Gospel Centrality 

We believe the Gospel speaks to and transforms every area of life (i.e., parenting, marriage, school, work, etc.). The Gospel is how we enter into a relationship with God, what keeps us in relationship with God, and is what grows us into the likeness of Christ. 1 Cor. 15:1-2

Community

We believe Christian community is vital for a Christian’s growth. As the body of Christ comes together, we have a more accurate picture of Jesus (1 Cor. 12:12-31). In addition, as each member brings their spiritual gifts and speaks truth in love, we grow up to maturity in Christ (Eph. 4:9-16). Community is where we live out Scripture’s 54 commands regarding “one another”, including encouraging one another to love and good deeds. At GCC we believe the best way to make Jesus the hero is in the context of loving one another (John 13:35).

Mission

We believe some people are called to overseas missions; however, we believe all Christians are called to see themselves as missionaries living out lives on mission. Christ came as a sojourner/alien to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), and as Christians, we have been placed into our homes and workplaces by God because He continues to accomplish that through us (Rom. 15:20-21, 1 Cor. 9:22, Matt. 6:37-38). We believe mission is best lived out in the context of community so other people can witness our love for one another (John 13:35). We believe living on mission means seeking the welfare of our city which will be our welfare (Jer. 29:7) Finally, we would summarize mission as lifting up the Son of God which is done through word and deed.

Transparency/Genuineness:

We are not perfect, and hope that our vulnerability would create a place where people feel safe to be transparent.  We want others to know that we need the perfection of Jesus just as much as they do (2 Cor. 1:12, 1 John 1:8, Rom. 7:15-25).

joy

Joy is a theme throughout our Bibles and a word that appears almost 60 times in the New Testament, and we believe Christians are empowered to be the most joyous people in the world! Why? Because we have something greater than circumstances, finances, careers, trials, and even sicknesses that give us our identity and hope: Jesus! 

Jesus himself made a way for his joy to be in us and for our joy to be full (John 15:11). This is why Paul, when writing from prison, is able to tell the church of Philippi about the joy he has and call them to rejoice as well. Similarly, James calls believers to have joy when experiencing trials, knowing a trial cannot shake the greatest gift we have in Christ: his love for us and the identity he gives to us as children of God. Importantly, joy goes hand in hand with our core value of transparency; we can be real and acknowledge when we’re in a difficult season of life while still having joy in the midst of it.