Mission
Our mission is clear: making disciples of Jesus Christ from all nations. We want to imitate him, growing as his followers and helping others follow him, too.
Distinctives
What should a community of Christ-followers look like? Our distinctives lay out the biblical ingredients that make a healthy church. This is the vision we're pursuing.
GOSPEL GRACE
Our only hope is the transforming gospel of Christ.The gospel is the announcement that Jesus Christ has defeated sin, death, and Satan, restoring fallen sinners by uniting us to himself by faith. Through Jesus, God has performed a series of saving acts-his coming, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. By faith, our sins are forgiven, his righteousness clothes us, his Spirit becomes ours, and we share his victory over sin and death. The gospel changes everything about our lives and our future. The gospel has "first importance" (1 Cor 15:3). Christ reconciles us to God, restores our relationships, and realigns us with reality. He brings abundant and eternal life by forgiving our sins, reconciling us with God, adopting us into his new redeemed family, filling us with his own Spirit, giving us the mission to make disciples, and promising a future inheritance in his new creation.
Rom 1:16; 1 Cor 15:3-4; 1 Tim 1:15; 3:16; Titus 2:11-14
REPENTANT FAITH
We turn from our sins to trust in Christ alone.There's nothing we can do to save ourselves from sin's slavery. We're saved by God's grace alone through faith alone. This faith is a repentant faith that abandons our self-worship to trust only in Christ. Jesus announced, "The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). By faith, Christ becomes our Savior from sin and our ultimate leader in life. Our ongoing growth is also powered by God's grace through faith. Following his lead and fueled by his Spirit, we keep steering away from sin to walk the narrow road. We don't treat repentance as a one-time event but a lifelong pursuit. In this life, we won't reach perfection-we remain flawed until the final day when we're made complete by Christ (Phil 1:6). Yet Christians display genuine spiritual fruit through God's own Spirit who progressively changes us from the inside out.
Mark 1:15; Luke 6:43-44; John 15:8; Rom 4:3; Eph 2:1-5, 8-9; Jas 2:14-26; 2 Pet 3:9
HOLY WORSHIP
We worship God together in spirit and truth.Everyone's a worshiper. We all give attention and energy to what we deem worthy. So worship isn't primarily an event but a lifestyle. Knowing this, we don't want to compartmentalize our lives, offering some parts to God but keeping other parts to ourselves. Instead, we're eager to offer our whole lives as a "living sacrifice" to God (Rom 11:1). Every breath of every day belongs to him. When we do gather to worship God together, we're committed to worshiping him according to his word. We meet regularly to be shaped by Scripture, share communion, baptize new believers, sing God's praises, tell stories of his grace, pray together, and serve each other. These gatherings strengthen us as believers and bear witness to non-believers. Most of all, they honor the name above all names-the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ps 35:18; 115:1; John 4:23-24; Rom 12:1; 1 Cor 14:26; Col 3:16; 1 Tim 4:13
BIBLICAL AUTHORITY
We submit to God's word as our final authority.God's written word provides the foundation and framework for all that we do (Eph 2:20). We're committed to "sound doctrine," which means "healthy teaching" (Titus 2:1). "Healthy teaching" is true to Scripture, focused on Christ, and practical for wise daily living. We don't want to follow our own opinions and experiences or blow with the prevailing winds of culture. Instead, we always want Scripture to create our values, guide our ministries, fill our services, shape our discernment, fuel our discipleship, and renew us day by day.
Deut 11:18; Ps 19:7-9; 119:89; Matt 5:17-18; 24:35; John 17:17; 2 Tim 1:13-14; 3:15-16
EXPOSITORY PREACHING
We teach the Bible verse by verse.Christ is the head of his church, and we receive his leadership through his word. So we seek to teach the Bible accurately, clearly, and practically, engaging our minds while relying on the Spirit's illuminating work. We are committed to expository preaching, exposing our hearts to God's truth by explaining it verse-by-verse. We want to learn, love, believe, and obey "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). We also teach topical series, sermons, and seminars to press God's truth into every area of our lives.
Neh 8:8; Ps 19:7-11; Jer 26:2; Acts 20:27; 1 Tim 4:13; 2 Tim 4:1-4; Heb 4:12; 1 Pet 1:23
COVENANT FAMILY
We love and help each other as committed members.A church is not a collection of random attendees at a weekend event. God says Christians are parts of a body, stones in a temple, and siblings in a family (Eph 4:11-16; 1 Pet 2:5; 1 Tim 5:1-2). Through Christ, believers are not only reconciled to God but also each other. As believers in the same local church, we relate to each other as a covenant family. We embrace both the privileges and responsibilities of the "new covenant" Christ made with us (Mark 14:24; Heb 13:20). This means we're committed to loving each other, supporting each other, using our spiritual gifts, receiving guidance from our leaders, and practicing loving discipline to restore and protect each other. We joyfully engage in church life as fully committed participants rather than spectators, critics, or consumers.
