Our Mission:
Helping people find Jesus for the first time & follow Him for a lifetime
Jesus called the church to both make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) and equip them (Ephesians 4:11). At The Commons we help people find Jesus for the first time through gospel-centered preaching, first steps weekends, and local and global mission projects. We help people follow Jesus for a lifetime through small group discipleship, Bible and theology classes, serving opportunities and more.
We champion the authority of God’s Word.
From expository preaching to Bible-centered kids and student ministries, we’re guided by God’s Word in everything we do. On Sunday mornings, we mainly teach through books of the Bible, pausing from time to time for seasons like Advent. This allows us to mine the riches of a passage within its broader biblical context. We think it’s the simplest way to understand and apply the Bible..
We are spiritual contributors not spiritual consumers.
We believe serving together makes us better. It fosters friendship, stretches us to live beyond ourselves, and demonstrates the love of Jesus. From setting up or tearing down with our Ops Crew, to rocking babies or leading a small group, there are lots of ways to join The Crew that makes ministry happen at The Commons
We pull together for a common cause.
By definition a movement is a mass of people headed in the same direction. Instead of pulling apart over personal preferences, at Church of the Commons we pull together for a shared vision – helping people find and follow Jesus. It’s a movement bigger than any of us, and one we pray will outlive and outlast all of us.
We live unafraid because of gospel grace.
Being a Christ-follower isn’t about how good we are, but about who Jesus is and what He’s done through his life, death, and resurrection. Not only are we saved by grace, we live all of life by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9, Colossians 2:6). Unafraid of condemnation or failure, we’re empowered to continually make our next move toward Jesus.
Want to learn more about our core values?
There is one God: infinite, eternal, almighty and perfect in holiness, truth and love. He has eternally existed as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-existent, co-equal, and co-eternal.
God the Father is the Creator of the universe. By His word and for His glory, He freely and supernaturally created the world out of nothing. He rules over all and, together with the Son and the Spirit, is the only Sovereign God. His plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. He is faithful to His promises, works all things together for the good of those who love Him, and in His unfathomable grace gave His Son Jesus Christ for mankind’s redemption. He made all things for the praise of His glory and intends for man, in particular, to live in fellowship with Himself.
Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. He is the eternal Word made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He is fully God and fully man. Through Him all things came into being and were created. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over all creation and in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world by dying on a cross. By His death on our behalf, He revealed divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. He arose from the dead after three days, demonstrating His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all. He is the only Mediator between God and people. He is the head over His body, the church. He will return again to earth and will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He will lead the church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.
The Bible, including the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testaments, is God’s written word to all. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures are inspired by God, and are infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power.
All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives. The Scriptures are the
authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation or worldly wisdom. Every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession, or theology, must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture.
The Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ. Though indwelling sin remains a reality, as we are led by the Spirit, we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping His commandments and endeavoring to so live in the world that all people may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.
All believers are exhorted to persevere in the faith knowing they will have to give an account to God for their every thought, word and deed. The spiritual disciplines, especially Bible study, prayer, worship and confession, are a vital means of grace in this regard. Nevertheless, the believer’s ultimate confidence to persevere is based in the sure promise of God to preserve His people until the end, which is most certain.
Salvation is a free gift from God. It is provided by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Anyone turning from sin in repentance and looking to Christ and His substitutionary death receives the gift of eternal life and is declared righteous by God. The righteousness of Christ is imputed to that person, making him or her justified and fully accepted by God. Through Christ’s atonement for sin an individual is reconciled to God as Father and becomes His child.
God the Father is the Creator of the universe. By His word and for His glory, He freely and supernaturally created the world out of nothing. He rules over all and, together with the Son and the Spirit, is the only Sovereign God. His plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. He is faithful to His promises, works all things together for the good of those who love Him, and in His unfathomable grace gave His Son Jesus Christ for mankind’s redemption. He made all things for the praise of His glory and intends for man, in particular, to live in fellowship with Himself.
Our beliefs about marriage and sexuality – as with all topics – are based on Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). God created human beings in his image, male and female (Genesis 1:26). We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s standards in one way or another (Romans 3:23). Yet His forgiveness, grace, and mercy extend to each of us who turn from our sin and ask for it (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Marriage is a picture of Christ’s relationship with His Bride – the Church (Ephesians 5:22-23). It is defined from the beginning of Scripture as a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24) and reaffirmed by Jesus as God’s exclusive design for sexual expression (Matthew 19:4-5). God designed sexual intimacy for the marriage relationship between a husband and wife and does not endorse or condone it in any other context (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5).
The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth.
In the consummation, Satan with his hosts and all those outside Christ are finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment; but the righteous, in glorious bodies, shall live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all things new.