An In-Depth Look at Who We Are

Transcription

1 An In-Depth Look at Who We Are Inside: Statement of Faith, Meet the Staff, Our Mission More! &

2 CONTENTS STATEMENT OF FAITH WHY A "STATEMENT OF FAITH" THE SCRIPTURES GOD SINFUL MANKIND & SALVATION THE CHURCH & THE FUTURE STAFF LEAD PASTOR - CHRIS TAYLOR DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP & PRODUCTIONS - DAVID HARSH ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - DARCY SPARKS CHILDREN'S MINISTRY DIRECTOR - REEGAN POSENJAK WAYS TO ENGAGE WORSHIP COMMUNITY MISSION THE MISSION OF MCC AS A CHURCH WE GATHER TOGETHER FOR CHRIST-CENTERED WORSHIP, COMMUNITY AND MISSION FOR THE GLORY OF GOD! And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. DID YOU KNOW? Colossians 3.17 MARYSVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH IS THE DAUGHTER CHURCH OF ALDERWOOD COMMUNITY CHURCH IN LYNNWOOD, WA. VISION 9 THE VISION OF MCC Join us on Sundays at 9 a.m. Cedarcrest Middle School, th Street NE MCC is renting space from Marysville School District. MARYSVILLECC.COM

3 Why a "Statement of Faith?" We have a Statement of Faith because we care about doctrine! Doctrine refers to what Christians believe about God revealed in the Scriptures. Doctrine concerns who God is, what He s done, who we are and how we re called to live in light of these things. Doctrine is first and foremost related to doing! The Bible is God s instruction manual for His people, providing guidance and direction for a life pleasing to Him! It informs us how we are to live in a way that honors the King of the Universe! Bible doctrine, which is laid out in our statement of faith, is a summary of what the Bible teaches on any given topic and is useful for Christian living. Furthermore, as a local church it is important that we are united in what we believe about God, namely who He is and what He s done and how we re called to live in light of these great truths! A Statement of Faith provides a local church with clear boundaries for faith and practice rooted in the Bible. Such a statement is helpful both for the membership of the church and those considering membership. Furthermore, a Statement of Faith serves as an accountability partner. It s something we can regularly refer our members to, if we see that they are espousing false teaching or living in a way that is not in line with what we believe as a church. Finally, we believe that the Bible emphasizes one overarching message the message of the Gospel! From beginning to end, the Bible declares God s rescue mission through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe that all of Scripture points to this historical and earth shattering event through which God would establish His royal rule over a rescued people for His glory and fame! Our Statement of Faith listed out in this booklet is not exhaustive, but it covers what we believe are the most central Biblical topics. A more detailed Statement of Faith for MCC will be provided on our website and discussed in our membership class. Our Statement of Faith is firmly built upon our high view of the Bible! Therefore, that is where we will begin. M A R Y S V I L L E C C. C O M 2

4 The Scriptures We believe that the Bible, (both the Old Testament and the New Testament), is the inspired Word of God; that it s without error in all that it affirms and that it s authoritative. We believe that Scripture tells the story of creation, fall, redemption and new creation and that all Scripture points to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God s plan to rescue and redeem a people for Himself. Our view of Scripture may be summed up by Paul s words in 2 Timothy "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." Furthermore, we believe that the Bible is the very word of God, and as such, that when read or proclaimed it transforms lives both saving sinners and conforming believers more and more into the image of Jesus Christ. God We believe in One Triune God Creator, Savior and Applicator of our salvation who has existed co equally and eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons, in perfect fellowship and of one essence. We believe each person of the Trinity is unique in their redemptive role and yet all three work together in perfect harmony for the accomplishment of God s perfect plan of salvation (Mark ; John 12.49; John 14.26; Matthew ). M A R Y S V I L L E C C. C O M 3

5 Sinful Mankind & Salvation We believe that mankind was made in the image of God for the purpose of knowing God and making Him known. Mankind, represented by Adam and Eve, the first two humans, disobeyed God and rejected Him as King. As a result, sin has entered into God s good creation and has caused separation between sinful mankind and a holy God. Fellowship between God and mankind has been interrupted. Because of sin mankind is in hopeless state of separation, brokenness and perpetual rebellion against God. Sin, acting much like a disease, has caused mankind to reject God as the rightful King and Ruler of their lives. Instead, mankind has a my kingdom" attitude. This sinful attitude of the heart is seen in mankind s desire to live independently of God. Mankind is unable to do anything to remedy their situation before God. Mankind is in need of a new heart and a new king. It was to this state of utter hopelessness that God came to restore fellowship between mankind and Himself through the perfect life, sacrificial death and powerful resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to a holy God. At the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sinfulness by taking our punishment for divine disobedience upon Himself. We believe that salvation is only made possible through turning away from one s sin and placing one s faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His saving work. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. We believe that when an individual places his or her faith in Jesus Christ, he or she is forgiven, brought into the family of God, the church, and filled with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of living a transformed life (Romans 3.23; Romans 5.6 8, 12 21; Romans 6.23; Romans ; Ephesians ; Ephesians )! M A R Y S V I L L E C C. C O M 4

