Who We Are
Our Mission
We exist to make Jesus non-ignorable in Highlands Ranch and to the ends of the earth by making joyful, passionate disciples!
SHORT VERSION: We make Jesus non-ignorable by making joyful, passionate disciples!
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that He had commanded them. We believe that a disciple of Jesus is a whole-hearted follower, someone who has a pure heart and a sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:5).
Jesus talked about His disciples experiencing life to the full, a life joined to God through a personal relationship with Him (John 10:10). This personal, whole-hearted relationship expresses itself in joy: true followers of Jesus are joyful and passionate in their following.
Our Core Commitments
Our Core Commitments serve as a strategy map for how we are working to accomplish our mission. We believe joyful, passionate following of Jesus expresses itself in 4 core commitments:
Doctrinal Distinctives
The following five distinctive theological convictions serve as foundations for who we are, along with our adherence to the SBC Baptist Faith & Message (2000).
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We believe the gospel is the good news of what God has graciously accomplished for sinners through the sinless life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection of his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, namely our forgiveness from sin and complete justification before God; this gospel is also the foundation for our confidence in the ultimate triumph of God’s kingdom, and the consummation of his purpose for all creation in the new heavens and new earth.
This gospel is centered in Christ, is the foundation for the life of the Church, and is our only hope for eternal life; this gospel is not proclaimed if Christ’s penal substitutionary death and bodily resurrection are not central to our message. This Gospel is not only the means by which people are saved, but also the truth and power by which people are sanctified; it is the truth of the Gospel that enables us to genuinely and joyfully do what is pleasing to God and to grow in progressive conformity to the image of Christ. The salvation offered in this gospel message is received by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone; no ordinance, ritual, work, or any other activity on the part of man is required in order to be saved.
(Mark 1:1; Luke 24:46-47; John 3:16-18; Romans 1:16-17; Romans 1:18-25; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, 2:2, 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, 9:13; Galatians 1:6-9; Ephesians 1:7-10; Colossians 1:19-20; 2 Timothy 1:8-14; 2 Peter 3:11-13; Jude 3-4; Revelation 21-22
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We affirm that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, not on the basis of foreseen faith but unconditionally, according to his sovereign good pleasure and will. We believe that through the work of the Holy Spirit, God will draw the elect to faith in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, graciously and effectually overcoming their stubborn resistance to the gospel so that they will most assuredly and willingly believe.
We also believe that these, the elect of God whom he gave to the Son, will persevere in belief and godly behavior and be kept secure in their salvation by grace through faith. We believe that God’s sovereignty in this salvation neither diminishes the responsibility of people to believe in Christ nor marginalizes the necessity and power of prayer and evangelism, but rather reinforces and establishes them as the ordained means by which God accomplishes his ordained ends.
(John 1:12-13, 6:37-44, 10:25-30; Acts 13:48, 16:30-31; Romans 3-4, 8:1-17,31-39, 9:1-23, 10:8-10; Ephesians 1:4-5, 2:8-10; Philippians 2:12-13; Titus 3:3-7; 1 John 1:7,9)
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The Holy Spirit is fully God, equal with the Father and Son, whose primary ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; he also convicts unbelievers of their need for Christ and imparts spiritual life through regeneration (the new birth). The Spirit permanently indwells, graciously sanctifies, lovingly leads, and empowers all who are brought to faith in Christ so that they might live in obedience to the inerrant Scriptures.
The model for our reliance upon the Spirit and our experience of his indwelling and empowering presence is the Lord Jesus Christ himself who was filled with the Spirit and entirely dependent upon his power for the performance of miracles, the preaching of the kingdom of God, and all other dimensions of his earthly ministry.
The Holy Spirit who indwelt and empowered Christ in like manner indwells and empowers us through spiritual gifts he has bestowed for the work of ministry and the building up of the body of Christ. We recognize that these gifts are divine provisions central to spiritual growth and effective ministry and are to be eagerly desired, faithfully developed, and lovingly exercised according to biblical guidelines.
(Matthew 3:11, 12:28; Luke 4:1, 14, 5:17, 10:21; John 1:12-13, 3:1-15, 34, 14:12, 15:26-27, 16:7-15; Acts 2:14-21, 4:29-30, 10:38; Romans 8:9, 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-13, 12:28-31, 14:1-33; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Galatians 3:1-5; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:18)
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Both men and women are together created in the divine image and are therefore equal before God as persons, possessing the same moral dignity and value, and have equal access to God through faith in Christ. Men and women are together the recipients of spiritual gifts designed to empower them for ministry in the local church and beyond. Therefore, women are to be encouraged, equipped, and empowered to utilize their gifting in ministry, in service to the body of Christ, and through teaching in ways that are consistent with the Word of God.
Both husbands and wives are responsible to God for spiritual nurture and vitality in the home, but God has given to the man primary responsibility to lead his wife and family in accordance with the servant-leadership and sacrificial love characterised by Jesus Christ. This principle of male headship should not be confused with, nor give any hint of, domineering control. Rather, it is to be the loving, tender and nurturing care of a godly man who is himself under the kind and gentle authority of Jesus Christ.
The Elders/Pastors of each local church have been granted authority under the headship of Jesus Christ to provide oversight and to teach/preach the Word of God in corporate assembly for the building up of the body. The office of Elder/Pastor is restricted to men.
