Our Defining Values
1. The Scriptures and Sound Doctrine 
We believe the Bible is the authoritative, inerrant word of God and thestandard for all life and practice. At Grace Community Church, we value the importance of sound doctrine. We are continually seeking to grow in our understanding of biblical truth and applying this truth to our lives. This is reflected in our commitment to the scriptures, our high view of preaching, our emphasis on the application of truth and the materials we carry in our bookstore.
2. The Centrality of the Gospel
The gospel is our central message and the lens through which we view life. We believe the gospel is the power of God to save people and transform lives. The gospel is the foundation of our sanctification, the source of our joy in God, the basis of our worship and the reason we are committed to evangelism. We hope this is reflected in all that we do as a church.
3. A Growing Passion and Affection for God
We are seeking to cultivate an ever-increasing love and affection for Jesus Christ as we pursue a deeper relationship with Him. This is reflected in our corporate worship, our commitment to the spiritual disciplines, our love for God's word and our desire to cultivate joy and gratefulness in our personal lives.
4. The Priority of the Local Church
We believe that the church is God's chosen means to fulfill His purposes on the earth. We are convinced that this is brought about as God's people commit themselves to, and participate in, a local church. This is reflected throughout our values as we seek to be a church that both represents Jesus Christ accurately and faithfully and seeks to further His purposes in building this local body to spiritual maturity and taking the gospel to the lost.
5. Pursuing Growth in Godliness
We believe that the church is to be a growing reflection of Jesus Christ and that God's purpose for His people is that they grow in godliness. We are committed to the pursuit of godliness in our families, our marriages and our personal lives. This is reflected in our emphasis on small groups, our pursuit of biblical fellowship and our commitment to not just learn biblical truth but to apply it in our lives.
6. Relationships and Biblical Fellowship
We embrace the necessity of relationships within the church as both a source of joy and a means of God's grace. We seek to grow in sharing our lives with others in order to be better able to love one another, serve one another, encourage one another and help one another grow. This is reflected in the high priority we place on small groups, our pursuit of biblical fellowship, our emphasis on building strong families and marriages and encouraging the practice of hospitality.
7. Joyful and Grateful Servanthood
Servanthood is defined in the Bible as the mark of true greatness and all of God's people are called to live lives that exemplify joyful, thankful servanthood. This is reflected in the emphasis of serving one another in our small groups, our desire to cultivate the use of spiritual gifts, and a wide variety of church and ministry activities that provide opportunities for us to serve one another and our community.
8. Identifying and Equipping Leaders
We believe that leaders are a gift of God to the church and are essential for the local church to fulfill its purpose and mission. We are committed to investing in the development and equipping of leaders to secure God's work in and through Grace Community for the generations that follow us. We believe that pastoral leadership is primarily charged with equipping the saints for the ministry rather than doing the ministry. Our commitment to identifying and equipping leaders is reflected in a variety of training, discipleship and leadership development activities that take place across the church.
9. Evangelism and the Expansion of the Gospel
We are called as a local church body to fulfill Christ's work on earth. A significant part of this call involves taking the gospel to those who do not know Jesus Christ. We are committed to ever keeping before us the privilege and responsibility we have to share the gospel, both individually and corporately. This is reflected in our Alpha program and service outreach activities, our involvement in missions and future church planting, and our cultivation of a growing effectiveness on the part of our members in sharing the gospel with friends, family and co-workers.
10. Pursuing the Active Presence of God and the Work of the Holy Spirit
We value the active presence of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the many spiritual gifts portrayed in the Scripture. This is reflected in our corporate worship, times of personal ministry in both corporate gatherings and small groups, our desire for spiritual gifts as a means to build the body and our emphasis on pursuing a growing faith and dependence upon God in our daily lives.