Mission and Core Values Version 1.0
Why We Are Here
Chesapeake Presbyterian Church exists to love our God with our heart, mind, and soul, and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Core Values
The Gospel Transforms Everything.
We are a church of people who were once disinterested, antagonistic, and distant toward God transformed into new people full of life toward their creator. The Gospel confronts us with the reality that we are sinful, rebellious, and spiritually dead, and only the redemptive work of the Son of God through his life, death, resurrection and ascension can awaken our souls and save us. The Gospel, however, doesn’t merely allow us to escape hell and enter heaven. The Gospel is the engine and power that drives holy living. In the Gospel we are free to admit our weaknesses, sins, and failures, resting in the truth that we are dearly loved daughters and sons of the King. Through the Gospel we are freed to new relationships, service, and lives. In short, the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms everything.
Kingdom Prayer.
Prayer is the work of the Kingdom, and it is the driving force for God’s Kingdom to grow and expand. We are a church that prays expectantly with childlike boldness for God’s gracious power to be made evident in and through us. Jesus taught the Lord’s prayer focusing on our Father, the honoring of his name, and for his Kingdom to invade our world. We must pray therefore for our Father’s name to be glorified in our community. The early church devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42) and so are we, to focus our prayers on God, His Name, and His Kingdom. We are engaged in spiritual warfare, (Eph 6:18) and our battle is fought through prayer in our homes, community groups, and worship services. Prayer will undergird every ministry. (Mt 6:9-10)
The Gospel Frees us to Love our Neighbor Holistically in Service, Justice, Mercy, and Truth.
Through the Gospel we are freed to serve Chesapeake humbly, joyfully, and anonymously delighting in our savior as we serve our neighbors. We believe that Word and Deed ministries together present the incarnation of the Son of God to our community and the watching world. Our passions must be captivated by the heart of God in his love for the orphan, alien, and widow.
Ministry throughout Chesapeake is our Priority.
God is calling us to live as a community of his followers in Chesapeake. Therefore: we will seek to bring God’s peace (shalom) to the people and city of Chesapeake, our near neighbors as our first priority. And secondarily, bring God’s peace to the people of our global community, our distant neighbors. Chesapeake, where God has placed us, is therefore, our primary mission field. We are committed to the people in Chesapeake and her neighborhoods. We believe that the most effective ministry occurs in our community amongst our neighbors and coworkers in Chesapeake, therefore we are a church for and in our community.
Equipping Every Member for Ministry is Necessary.
We believe that Christ is glorified most, and represented best, when every member is equipped, trained, and mobilized to serve in the ways that God has gifted him/her. The Church is weakened when the saints are not serving one another in love. Therefore, developing the gifts of service and love of our members will be a priority, to unleash them to serve our church, our community and our world as God calls them. Each member, called by the Lord, is freed through the Gospel to works of love and service. The church is healthiest when every member is using their gifts and talents in service of their King. Ephesians 4:11-16
Community/Relationships.
We are community of God’s adopted children striving to follow their Lord and Creator, unburdened from the tyranny of self-seeking and manipulative relationships, to learn to love one another freely and generously. The Gospel reconciles God to his people and brings reconciliation between people. In a world where true relationships can be hard to find, we desire love one another in such a way that God’s presence is readily seen. Our goal is that together we may know God’s love, wisdom, mercy and joy. Ephesians 3:17-19
Transformed People.
We are a church for the seeking, confused, and skeptical to enter into our community and discover the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are a community where the self-condemned and the self-righteous, the licentious and the legalist, the irreligious and the religious can find freedom and be transformed in the whole person into who God created them to be. We welcome the hurting and the searching, the disenfranchised, and the antagonistic, the lost and the proud. At Chesapeake Presbyterian, we offer grace to both the spiritually burdened and the spiritually distant from God.
This is a very rough first draft, and will be shaped and molded by many whom God is calling to join us in this endeavor.
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