We are a Christ-centered, Spirit-enabled, family on mission.
Christ-centered:
Jesus Christ is the author of our salvation, the focus of our worship, and the center of our lives. As a church, we constantly seek to celebrate and proclaim Jesus — and the good news of what he has accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection. In Jesus, we see God’s character on full display. In Jesus, we understand what true humanity is intended to look like. In Jesus, the consequences for humanity’s sin have been paid. In Jesus, the power of sin and death has been conquered. And in Jesus, God’s long-promised kingdom has been initiated. As a result of all this, we who repent and trust in him have been reconciled to God, adopted into His eternal family, filled with His Spirit, and given a joyful calling to join him in bringing His kingdom to earth. As we follow Jesus, we want to become more like him — and to give to others what he has given us: grace, mercy, and truth.
Spirit-enabled:
We take God’s word seriously therefore we are a people who hunger for more of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We believe that in many quarters of the church, he has been tragically neglected. We honor the Holy Spirit as God, the good gift given by our Father, and the One whom Jesus left to empower His people for mission. We believe that every facet of the Christian life is reliant upon His infilling, anointing, and leading. We intend for our individual lives and our corporate gatherings to reflect a willingness to follow His lead and walk with confidence in His empowering. This intention is reflected in a less-scripted approach to our meetings, the intentional involvement of the congregation in worship, and the pursuit, and welcoming of revelatory gifts and opportunities for prayer for physical healing.
Family on mission:
The dominant lens through which we view the church is family. We have been adopted into God’s family, and family is what we are. Within families, there is relational investment, structure, responsibilities, privileges, hardships, celebrations, plenty of work, and lots of fun. Each member of a family adds value through who they are, not just what they do. The same is true of the church. Jesus reminds us that our love for one another will identify us as His disciples to the world. That recognition is critical because the church does not exist only for itself—as Jesus was sent, so are we. We believe that God delights in taking common men and women and doing extraordinary things in and through them as members of His family. Each member individually and collectively is to be a loving, merciful, and serving presence in the world.
Called to proclaim the Gospel, demonstrate the Kingdom, and bring glory to our Father and joy to our city, the nation, and the world.
Specifically, as Mercy Commons, we are called to:
Revel in His mercy
We have been rescued by the magnificent mercy of God and are therefore called to revel in that mercy through passionate worship, fervent prayer, intentional spiritual formation, operation of the gifts, and the enjoyment of the freedom we have found in Christ.
Proclaim His mercy
By using our mouths to proclaim the Good News of the gospel. Shame, brokenness, and sin have been replaced by mercy, grace, and truth. We proclaim that we can be reunited with God through the sacrifice of His Son and filled by the Holy Spirit. This proclamation is done publicly at our gatherings and personally when we intentionally express the joy of our relationship with Jesus at work, at school, with neighbors, and in our city.
Display His mercy
By living a counter-cultural life where we live as citizens of heaven in submission to King Jesus. The way we live, spend money, and time, conduct our relationships, and interact with our world are all opportunities to display His glory.
Participate in acts of mercy for the common good
We are called not only to pray for the peace and prosperity of our city but to be active in good works for the common good so that God’s name is glorified.
1 Peter 2:9–10 (ESV) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.