Purpose
The following is what we believe about God, human beings, the world we live in, and the history and future of our lives.
1) The Bible is the word of God; it is God-breathed and without error; it is the final authority for our faith and living. (Psalm 19:7-8; Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
2) God exists eternally as three persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:17-21)
3) The Heavenly Father, the first person of the triune Godhead, in His great love for the world, sent His beloved only begotten Son in to the world as the Savior of mankind to provide everlasting life and Fatherhood for each believer. (John 3:16; Romans 8:14; 1 John 4:14)
4) Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God; was manifested in the flesh by virgin birth; was crucified as the only acceptable sacrifice for our sin; arose bodily from the grave; is preparing a place for us; will return for us. (Luke 1:35; John 1:1,14; John 14:1-6; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-19; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18)
5) The Holy Spirit persuades us to confess Jesus as our Savior from our sins and Lord of our lives; indwells us to explain the bible and empowers us to lives godly lives. (John 16:7-14; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 8:9;l 1 Corinthians 12:13; Eph. 5:17-21)
6) Every person is a sinner and separated from God until repenting of his sins and receiving God's gift of eternal life by trusting in Jesus Christ alone as Savior and Lord. (Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1Peter 1:18-21)
7) The future life of believers is a blessed eternity with God in heaven, but unbelievers face eternal suffering apart from God. (Matthew 25:46; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:11-15)
8) Within God's ultimate sovereign choice, eternal life is offered to the world from a divine heart of love that desires all to respond to that love, wanting no one to perish and promising an eternal relationship to every sincere seeker (Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13; Amos 5:4; John 1:7; 3:16-17; 5:40; 6:44; Romans 8:33; Ephesians 1:4-5; 1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9)
OUR CORE VALUES:
The following words we will strive to characterize our church, and will be the tools we will use to accomplish our purpose and strategy. When people think of our church, our prayer is that these words will come to mind:
1) Truth - If we can't speak the truth we have nothing to offer. Nothing goes straight to the heart faster than truth spoken in love. God's Word has answers, and we want desperately to share them!
2) Heart - As was once said, "One person with passion is greater than 99 who only have an interest!" Mountain Vista wants to throw itself wholeheartedly into the task of connecting God to people. We love our work and while we may occasionally pause for needed rest, we are always heart deep in what we do!
3) Excellence - Everything we do will be with all our hearts. Contrary to what is often thought, the church should set the standard of excellence for the rest of the working community. Our Boss is worth it!
4) Laughter - More than anything else, we want to have the joy of the Lord! The church is supposed to have more life and more love than any other place around! And if we have those things, you'd better believe there'll be laughter!
5) Outreach - Given the choice, we'd rather offend a believer over a nonbeliever. Mountain Vista will operate under the philosophy that it is possible to teach the most profound truths in ways that even the most remotely spiritual person can understand and appreciate. It's medicine, but it will taste good.
6) Innovation - We will value people who are always creatively trying new things. The only thing that stays the same in our world is change. God's Word stands forever, but the way we deliver it and relate it to others is always being refined. No idea is stupid, if its borne out of a desire to "build a better mouse trap" for the sake of God's Kingdom.
7) Legacy - Its' the ultimate statistic: 1 out of 1 die! Because we won't live forever, we must work hard at transferring all we've been given to the next generation. That's why we will not rest until your kids look forward to going to church! They will outlive us, and all we are striving for will fall by the wayside if we don't build into them.
8) Faith - Our vision will defy our logic, our lifetime, and our loot. God defies all three. We will not engage in unholy presumption, but we will be placing our future in God's hands, believing boldly that he is able to do more than all we ask or imagine!
9) Family - At Mountain Vista, we're going to "go through life together." God created us to be in relationship with each other! So whether we're enjoying each other at a BBQ or consoling each other by a hospital bed, we're gonna do it together