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.