Jer 31:31; Matt 18:15; Acts 2:42-47; Gal 6:10; Eph 4:15-16; Col 3:12-16; 1 Thess 5:11-15; 1 Tim 5:1-2; Heb 3:13; 10:24-25; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 4:10-11; 1 John 3:11-18
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
We affirm Christ-like leaders who serve the church.Christ is our head, king, and shepherd. From heaven, he delegates earthly leadership to those he qualifies and calls. The world defines leadership by talent, charisma, and power. But God's family, the church, is led by spiritual fathers called "elders." These elders are helped by mature believers appointed as "deacons." The elders are called to know, teach, lead, and protect the church. The deacons are called to meet needs and organize ministries. Together, elders and deacons practice godly servant leadership that nurtures, trains, and mobilizes their fellow believers. At BridgePoint, we practice shared servant leadership through teams of congregationally affirmed elders and deacons. They must demonstrate proven character, biblical discernment, genuine love, practical wisdom, and a sacrificial commitment to God's family.
Ezek 34:2-4; Mark 10:42-45; Acts 20:28; 1 Tim 3:1-7, 8-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Pet 5:1-3
HUNGRY PRAYER
We seek God together through prayer and fasting.It's all too easy to rely on our own planning, programs, and personalities. But Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). God's kingdom ultimately grows as we humbly ask him to work out his own plan in the world: "Your kingdom come, your will be done" (Matt 6:10). So we want to rely on him together, seeking spiritual growth and gospel influence through regular fasting and corporate prayer. As we fast, we're expressing our hunger for God and intensifying our spiritual appetite for his work in the world. As we "devote ourselves to prayer" (Col 4:2), we enjoy his presence together, constantly being nourished and renewed according to his will.
1 Sam 12:23; Ps 62:8; 109:4; Matt 6:9-10; 9:15; Acts 13:2; Phil 1:3-4; Col 4:2-3; 1 Thess 5:16-18
KINGDOM DIVERSITY
We embrace our diverse family united in Christ.God's kingdom is colorful. His Spirit is gathering a new people "from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev 5:9; Gen 12:3; Gal 3:8). Christ is crafting us into a unified, international, age-diverse community where redeemed souls from all backgrounds love each other as Christ has loved us. Christian unity amid this God-given diversity takes work. We're naturally drawn to people who fit our own categories and preferences. But Scripture says believers are already one with Christ and each other, so we seek to practice the unity he's already created. That being said, God's definition of healthy diversity doesn't mean anything goes. So we're equally committed to God's creation design for gender, marriage, sexuality, and church leadership, all expressed clearly in the Bible.
Gen 12:3; Ps 102:15; Acts 2:9-11; Rom 15:7; Gal 3:28; Eph 2:14-16; 1 Cor 12:13; Col 3:11; Rev 5:9
FRIUTFUL DISCPLESHIP
We train growing disciples who make new disciples.A disciple is a "student" or "learner" who commits to imitating a teacher. Jesus taught us to "observe all that I commanded you," and to teach others to do the same (Matt 28:20). So following him is not a momentary decision followed by a lifetime of coasting. It's lifelong spiritual growth as Christ creates spiritual fruit in us that reproduces itself in others. Jesus's first followers were full-time apprentices. They immersed themselves in his life, work, and teachings. We too are committed to training believers in all Christian beliefs and practices. This means obeying Jesus ourselves, calling others to follow him, teaching them to obey him fully, and training them to reproduce new disciples themselves. As part of this process, we're also committed to developing leaders who exert godly influence at home, in the workplace, in our community, and in Christian churches, organizations, and movements.
Matt 28:20; Mark 1:17; Luke 6:40; John 14:15; 2 Tim 2:2; Titus 2:3-4; Heb 5:12; 2 Pet 3:18
ACTIVE MERCY
We do justice and show mercy to those in need.God has always cared for the stranger, immigrant, and refugee. His heart beats for the oppressed, the poor, and the hurting-both in the church and outside. Through his Spirit, we come to share his heart, leading us to seek out and help those who are suffering. When we see people abused, mistreated, or in need, we seek to protect, help, and refresh them, all while sharing Christ's message of reconciliation with those who don't know. We don't just serve people as an evangelistic tactic, though people are more open to kind voices than calloused ones. We love because we've been loved; we show mercy because we're received mercy; and we do justice because our God is a refuge for the oppressed
Lev 19:34; 25:35; Matt 25:35-36; Acts 2:44-45; Heb 13:2-3; Jas 1:27; 2:15-16; 1 John 3:16-18
GLOBAL WITNESS
We boldly spread the gospel here and abroad.God is a global God, the gospel is a global message, and he's given us a global mission. Christ came for the nations, so every believer is a global Christian. We're each called to participate in going, sending, praying, giving, mobilizing, encouraging, and partnering. We think of these commitments as privileges for every member of our church, not just a select few. As a church, we're committed to sending and supporting missionaries focused on evangelism, discipleship, church planting, theological education, and leadership development. Here locally, we also hope to baptize a growing number of new believers because every member shares the gospel clearly and winsomely with non-believers.
Gen 12:3; Ps 67:3-4; 96:3; Matt 28:19; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; 20:24; Rom 15:20-21; Col 4:3-4; Rev 5:9-10