About Us

About Rivers Church

Who We Are

Get to know Rivers Church. Find out our mission, purpose, core values and beliefs.

Our Mission

LOVE People, LIVE like Jesus, LEAD others to Him.

 

Values Statement

  • Gear to the young, lean into the wisdom of the old.
  • Who I am is more important than what I do.
  • There’s no sound louder than love.
  • Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you.
  • Make Disciples who Make Disciples.

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  • Excellence in the ordinary: because God deserves our best and it honors Him.
  • We’re a church for people who don’t yet go here.
  • There’s no greater mission than that of the local church.
  • Who are you taking with you?

Core Values

1.

Jesus and His Mission

We are unashamedly all about Jesus. We believe He truly is the Hope for all humanity. His mission to seek and save the lost has been passed on to us and we desire to take this seriously. It is central to everything we do. (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Luke 19:10; Heb 12:2; Mark 16:15)

2.

Risky Faith

Though we are sure of our faith in Christ, we believe in taking risks for Him in order to be more effective in advancing His Kingdom. We’re not afraid to try new things or do things differently than before. We refuse to live out a comfortable Christianity. (Matt 4:28; James 2:8, 26; Luke 10:1-3; 1 Samuel 14:7-10; Esther 5:14-16).

3.

We Are Family

…all my brothers, sisters and me! But seriously, the Bible speaks of the church as God’s family. This means we also have all generations present and thriving. No family is perfect, but the good ones love each other enough to work through issues and stick together. We want to live this out and be people committed to each other like a family. (Eph 1:5, 2:19, 4:16; Heb 10:24)

4.

Teams

We believe ministry happens best in teams. Every successful team is made of people with different gifts who use those gifts to make the team better. We aim to help people discover their gifts and get involved using those gifts by serving on a team. Remember: Teamwork makes the Dream work! (Eccl 4:9-10; Matt 18:19-20; Prov 18:1; Heb 12:1, 10:24-25)

5.

Word & Spirit

Jesus sent His Spirit to empower us to live a courageous life for Him. The Holy Spirit longs to lead us daily and enable us to use the gifts He has given to us. As we do this, His Word is our foundation and our constant go-to for how God wants us to live this out. We are people grounded in the Word and empowered by the Spirit. (Gal 5:16; Heb 4:12; Matt 4:4; Isaiah 61:1; John 14:15-17,26; Acts 4:31)

6.

We Love Our City

We are a church that is “for” our city, not just “in” our city. We will serve and love every person, every neighborhood, every work place, and every sector of society that we possibly can. We want this city to not just know us by our love, but also to be changed by our love, resulting in making our city a better place. (Gal 5:13-14; John 15:17; James 2:8; 2 Sam 10:12)

7.

Reproduction

It is the privilege and responsibility of every follower of Christ to help others become followers of Him (a disciple). We want to live this out individually as well as in our ministries by making disciples who make disciples. Living this value out will create the culture we want to see – a culture of reproduction, leadership development, and ultimately, multiplication. (Acts 16:1-5; 1 Tim 1:18-19; 2 Tim 2:2; Matt 28:18-20)

8.

Growth

We will pursue continual growth and improvement as individuals and as a church. This requires hunger and humility on the part of each individual. We will never stop allowing God to change us and our church and will aim to honor Him with a spirit of excellence - because God deserves our best! As the people grow the church will grow; and it is God’s will for His church to grow, both spiritually and numerically. (1 Cor 3:5-11; 1 Tim 4:7-8 2 Pet 1:3-8; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Tim 2:3-4)

9.

Health

Yes… in every way you are thinking right now! Healthy things grow, which leads us back to #8 so we don’t need to hit on that again; but it’s important to note that it takes intentionality in order to create a healthy environment that enables the growth to happen. (Prov 4:20-22; 1 Tim 4:7-9; 1 Sam 58:11)

10.

Creativity

We serve a creative God who created us in His image. We believe the church should reflect this quality of God and be the most creative organization on the planet. We want to see God’s people dreaming and being innovative with the gifts He has given them. Ultimately, we want to influence the creative culture in our city. (Rev 4:11; Eph 2:10; Rom 12:6a; Col 3:23; Gen 1:1; Ex 35:35; Heb 10:22-25; Rom 12:11-13)

Our Vision

We see a church full of passionate people who reach the city with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

  • We see a movement of disciples who make other disciples because of our passion for Jesus and His mission.
  • We see a movement of leaders who empower people to dream, be creative and become all that God has purposed for their life.
  • We see a movement of pioneers willing to take the message of Jesus to our neighborhoods and every sector of our culture.
  • We see our property as a gathering place where the church and community can intersect.
  • We see a church that continues to be the movement that Jesus started years ago – to announce & advance His Kingdom here on earth!

What We Believe

We do our best to live our lives with the following truths in mind.

 
  • God is bigger, better and closer than we can imagine.
  • Jesus is God, showing Himself to us.
  • Nothing in creation "just happened." God made it all.
  • Faith is the only way to grow in our relationship with God.
  • Heaven and hell are real places. Death is the beginning not the end.
  • Jesus will return.

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  • The Bible is God's perfect guidebook for living.
  • Through His Holy Spirit, God lives in and through us now.
  • Grace is the only way to have a relationship with God.
  • God has allowed evil to provide us with a choice. God can bring good out of evil events, and God promises victory over evil to those who choose Him.
  • The church is to serve people like Jesus served people.

Note: For a more detailed explanation of our beliefs complete with coordinating scriptures, please click HERE.

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