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Agape Marysville Believes

Our Statement of Faith and Values

Agapé stands firmly in orthodox Christian teaching. Out of loyalty to Christ and the Gospel we have come to a number of convictions concerning the clear teaching of the Bible. At the same time we have not included in our faith statement much that could be legitimately debated by orthodox Christians. In other words we have boundaries, but our boundaries are broad and inclusive. On the spectrum of Christian churches:

1. We are orthodox. That is, we are consistent with the established church throughout history.

2. We are evangelical. That is, we believe Scripture is God-breathed, Jesus is the Son of God, and salvation comes only by personal faith in the person and the work of Christ

3. We are empowered. That is, we seek and practice the gifts of the Spirit. We pray for God’s miraculous healings, physical, emotional and spiritual, and we seek greater “fillings of the Holy Spirit.”

Our Statement of Faith

We affirm the Apostle’s, Nicene, and Chalcedonion Creeds, which we believe to reflect Christian orthodoxy and the clear teaching of Holy Scripture. 

Our Statement of Values

Every house is built upon a foundation.  Agapé  is built upon the foundation of our Anabaptist theology (how we think about God) upon which our values (the kinds of ideas and attitudes that we feel are important) are built. Values concern what a church feels like. Values concern the atmosphere of the church, the ethos. It is possible for two churches to believe exactly the same doctrine but to feel very different due to the differing value systems of the churches.

  • We value BIBLICAL RELEVANCE. We believe that the Bible is God-breathed, a unique God-given tool that is useful for equipping people to live life properly and wisely. Therefore, we aim to make all the biblical lessons that we teach applicable to real life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

  • We value CULTURAL RELEVANCE. We aim to develop an atmosphere of ease, and to speak, act, and dress in ways in which our culture can respond positively. For example, we reflect this value through worship music that is of a popular style. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

  • We value BALANCE. The greatest commandment is for us to love God with our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, so we seek a balanced faith that involves our intellects as well as our emotions. We want to be thoughtful and passionate. (Matthew 22:37-39)

  • We value FILLING of the SPIRIT. Paul urged the people in the church in Ephesus to be filled with Spirit and to continue being filled, so we seek greater and greater “fillings” of the Spirit of God for every Christian resulting in greater love for God and powerful ministry to people. (Ephesians 5:18)

  • We value RELATIONSHIPS. God, in His very nature, is relational, so we strive to value relationships both with God and with other people especially in the family. We reflect this value by making decisions in the church based primarily on relationships, by providing multiple opportunities for people to build relationships with others, and by supporting our families. (1 John 1:3) We desire to foster an environment where we value relationship as one of our highest priorities, offering each other grace, mercy and forgiveness, and in the process, sharing truth in love while not compromising truth.

  • We value LOVING ACCEPTANCE. We are honored by every person whom God adds to  Agapé . We aim to work together to build the Church through maintaining mutual respect, open communication, determined cooperation, and believing and speaking the best about each other. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) We want to see people the way God sees them.

  • We value CHILDLIKE SIMPLICITY. We wish to do nothing for “religious effect” but rather to operate in natural, low-key, non-hype patterns that encourage people to live lives that reflect simple, trusting faith in God. (Luke 18:17)

  • We value GENEROSITY. We serve a generous God who has freely given us more than we can ask or imagine, so we strive to emulate His generosity by giving of our time, talent, and treasure to His work in this community and the world. (Matthew 10:8, Proverbs 11:24) This means holding everything and everyone in open hands. We are a sending church body - this means equipping and releasing our people to fulfill what God calls them to.

  • We value the WHOLE CHURCH. We are convinced that all who belong to Christ are one in His Body, the Church. We aim to maintain unity by honoring all who call on Jesus’ name and by seeking reconciliation with all parts of the Church. (John 17:21-23) We value Kingdom over church; this means sacrifice on what we may feel is best or easiest for Agapé.

  • We value CHRISTLIKENESS. We desire that through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ love, mercy, grace, truth, purity, power, and integrity would shine through all that we are and do. (Romans 8:28-29)

  • We value CREATIVE FREEDOM in an environment where there is freedom to experiment, take chances and even to fail. This means taking calculated risks. We recognize that Jesus never said that our relationship with Him would mean safety. Most of our dreams go unrealized because we are paralyzed by fear. We value seeing that fear destroyed.

  • We value the MINISTRY OF EVERY BELIEVER. This means that there is no one called to be sitting on the bench or in the stands. Every believer is called to share the good news of Jesus, see people find relationship with Jesus and then disciple them.

  • We value DISCIPLES MAKING DISCIPLES. Our desire is to see individuals engaging in the reproductive cycle as soon as they are saved, reaching out to their circles, sharing Jesus and then discipling them to do the same.

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