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The RIVER CHURCH is…

Who is The River?  The River is a church.  Not an event, not a place, but a community of people.  Above all, our identity is in God.  We exist to serve and bring glory to Him, and to make disciples of Jesus.  We are a church only because He brought us together and shaped us into what we are today.  As God has led us, His mission for our church has gradually become clear.  Here is who we believe God has called us to be:

The River Church is a community being transformed by God to live like Jesus in our world.

Here’s a little of what that means...

The River is a community...

More than a building, a name, or a weekend gathering, The River Church is a community of people.  We are living together the adventure for which God created us: pursuing Christ and being changed by Him, and being sent into the world by Him.  At The River Church, "community" is more than just a passive synonym for "group."  It is connection and relationship built on shared purpose and passion.  We are intentionally involved in each other’s lives because God has designed us to experience true and authentic community. 


...being transformed by God...

God wants to continue to shape us to be more like Him.  In fact, He tells us to "be transformed through the renewing of our minds."  This transformation process is built on the study and practice of God’s Word.  We are seeking to know God better, hear His voice, and learn to respond to Him with our lives.  As we place our faith in Jesus and seek to bring every area of our lives under his direction and influence, we grow in our love for God and worship of Him with everything we do and with everything we are.  Our aim is to honor God in all we do.


...to live like Jesus in our world.

God calls us to invest all that we are into being catalysts for other lives that need change.  To this end, we constantly seek out, and try out, new ways of effectively reaching today’s generations with the Good News that’s been true for centuries.  God has redeemed us from a life controlled by sin.  Because of this undeserved love, we participate in God’s mission of setting right and restoring people.  We join with God locally and globally as we form relationships with people and help make disciples of Jesus.


The River Church vision:

We envision God inviting those He loves to Himself…We see God’s unprecedented love attracting people to place their hope in Him, learn His truth and take steps to cultivate their faith-relationship with Him.  We see a people who seek after Him, striving for holiness in an unholy world, and being in, but not of, the world in which we live.

 

We envision God inviting those He loves to come together…We see God’s selfless love challenging Christ-followers to dedicate themselves to relationships of humility, authenticity, and service.  We see families growing in faith.  We see churches working together for a common goal of reaching the lost in and beyond Bend, and of serving people together. We see church that is fun and adventurous, and is not tied to the pews but rather is action-oriented.

 

We envision God inviting those He loves to serve in His world…We see God’s redeeming love drawing Christ-followers to use their God-given gifts to participate with God in meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people in Bend and in the rest of the world.  We envision everyone in the church finding the intersection where a person’s passion and God’s purpose meet and their life is fruitful.  We see The River church as a “go-and-be” church, and not a “come-and-see” church.

 

 The River Church’s guiding verse:

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."   Matthew 6:33 [NIV]

 

The River Church’s values:

Jesus (upward)

Jesus invites us into a relationship with God by giving his life for us.  We put our faith in Jesus and seek to bring every area of our lives under his direction and influence.  Jesus’ life on earth, as described in the New Testament, provides us with God’s principles for living (relationships, attitudes, behavior). The process of surrender and spiritual formation includes prayer, the study and application of Scripture, public and personal worship, and actions of service. 

 

Community (inward)

We seek to follow Jesus together, being intentionally involved in each other’s lives because God designed us to live in community. This includes regularly meeting together in our weekly celebration services and in community groups; praying, serving and reaching out together; accompanying each other through good and difficult times; encouraging each other to love and live like Jesus; sharing resources with each other; and partnering with other churches and organizations.

 

Mission (outward)

God has redeemed us from a life under the oppression of sin.  His love for us is a blessing for us to share with others, and inspires confidence and motivates us to value each person as God does.  We participate in God’s mission of setting things right in a broken world and restoring people physically, emotionally and spiritually by engaging our culture without compromising the Good News of Jesus Christ.  We invite people to journey with us in following Jesus and making disciples of Jesus.

 

Empowering (forward)

God designs each Christ follower with gifts, abilities, and experiences.  His work in our lives becomes evident when we take steps of faith.  The leaders of The River Church seek to equip fellow Christ-followers to read and apply the Bible in order to develop God-pleasing qualities; mentor Christ followers to express their character, knowledge, and skills by serving the Church and the world; and communicate the vision for Christ followers to empower others to take steps of faith.