Are you a home schooling church?
Although many of our members would align themselves with the home schooling movement, and Kevin Swanson, our pastor lends substantial aid to the national home schooling movement of 2 million students (and growing), we do not see ourselves as a home schooling church.

First, we prefer the term “discipleship” over words like “schooling” or “education.” We are attempting to revive the notion of discipleship in K-12 education (which often happens in the home), and in college and seminary education, such that we will cease using terms like “education.” We do not like to separate the obtaining of knowledge from the inculcation of fear (of God) and humility (2 Pet. 3:15). Neither do we like to separate life application or worship from the acquisition of knowledge. We see there are sharp distinctions between pagan forms of education and Christian forms.

Secondly, our church sponsors a shepherd center, where we disciple, teach, and mentor young men in a Christian methodology and content. Our intention to is raise up mighty shepherds of God for our covenant homes and church bodies in the decades and generations to come.

Our church is for those people who seek after relational discipleship, long term relationships, meaningful community, loving accountability structures in a program-heavy, institution-driven world.

Where is your list of programs?
We don’t have a list of programs.

Our vision is a church that loves the brothers and strangers, and where homes are wide-open for hospitality. We desire to see older women teaching the younger women (not in classroom settings using the latest hot-off-the-press study guides from CBD), but by listening to them one-on-one, loving them, praying over them, weeping with them, rejoicing with them, and teaching them how to love their husbands on a Friday night when he’s irritated and she’s got a headache.

Our vision is to establish a multi-generational church where grandparents are worshiping the same churches with their great grandchildren, enjoying the same music forms, and living in the same social context. We can’t say that we have achieved this vision, but we are laboring to this end.

Although we don’t sponsor many seminars or divorce recovery workshops, we are toying with the idea of a Martyrdom Preparation Workshop for Christians who would like to give up their lives for Christ.

What can this church offer me?
Wrong question.

What can I do with this body of believers?
That’s better. You can worship God, love the brothers, and serve one another. Our church is about relationships, vertical and horizontal.

What are you. . . some kind of a cult?
(No kidding, we get this question from time to time.)

We wholeheartedly affirm that we are NOT the first instance of Christ’s church on planet earth. We see ourselves as a historically-connected church, and we do not see the early church up through the 10th century as a bunch of flaming heretics. We feel historical ties to brothers who have gone before us. Should Justin Martyr, Augustine, Patrick, Columbanus, Bede, Anselm, Thomas A’Kempis, John Hus, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, William Carey, John Paton, George Whitfield, Benjamin Warfield, or Charles Spurgeon wish to join our church, we would welcome them with open arms. We also hope and pray that they would find our ministry profitable.

What’s your dress code?
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Can I get a handout if I come to visit your church?

If you can make it through our two-hour morning worship service, you can participate in our time of Food and Fellowship, and the food is usually pretty good.

Seriously, we consider the diaconate a very important part of our church, and when a member is willing to walk with us in spiritual accountability, we will not toss them into the arms of Government Welfare programs.

Should I leave my church and come to yours?

In our experience, many if not most of the people who have left area churches and come to ours wind up leaving ours after 2-5 years, because they really don’t like this loving one another business or submitting to one another in the Lord.

We live in an age of church-hopping, discontentment, consumerism, transience, and broken relationships. Actually we don’t like this very much. Listen to Kevin Swanson’s message on “Good Goodbyes” before you leave your church. Church-hopping tends to be a cloak for those who despise the body of Christ in their hearts, and really don’t love the brethren all that much.

We like to say, “Pick your bunch of sinners and hang with them.” And while you’re at it, build up the body you’re hanging with.

The church as an institution today is in a state of dysfunction. Please don’t add to it by turning our church into just one more lily pad.

What does it take to join this church?

We have 4 simple questions that bind us together in covenant. Briefly stated, we ask those joining our body, “Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God, do you believe in Christ as your Saviour, do you accept Christ as Lord and heed His Word, and will you be accountable to the leadership of this particular church?”