6 The Church We believe that the church is the transformed body of believers reconciled to God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As God s people, united to Christ and to one another by the Holy Spirit, we serve to worship the living God as Savior and Supreme Lord, to nurture one another by means of the fruit and gifts imparted by the Spirit, and further to testify to the world concerning the Good News of Jesus Christ as the sole means of forgiveness and reconciliation to a Holy and Merciful God. We believe that the church is God s intended means of reaching the world with the Gospel (1 Peter ; Acts ; Philippians ; Philippians ; Ephesians 4.1 7). The Future We believe that Jesus Christ will come again to the earth personally, visibly, and bodily to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. We believe in a bodily resurrection, a final judgment and a New Heaven and a New Earth. The ultimate hope of the believer that dramatically affects how they live in the present lives marked by faith and love is the return of the King, the establishment of His Kingdom on earth, a renewed creation, the righting of all wrongs, the judgment of the wicked, the abolishment of sin, death and sadness and eternal life with Jesus and His redeemed people (1 Thessalonians ; Revelation ). M A R Y S V I L L E C C. C O M 5

7 MEET THE MCC STAFF CHRIS TAYLOR: LEAD PASTOR There is no greater joy than knowing the King of the universe--jesus Christ--and His salvation! Chris was born and raised in East Texas. He attended seminary at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in New England where he completed a Master of Arts in New Testament and a Master of Arts in Old Testament. During his seminary days, he served as a volunteer Bible study teacher at the Boston Rescue Mission where he had the opportunity to disciple drug addicts and homeless men. After seminary, he spent six months in Cameroon, Central Africa. There, he served as a Bible teacher at Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary and as a youth pastor among many of the village children. After returning from Africa, Chris met his wife, Haley. He was smitten. They have been married since April 30, She is his best friend and constantly reminds him of God s goodness and grace. In April of 2012, Chris and Haley moved to the Pacific Northwest where Chris served as the pastor for high school and college and career at Alderwood Community Church in Lynnwood, WA. Their son, Clark was born on June 11, Haley and Chris are so thankful for their beautiful son and absolutely love spending time with the little guy! In August of 2016 Chris made the transition to lead pastor of Marysville Community Church (MCC), a church plant of Alderwood. He is ecstatic to be a part of a church plant in the city where he and his family have lived for the past three years. Chris has been serving in Gospel ministry since He loves the outdoors and enjoys camping and hiking with his wife, running, spending time with people, teaching the Scriptures, and reading. Chris counts it a great joy to serve at MCC alongside a godly staff and volunteer team committed to the Gospel! M A R Y S V I L L E C C. C O M 6

8 David and his family are passionate about Jesus. He and his wife, Whitney have two young daughters, and they are excited to serve the Lord in their hometown of Marysville. David loves to bring glory to God through music, and in addition to leading worship, shares his original Christian music as a touring performer throughout the U.S. David is honored to offer his musical and leadership gifts as he oversees the worship and tech teams at MCC. DAVID HARSH: DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP & PRODUCTIONS Darcy has been a long-time member of our sending church with her husband, Tom. They have two grown children and one adult child at home with special needs. Darcy has worked in a missions and church setting for the past 14 years in an administrative role. Her main area of ministry has been with youth. She is excited to work alongside the MCC team in bringing a touch of Alderwood Community Church to Marysville Community Church, especially its love for the Gospel and desire to grow in Christ. DARCY SPARKS: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT REEGAN POSENJAK: CHILDREN'S MINISTRY DIRECTOR Reegan has been volunteering in children's ministries from a young age but it took on a whole new level of importance once she became a mom. Now, as a mom of four, she is passionate about discipling children and equipping parents to do the same. Her goal here at MCC is to show your children who Jesus is, to equip you as a parent to minister well to your children, and to provide a fun, safe, engaging learning environment for your children. Reegan and her husband Jacob are so excited to minister to the Marysville Community!! M A R Y S V I L L E C C. C O M 7

9 Worship To engage in worship is both a personal and corporate endeavor! We desire to see all of God s people consistently seeking the Lord through personal prayer and Bible reading. We also desire that they gather corporately with the larger body of Christ for worship through song, the observance of the ordinances of the church the Lord s Supper and Baptism and the preaching of the Word of God! Community To engage in community is to commit to the body of Christ at Marysville Community Church, namely to commit to stirring up other brothers and sisters in Christ to love and good works (Hebrews ). This is a commitment to use the gifts God has given each believer to serve the larger body of Christ. This commitment is to be seen as believers regularly gather together for prayer, Bible study and outreach. This may happen in the context of life Groups or one-on-one meetings. Mission To engage in mission is to commit to both living out and declaring the powerful message of the gospel! It s a commitment to engage both one's immediate community and to look beyond, to the rest of the world. This includes a commitment to both giving, praying and going to the nations for the task of reaching unbelievers with the gospel for the glory of God! M A R Y S V I L L E C C. C O M 8

10 The Vision of MCC It is our hope to be a heavenly outpost in Marysville by living as a transformed people reflecting the beauty, majesty, holiness and love of our God and King. As a church, we want to be a part of a Gospel movement in this community that is committed to preaching the message of Jesus Christ His life, death and resurrection as the sole means by which mankind might be radically saved from sin and divine judgment! We are committed to the Great Commission task of making disciples that make disciples. We want to see exponential gospel growth in Marysville as God s people are equipped for the work of ministry and empowered by the Spirit to be agents of new creation transformation in their homes, schools, neighborhoods, places of work and to the ends of the earth. As a church, we truly desire to be a blessing to this community! We want to pursue social justice and peace in our community through meeting tangible needs coupled with the proclamation of the gospel! Jeremiah 29.7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. We desire to live as a transformed people so that we can be agents of transformation by serving the city through the proclamation of the Gospel. M A R Y S V I L L E C C. C O M 9

11 marysvillecc.com