(Genesis 1:26-27, 2:18; Acts 18:24-26; 1 Corinthians 11:2-16; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Timothy 2:11-15, 3:1-7; Titus 2:3-5; 1 Peter 3:1-7)
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The church has a clear biblical mandate to look beyond its own community to the neighborhood, the nation, and the world as a whole; thus mission is not an optional program in the church but an essential element in the identity of the church.
We are called to make Christ known through the gospel and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring his lordship to bear on every dimension of life. The primary way we fulfill this mission is through the planting of churches that plant churches, and the restarting of declining congregations, along with the training of their leaders. Our aim is that Jesus Christ would be more fully formed in each person through the ministry of those churches God enables us to plant and restart in the Denver area and around the world.
We also believe we are responsible neither to retreat from our culture nor to conform to it, but with humility, through the Spirit and the truth of the gospel, to engage it boldly as we seek its transformation and submission to the lordship of Christ.
(Isaiah 52:7; Matthew 10:5-25, 28:18-20; Luke 4:18-19, 24:46-47; Acts 28:31; Romans 10:14-15; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Galatians 2:10; Ephesians 3:10, 4:11-16; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Hebrews 10:23-25; 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10)
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Worship
…God passionately
(Exodus 20:2-3; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Psalm 95:1-3, 103:1-2, 145:3, 150:6; John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1-2; Revelation 4:11, 5:9-10)
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Connect
..with one another authentically
(John 13:35; Acts2:42-47; Romans 12:9-13; Hebrews 10:24-25; all the “one another” passages)
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Grow
…to know God deeply
(Ephesians 3:16-19; Philippians 1:6; Colossians 1:28)
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Go
...show and tell the gospel boldly
(Matthew 5:13-16, 28:18-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Ephesians 2:10)
Our Values
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•We center everything in our lives and in our church on Jesus, understanding our identity and union together through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
• John 17:20-23; 1 Cor. 1:30
• Why does gospel unity & centrality matter to us? Because we believe that the gospel is both the power of God for SALVATION for everyone who believes in Jesus (Rom. 1:16) and the source of SANCTIFICATION for believers as they follow Him (Col. 2:6-7). We believe it is the truths of the gospel that enable us to genuinely and joyfully do what is pleasing to God and grow in progressive conformity to the image of Christ, both as individuals and as a church. Further, the gospel is all that should and needs to bind us together (Eph. 2:11-22), regardless of nationality, ethnicity, political affiliation, education and economic levels, or even common affinities.
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• We seek God in desperate, dependent prayer, eagerly pursuing abiding in Jesus as our first priority.
• John 15:4-5; 2 Cor. 12:9-10
• Why does prayerful dependency matter to us? Because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5). The truth that God is working for good in the lives of believers in every situation (Rom. 8:28-29) fuels our prayers no matter the circumstances.
• Prayer is an act of dependence: we are acknowledging our need for God when we pray to Him - for His presence, His work, His guidance, His help. We recognize all of these things when we thank God through prayer, actively watching for God’s presence and work in our lives.
• Prayer directs us in mission. We seek Him humbly in prayer before we serve Him in mission, so that our labors are not in vain.
• We desire to be a people of prayer, not primarily to receive from God, but because He is our Creator, Savior, and King and he is worthy of our submission to depend upon Him for all things. This value calls us to seek God’s face before we seek God’s hand, practicing prayer as a means to know God, exalt Him, and to be transformed to be more like Him.
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• We live with open hearts, open hands, and open homes, courageously supporting others in warmth and kindness as givers, not takers.
• 1 John 4:7-12; 2 Cor. 9:6-8
• Why does courageous generosity matter to us? Because God has freely given to us, we want to give freely and sacrificially to Him of our time, talent, and treasure, not for our personal gain, but for His glory! This values encourages us to support the ministry of the church financially, and to serve each other and our community with joy.
• Courageous Generosity is not just what we give, but how we make ourselves available (hospitality). We believe God calls us to welcome others as Christ has welcomed us (Rom. 15:7). Jesus welcomes us sacrificially, graciously and purposefully, giving Himself for us so that we can experience the joy of relationship with God the Father. We invite others into that same joy by welcoming them in the same way Jesus welcomed us: sacrificially, graciously and purposefully.
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• We enthusiastically go low to lift Jesus and others up.
• John 3:30; Rom. 12:3-5; Phil. 2:3-8; 1 Peter 5:1-6
• Why does joyful humility matter to us? Because our Lord Jesus lived this way to accomplish our righteousness and salvation. Our lives are not our own anymore, but we live to honor God (1 Cor. 6:19-20), and we do this in part by serving and lifting each other up.
• We want to be a community of believers committed to each others’ good because the church is a body with many members belonging to one another.
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• We prioritize Jesus’ mission in every aspect of our lives and church.
• Matt. 28:19-20; John 4:35-37; 2 Cor. 5:18-20
• Why does missional urgency matter to us? Because we believe that Jesus came to save sinners, and has ordained the task of evangelism/disciple-making by the church to be the primary and ordinary means by which he saves people. We believe that if the love of God is in us, that we will be compelled to share it with others to make Jesus known, and that to not share is unloving and disobedient. Further, we believe that those who do not believe upon Jesus will face an eternity in hell. Therefore, we value a growing urgency to share the gospel with boldness to those in our everyday rhythms of life, as well as to others around the world to whom God sends us. Because of the magnitude of the mission, and its shared nature among all believers and local churches, we desire not to build the kingdom of our church, but to plant more churches while also living in a mentality of kingdom collaboration with like-minded churches.