WE BELIEVE:
...we live in the presence of God all day long

God's presence is always with us (He is "omnipresent" as we read in Psalm 139; Jeremiah 23:24; Genesis 28:15). Jesus said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). Worshiping God and praying can happen all day long, not just at a church meeting with other Christians. This means, instead of praying for his presence, we ought to "practice His presence" throughout the day as we drive, as we eat, talk to others, work, or play.

...we are completely dependent on the Holy Spirit to make personal change

Human effort alone does not produce real change–it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us, changes us, and ultimately empowers us to be transformed into the image of Jesus. Repentance (which means "to change one's mind" or "to turn") is part of change. As we repent, we recognize where we have gone astray from God's will. Out of understanding where we have strayed, we can then ask God for the strength to continue changing into the person He wants us to be.

John 14:26; Acts 9:31; Romans 8:27; 2 Corinthians 3:5; 1 John 2:20,27: Acts 1:8

...in the "priesthood" of all believers

The "priesthood" of all believers is the Scriptural teaching that every Christian is the full-time ministry, serving God in all they do. This means every vocation is a blessing from God in which His children are to be ministers. God has placed His people throughout varying times and places so that they could honor Him in all parts of life, regardless of their vocation. Practically, this means that everyone from a junior-high student, to a stay-home mother, and to a business-owner are all called to be holy servants of God, honoring Him in their respective vocations. 

The theology of "priesthood" of all believers comes out of the truth that because of Jesus, we no longer need a human mediator or a "priest" to communicate with and experience God. In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), there were "priests" who would go and intercede on behalf of the people. But because Jesus is our great High Priest and Mediator, we are now all priests in God's Kingdom.

Hebrews 3:1, 4:14; 1 Peter 2:4,9

...we "are the church"

In the early church, disciples never expressed themselves as 'going to a church'. The church is the people, not a place or a meeting you attend. We believe that in the modern world, the "church" has become known as a place that people attend vs. people on a mission for God. We cannot underestimate the power of how words shape our understanding of what a "church" is and how it is supposed to function. Disciple Church has large weekly worship gathering, various other classes, and meetings that happen at a "place" - but foremost, we will be defined and function as a community of "people" who are living as the church all week long.

1 Corinthians 12

...healthy followers of Jesus "feed” themselves from the inspired Scriptures throughout the week

We desire to create a culture where disciples of Jesus strive to grow and learn to "feed" themselves from the Scriptures to mature. This means we want to see people learning how to study the Scriptures outside of Sundays as part of the rhythm of their lives, not viewing the sermons on Sundays as the primary way they are being "fed" as a believer. The Scriptures are an absolutely critical aspect of growing and maturing as a follower of Jesus. Studying and knowing and living out the Scriptures must happen on a regular basis in the life of a believer. Our discipleship is designed to help people to mature in this manner.

Hebrews 5:11-13; Acts 17:10-12

...our daily lives should be missional

Being "missional" simply means being outward and others-focused, with the goal of expressing and sharing the love of Jesus. The church was not created for itself; it was created to worship and to spread God's love to others. Jesus clearly told the church to be missional by commanding her to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:18-20). This command is not exclusive to overseas missions alone (which we support wholeheartedly since global missions is extremely important) but is foremost meant to be lived out in our own communities, families, and daily lives. 

Our prayers should be focused on other people, and part of our lives should be built around developing and keeping friendships with people outside of the church, as opposed to only befriending and hanging out with those who are already Christians. In keeping a missional mindset for our lives, we desire to reflect Jesus all the more as we interact with people who don't yet know Him. Everyday becomes a missional adventure as we truly embrace what it means to be an "ambassador" for Jesus wherever we are.

2 Corinthians 14:21; Colossians 4:5-6

...the paid staff of the church serves to train, equip and care for our members as we serve on the mission together

The church is especially gifted by the Holy Spirit in many unique and beautiful ways to serve God, each other, and the mission of Jesus. The church staff's focus is to help people identify their gifts and passions so that they can serve in the church body and in the world as God has designed them. We believe that we can see the Spirit of God changing us as we manifest love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in our lives. As the Spirit of God transforms us, we believe that every person who has committed their life to Jesus should pursue to express the fruit of the Spirit as they learn to live out their identity as children of God. We strive to be a community of believers where the fruit of the Spirit is evident in our lives.

Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 12; Galatians 5: 22-23

...we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and pray for our enemies

It seems counter-intuitive to many of us, but Jesus called us to pray for our enemies. He also taught us that the second greatest command is to love our neighbor as ourselves. All through Scripture, we see that a follower of Jesus is described as someone who desires to express love to other people. We believe that Christianity is not a self-oriented faith, but one that is about other people.

Matthew 22:39; Matthew 5:43-44

...we are called to care about the oppressed, the poor and those experiencing injustice

We read in the Scriptures that God is on a mission to reconcile the world to himself. This mission began with the people of Israel, then came to fulfillment in the work of Jesus. It still continues today as God’s Spirit uses the Church to extend the love and mercy of Jesus to the entire world. Disciple Church strives to be a community where God’s heart of reconciliation, especially to the poor and powerless, is evident in both belief and action.

Psalm 140:12; Isaiah 58:66; Proverbs 29:7; Micah 6:8; Amos 5

...in the beauty and power of singleness

We view singleness, whether it be lifelong or a season of singleness, as a holy gift from God, an opportunity to live a rich and full life while serving God and others. In singleness, there is a flexibility and availability to follow where God is leading, without having to share decision making or to bear the responsibility one might have to a spouse and/or children. The Apostle Paul is an example of this passionate servant-hearted singleness. We value people in all stages of life and seek to honor and celebrate those life-stages, whatever they may be.

1 Corinthians 7:6-8; Matthew 6:33; Mark 12:25; 1 Corinthians 7:32; Isaiah 54:5

...the covenant of marriage is holy and sacred

We view marriage as God's design of a sacred covenant (a supernatural bonding) between a man and woman. In a fallen and broken world, relationships are often fragile, yet we believe with the power and strength of God and the guidance of Scripture, there is hope for healthy marriages and healing from past relationships. As a church, we will strive to support and encourage healthy marriages.

Genesis 2:23-24; Exodus 20:14; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19:1-12; Malachi 2:14-16

...parents are the primary way that faith is taught and modeled for future generations

As a church, we hope to provide the best possible teaching and training for the children. We view parents as the primary spiritual teachers of their children. Because of this, our children, youth and family ministries are designed to support parents in this. We also desire to see children and youth holistically integrated into the life of the church, instead of frequently being compartmentalized.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9