Truth

Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He also prayed for his disciples, asking God the Father to “sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” In a post-truth world, we believe truth is found in the person of Jesus Christ and in the Bible, which teaches us about him. For this reason, the Bible is at the center of all our ministry and our life together. Whether it’s our ministry to children and students, our discipleship of adults, or our efforts to share the good news of Christ with neighbors near and far, the Bible is central. This is especially true of our gathered worship, where we sing songs filled with biblical truth, read the Scriptures together, and preach Christ-centered sermons from the Bible.

Key Verses: Psalm 19:7–10; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:17–19; John 14:6; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; Hebrews 1:1–2; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20–21

Community

Churches are communities, and churches live in communities. The Bible gives many metaphors for the church: it is a family with many members and a spiritual body with many parts. In a fractured, lonely world, we believe life-giving community is available in the church. We pursue this by emphasizing these biblical metaphors and offering both organic (informal, unprogrammed) and organized (formal, programmatic) ways to connect with one another. Churches also live in communities that they are called to care for and love. We seek to be good citizens by loving our neighbors and partnering with other organizations to foster community and flourishing in East Nashville.

Key Verses: Jeremiah 29:7; Mark 10:28–30; Mark 12:30–31; John 13:35; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:10–13; Galatians 6:10; 1 Corinthians 12:12–13

Discipleship

Disciple-making is central to the church’s mission. A disciple is another name for a learner or follower. In a world that teaches us to follow our own desires, we follow Christ, who told us we will only find our lives when we lose them for his sake. Disciple-making is directed both inward, to the church, and outward, to the world. In the church, we build up believers with God’s Word, Christian beliefs, and practices for spiritual growth, equipping them for service in the church and the world. To the world, we share the good news of Jesus with those who aren't yet believers through evangelism, church planting, and missions.

Key Verses: Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 5:48; Matthew 16:24–26; Matthew 28:18–20; Ephesians 4:11–15; 2 Timothy 2:2; 2 Peter 1:5–11

Unity-in-Diversity

Early in the story of the Bible, God made a promise to bless all the people groups of the world through the offspring of one man, Abraham. That offspring is Jesus Christ, who died and rose again to save a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. In a world characterized by disunity and strife, we believe the Christian faith offers a unity which does not obliterate differences, and a diversity which does not come at the expense of unity. In Christ, all kinds of different people are reconciled to one another, and we believe we are called to work out subjectively what Christ has made true objectively. As we do, we point people to the kingdom of God where a multitude too great to count, made up of every tribe, tongue, and nation, comes together to worship King Jesus.

Key Verses: Genesis 12:1–3; Isaiah 49:6; Matthew 28:18–20; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:11–22; Colossians 3:11; Revelation 5:8–12; Revelation 7:9–10

Service

Jesus taught that the greatest commandments were to love God with all of our being, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. He embodied this love of neighbor through service and self-sacrifice. In a world where people seek to be served, we follow the example of Christ who came to serve, and to give his life for others. We do this by serving one another within the church, and by engaging in our community, learning its practical needs, and seeking, as we are able, to help meet those needs and partner with organizations that can.

Key Verses: Jeremiah 29:7; Matthew 5:13–16; Matthew 10:42; Matthew 25:31–46; Mark 10:45; John 13:1–17; 1 Peter 2:12; James 1:27