CORE VALUES
Dependent upon Ordinary Means of Grace
We believe that God has provided His Church with both a message and a means for effective gospel ministry. Just as God has ordained that a plant will grow by water and sunlight, so Christians grow through simple, God-ordained means. These means are called ordinary, not because they are without power and glory, but because they are ordinarily used by God to transform His people. The means of grace are God's Word (1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Timothy 3:16-17), the sacraments of Baptism (Colossians 2:11-12) & the Lord’s supper (I Corinthians 11:23-34;) and Prayer (Matthew 6:5-13). For this reason we will seek to be a Church that is Scripture saturated, sacrament serving and prayer soaked. We are committed to expositional preaching from the Bible (that means verse-by-verse through a book).
Sermons on tHE MEANS OF GRACE: The Word of God; Prayer; The Sacraments.
Living in Covenant Community
When we say we seek to be a covenant community, we are saying we desire to be a community that is committed to the growth, provision, and care of all its members.
The Scriptures tell us there are things that we should do for each other as joint members in God’s Covenant of Grace. The first and foundational one is love. In John 13:35, Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” We desire to be a church that is known for our love for one another (Galatians 6:10) in response to God’s love for us (1 John 4:19) and that love as a distinguishable fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
We are committed to being a community who has a true understanding of what it means to be in the family of God as we meet to worship on Sunday and as we look for opportunities to serve each other and with each other with compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience (Colossians 3:12-13).
Our favorite way to foster covenant community is through grassroots events. If you have an idea for an event or get together, please let us know!
Sermon on COVENANT COMMUNITY: What is Covenant Community?
Participating in Worship & Sabbath
We absolutely believe that worship is expressed in all of life, yet we see that God in His Word has called the Church to set apart one day in seven for Christians to worship God and enjoy sabbath rest. To help facilitate this, we desire to have a simple liturgy, saturated by Scripture, accompanied by instruments played by gifted saints whom God provides and filled with lyrics aimed toward drawing our thoughts and hearts towards God as we corporately sing praise to our King.
Elements in the worship service include prayer, testimonies of God's grace, responsive readings, music and singing, corporate and individual confession, offering, preaching of God’s Word and weekly participation in the Lord’s Supper.
Sermon on WORSHIP: Worship
Eagerly Making Disciples of Christ
One of the last instructions Jesus left his disciples with is found in Matthew 28. Jesus tells them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We believe the Church is God's means for accomplishing the task of making disciples. Not as a program, but as His chosen people who are engaged in the lives of others, all who are at varying stages of sanctification (Colossians 1:28).
We seek to be an evangelistic witness in the city of Manhattan, discipling those whom God calls to our care. Lord willing, in response to the grace they've experienced, they in turn will become disciple-makers. Our hope and vision is to see enemies of God drawn to His grace as He conforms them to become His beloved children through faith in the gospel. This happens as we teach the doctrines of grace in various settings and as we interact with each other throughout the week learning how to encourage one another daily (Hebrews 3:13) with the Word of God and prayer.
As a church in a college town we will foster in the congregation a love for college students that draws them into our lives and homes, giving them a tangible understanding of covenant community and church membership. Our hope is that they will go from college with such a love for Christ's Church that they are actively involved in the local church wherever God may lead them.
Sermon on Making Disciples: Making Disciples
Engaged in Serving the Community
There are many opportunities in Manhattan to serve the community and we see this as an important part of our being a blessing to the city. Rather than starting new ministries for serving, we see great value in encouraging the congregation to serve in local ministries that already minister to the needs of the community. We will serve together seeking to meet the needs for food, housing, counseling, crisis pregnancy, community improvement and all sorts of other needs. In this way we can be salt and light to both those we are serving and those who are serving along side of us.
We hope to be a presence in the community that conforms to what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:14-16 when He encourages them saying, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Sermon on serving: Serving in the Community
Active in Church Planting & Mission Sending
We have a long term vision to be a church planting church and missionary-sending people of God. Our goal is to grow, to make disciples and to be established in Manhattan. If God should bless these efforts with growth, we will seek quickly to assist in planting churches across Kansas and the surrounding region. While we don’t wish to commit to a congregational size, we do envision supporting planting sooner rather than later.
As we move to be obedient to the Great Commission, not only will we seek to be a church planting church, but also a missionary-sending church. Our desire is to identify, train, and send disciples who will help to establish and serve the local church wherever God leads them. Our hope and prayer is to foster a biblical view of and love for the Kingdom of God well beyond Manhattan.