be kept in
balance. This includes the concepts of life and
ministry balance as well as constant and humble evaluation.
click
here for a summary of
Discovery's
position
on stewardship
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(Acts
2:42).
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For
more details, please ask for our complete
Statement
of Faith at the information booth or click here.
To
read about Discovery's view of baptism (including infant baptism) click
here
Now,
how is all this philosophy put into practice? How does Discovery take its purpose,
priorities and policies and reach out to people who are seeking answers as well as
Christ-followers who need to grow in their faith?
If you want to know, then...
click
here to go to Our Procedures
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