Our mission
Leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our vision
What does it actually look like when someone has a growing relationship with Jesus Christ? We believe a growing relationship with Jesus consists of four aspects:
Treasuring God
It all begins with Treasuring God. Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God is like a man who finds a treasure hidden in a field, and in his great joy sells everything he has so he can purchase the field and have the treasure. When we receive Jesus, we are receiving Him as a treasure more valuable and beautiful than anything else in life.
Being Transformed
Treasuring God, then, leads to us Being Transformed. The Bible teaches us that we become like what we behold, that what we treasure transforms us. Just look at Zacchaeus – his encounter with Jesus flips his whole life upside-down, turning a greedy traitor into a generous servant. When we receive Christ as our treasure, He begins a transformation in us, too, from a sinful inward-focus to a loving Godward-focus.
Loving Others
This transformation, making us more and more like what we treasure, then naturally leads to Loving Others. In the famous parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus gives us a revolutionary model of love – a costly yet freely given love that reaches across barriers. This is how God loves us, so it is how we love one another.
Pursuing Unity
Finally, as treasuring God transforms us into people who really love others, we grow in Pursuing Unity. Jesus says that true greatness comes not through self-promotion, but through putting others first. When we are saved, we are saved into a community of believers – the Church – and our earnest desire is to love each other unconditionally, serve each other sacrificially, and connect with each other deeply.
Our means
The above four aspects together give vision to what a growing relationship with Jesus Christ actually looks like. But how do we make this vision a reality in our lives? Well, God has given us three means of growing these four aspects in our lives – His Word, Prayer, and Community. These three means connect us to the power source needed to change us: Jesus Christ and His Gospel. This is why everything we do here at Berean centers on, and leads to, Christ.
We believe...
…in one God who is infinite and personal, eternally existent in three persons revealed as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
…Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, Creator of the universe, became fully man to fulfill God’s promise to send a Savior to redeem the world back from sin. We believe He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified for sin, was buried, and rose again and returned to the Father awaiting His return.
…the Holy Spirit is fully God and dwells within the heart of every believer. We believe it is the presence of the Spirit in us that empowers us to fulfill our God-given call to be part of building for God’s Kingdom today that will find its fulfillment in the New Earth to come.
…the Bible is the inspired, authoritative Word of God.
…every person is made in the image of God. We believe that all are sinners by nature and desperately in need of a Savior. We believe that our significance and value flow not out of our ability to perform for God or others, but out of being rightly related to God through Jesus Christ.
…there is only one way of salvation, and that is by God’s grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. We believe salvation is through Christ alone and not of any religious works we have done. It is a gift from God. We believe salvation is far more than merely a ticket to heaven, but rather is an invitation to enjoy a personal relationship with God now and forever. We believe salvation includes the redeeming of all creation and the ultimate triumph of God’s vision for the world He has created.
…every believer has been set apart for God’s good purposes. As believers yield to the Spirit, they grow in moral purity, though this process doesn’t reach completion in this life.
…the Church is made up of all who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. We believe God has ordained that His Universal Church find expression in local churches around the world to rightly represent Christ to the world. We affirm and celebrate the wonderful diversity of the local church in the world today but affirm and celebrate more that we are one Church – Christ’s Body, His Bride – forever.
…in life after death. We believe those who have trusted Christ as Savior will experience eternal joy in the New Heaven and Earth and those who reject Jesus Christ will suffer eternal judgment as a result of God giving them over to their desire to be their own god and satisfy their own desires.
…Satan and his demons are real and oppose God in every possible way. We believe Christ-followers battle the world, the flesh, and the devil daily, but greater is the Spirit in us than the spirit of the enemy.
…Christ will return soon – literally, visibly, publicly – to usher in the judgment of the living and the dead and the bodily resurrection of all people, some to eternal life and others to eternal death.
Note: The statements above are a summary of our full doctrinal statement, which can be found here on the Berean Fellowship of Churches' web site.
Looking for more?
We are a non-denominational, evangelical, gospel-centered Christian church, part of the Berean Fellowship of Churches. Above, we've shared the core beliefs that define us. But maybe you'd like more detail. Or more resources you can use to teach others about God in your home, your workplace, and your community. Visit our Following Jesus page for a selection of links offering further detail and additional teaching tools.