Why Four Anchors?
Four Anchors of Conviction
The four anchors that hold us steady as a church and keep us from being tossed around by every wind of doctrine reflect both our deepest convictions and our primary areas of ministry focus. They help define who we are, how we live, and what we’re building together.
Classic Christianity: We treasure the truths recovered and clearly articulated in the Protestant Reformation—truths about the authority of Scripture, Justification by Faith, God’s Sovereignty over all things, and the Glory of God as the purpose of all things.
God’s Good News: God saves sinners like us through substitution. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin for us so that we could be made right before God—declared innocent, though we are guilty. This salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace. It comes by faith alone, and because even that faith is a gift, God is free to give it to whomever He chooses.
The Person of the Holy Spirit: Life with the Spirit isn’t just slightly different—it is the experience of being born again from above into an entirely new life. The Holy Spirit is a person who indwells every believer, sustaining true faith and preserving us all the way to Heaven.
A Supernatural Reality: God alone is true. He has made everything, and He is the definer of all things—what He says they are is what they are. The Biblical worldview is unapologetically supernatural: God can do and has done miraculous and impossible things that go beyond our understanding. What He tells us He has done, and what He tells us He will do, are to be fully trusted and held fast.
“so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Ephesians 4:14
Four Anchors of Purpose
We are relentlessly pursuing God’s mission for His church by anchoring our vision and focus on these four key mission fronts:
Evangelistic Worship: We gather expecting to meet with the living God—to glorify Him and be changed in His presence and power. Our worship is vertical, focused on Him, not on ourselves. As we fix our eyes on Him, He blesses and satisfies us in return. The preaching of God’s Word is central to our gatherings. We primarily teach through books of the Bible, chapter by chapter, so that we don’t skip over the hard parts or favor the easy ones. This keeps us submitted to the full counsel of God.
Biblical Discipleship: Jesus calls people out of their comfort zone into a place where He stretches our faith, anchors our hope, and pours love into and our hearts. He draws us to relate spiritually to other true believers by teaching us the many ways we practice the “one another” passages of the Bible. Nothing is more critical than daily intake of God’s Word and personal prayer. God’s teaching in the Bible requires effort, commitment, and joy—and no matter how long you’ve been reading it, there is always more to glean.
Youth Ministry: We understand the importance of drawing young people into a personal relationship with Christ, and our ministries to children and youth are top priorities. We aim to help them hide God’s Word in their hearts and learn the stories of the Bible so they can apply them to real life. Our goal is for them to thrive in a culture full of influences that seek to steal, kill, and destroy their lives and futures.
World Missions: Jesus gave the whole church its marching orders in the Great Commission: to go into all the world and proclaim the good news of salvation to the nations. Men like David Brainerd, Jim Elliot, David Livingstone, William Carey, and others boldly stepped out in faith to fulfill that call. We are deeply committed to the missionary task—both here and around the world—by sending and strongly supporting those who proclaim God’s saving plan and glory to the nations.
