At Next Church, ‘if you come, you belong’. We welcome individuals and families, young and old, rich and poor, sinners and saints. We strive to love God and love others the way Jesus tells us to – with our whole heart, mind and strength. We celebrate that Jesus made a way for us to have a relationship with God and abundant life.
We acknowledge that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there’s nothing we can do to make God love us less. God’s love and gift is for everyone – all of us (male, female, transgender or anywhere in between, any sexual orientation, all political persuasions, faith-filled and doubters, i.e. everybody everywhere!) just as we are.
God helping us, we actively seek to encourage and build each other up. Instead of pointing fingers, we give hugs. We eat meals together, we sing together, we pray together, we laugh together, and we often cry together. Together we are the body of Christ. And together we want to help make the world a place aligned with God’s real and active love. We find our hope in Jesus and the promise that he will and is redeeming all things – we strive to live as though that future reality is our current reality.
So, we respond to God’s gift of immeasurable grace by sharing God’s goodness, embracing mercy, being peace-makers, pursuing justice, and living in harmony with others. Everybody everywhere.