We want everyone to know the life, death, and resurrection of  Jesus. For us, knowing Jesus is a life-long journey that continues to shape the  way we live, parent, work, serve, and love those around us. Through scripture,  worship, prayer, and practices we lean into the grace and love of God through Jesus Christ… to be Christlike and Spirit-filled. We strive to keep Jesus at the  center of all we do through a personal, loving, intimate relationship with Him. 

As of followers of Jesus, we are intent on doing life together.  We read the scriptures together, we pray together, we walk through life’s ups  and downs together, we raise kids together, we retire together, all with the goal  of diving into deep relationships for the long haul of life. We are fully committed  building our relationships with God and each other. 

The life of Jesus modeled serving… even from the very  beginning of His ministry, turning water into wine. We get up and serve near and  far. We are constantly looking for ways to bless our community with the love of  and fragrance of Jesus. We strive to be a congregation that lives for God’s glory  and neighbor’s good. We do this through a culture of hospitality, habits of  invitation, and an eagerness to share resources with our neighbors for their  thriving and flourishing. We seek to love neighbor and welcome them with grace,  that the world may come to know Jesus. 

That is to say, we trace our beliefs back to those  of the apostles, the first witnesses of Christ’s resurrection. We rely upon their  testimony (the New Testament) and the scriptures they held true (the Old  Testament). Our belief and practice aims to be consistent with the orthodox,  historic Christian faith and we affirm the Apostle’s Creed and Nicene Creed as  reflective of the apostolic faith. 

That’s not to say, “Roman Catholic,” but  from the Greek word kata-houlos meaning “whole” or “universal.” We are a  universal church in that we share faith and fellowship with believers in all times  and all places who confess Jesus as Lord. We make no claim to be “the only  true church.” Because of this we have an “open table” at communion where all  who trust Christ are welcome to partake. Similarly, we honor both interpretations  of Christian baptism: infant and adult. 

With historic roots in the Lutheran tradition we  are heirs of the Protestant reformers who taught that salvation is by grace alone  through faith alone; revealed by scripture above all other traditions. While we  affirm that God calls some men and women into special vocations of church  ministry, we stand with the reformers that all baptized Christians are members  of, “the priesthood of all believers.”

Before that word came to mean something  political or cultural, it was used to indicate a whole-hearted devotion to Christ  and a desire to share the gospel. Our church was born in the Pietist revival  movements in 19th century Europe and Great Awakening movements in America  that emphasized personal conversion marked by a living and active faith, inner  spiritual transformation, a desire to practice holiness, and the conviction to  share that faith with others. 

Our IDENTITY and CALL to Serve Jesus in the World  

We hold the Old and New Testaments as the  authoritative Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and  conduct. We believe it is essential to the life of the Church that it be a company  of people who want, above all else, that their lives be shaped by the powerful  and living Word of God. The alternative is clear. Not to be shaped by the Word of  God is to be shaped by the world.

The Apostle Paul writes “If anyone is in Christ, the  new creation has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). New birth in Christ means  committing ourselves to Jesus and receiving forgiveness, acceptance, and  eternal life. This new birth means becoming alive in Christ, and this life has the  qualities of love and righteousness, joy and peace. Jesus said, "Unless one is  born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). He also said, "If you  continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and  the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32). 

The Church as a fellowship of believers, characterized by mutual participation  in and sharing of the new life in Christ. Membership is by confession of personal  faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is open to all believers.  Considerations of class or race, education or pedigree, wealth or prestige do not  enter. Uniformity in creedal details is not expected. What is required is that one  be "born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the  dead" (1 Peter 1:3). "The doors of the church are wide enough to admit all who  believe and narrow enough to exclude those who do not," said our forebears.  We affirm no less today. 

We affirm the Trinitarian  understanding of the one God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The New  Testament speaks of the Holy Spirit bringing the church into being, empowering  its witness, guides its mission, and supplies the gifts needed by the Church and  its members to exalt Christ. We believe it is the Holy Spirit who instills in our  hearts a desire to turn to Christ, and who assures us that Christ dwells within us.  The Holy Spirit enables obedience and conforms us into the image of Jesus - to  live His mission in the world.  

The Apostle Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that  Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). This freedom is a gift of God in Christ, and  it manifests itself in a right relationship with God and others. It is not a private  gift to be used selfishly, but is given to serve the community and the world. For  Paul, this freedom means that we are set free from the power of those things  that on their own tend to divide. United in Christ, we offer freedom to one  another to differ on issues of belief or practice where the biblical and historical  record seems to allow for a variety of interpretations of the will and purposes of  God. We in the Covenant Church seek to focus on what unites us as followers of  Christ, rather than on what divides us. 

Early  Covenanters were known as “Mission Friends”— people of shared faith who  came together to carry out God’s mission both far and near. Mission for them  and for us includes evangelism, Christian formation, and ministries of  compassion, mercy, and justice. We follow Christ’s two central calls. The Great  Commission sends us out into all the world to make disciples. The Great  Commandment calls us to love the Lord our God and our neighbors as  ourselves.