Philosophy of Ministry

God’s Purpose for Our Church

To unceasingly and passionately exalt Christ’s Greatness and Majesty.

The supreme glory and beauty of Christ is the focus of our attention for He alone is sufficient to save and sanctify sinners to be a people for His own possession. As a local body of believers, we seek to unceasingly and passionately worship our God who:

  • Chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we might declare the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:4-6, 12, 14; Isaiah 43:21)

  • Saved us through faith alone in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9)

  • Saved us based on nothing he saw in us but by His mercy and for His own good pleasure (Titus 3:5)

  • Justified us solely on the basis of Christ’s imputed righteousness (Rom. 4:5-6).

As a result, all who are His are called to live a life of continual worship to God (John 4:23-24), and to proclaim the excellencies of Christ, who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9), and to spread His glory to all peoples.

God’s Mission for Our Church

To make disciples of all nations who will unceasingly and passionately exalt Christ.

The supremacy of God’s glory motivates us as a local church to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20). The Father is seeking true worshippers – those who will worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). Worshipping in “spirit and truth” describes the heart of a true disciple of Christ who desires all that he does to be to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17). The culmination of the Father’s desire is the glorious scene of worship around the throne in heaven when all the true worshippers are gathered to worship Christ the Lamb – men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation who were purchased for God by the blood of Christ (Rev. 5:9-14). We desire as a church to faithfully obey Christ’s commission to gather these worshippers of the Father both locally and from all the peoples of the earth.

God’s Priorities for Our Church

As a church which seeks to make disciples of all nations who will unceasingly and passionately worship God, we are committed to the following priorities and the respective ministries of the church that flow out of them.

1. Preaching: To continually proclaim the glory of Christ

The foundation of biblical worship is a true knowledge of God and a true understanding of what He has done for us through the person, words and works of Jesus Christ (John 4:23-24). The inspired and inerrant Scriptures are the only reliable source for such knowledge (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17). Therefore, we believe that authoritative, Spirit-empowered, Christ-centered, expository preaching is vital to the life of the church and the advance of the gospel (Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5). Our fervent prayer (Ephesians 6:19) is that the Holy Spirit will use such preaching to mightily advance God’s Kingdom and graciously apply the gospel to every area of life for those who have trusted Christ as their Savior and for those who have yet to do so. Seeking to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:20, 27), we will also teach the great doctrines of Scripture, including the doctrines of grace, Christ, sin, salvation, and others.

2. Submitting: To willingly submit to the lordship of Christ

Through the Scriptures, God has revealed Himself to us that we might know Him (1 John 5:20; John 17:3). Through the cross, God has demonstrated His great love for us that we might be saved through Him (Romans 5:8). The only proper response to this self-revealing and self-giving God is for us to confidently and completely trust in Him and willingly submit to the Lord’s power and authority over us (James 4:7; Romans 8:1-17).

3. Serving: To live a conscious life of spiritual service to Christ

We desire our submission to God to lead every believer to a life committed to joyfully, faithfully and unconditionally serving God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, strength and possessions (Romans 12:1,28-29; Acts 27:23) and serving one another in love (Galatians 5:13).

4. Praising: To corporately express our praise to God and experience His Spirit’s presence

We desire our services to be a vital and real experience in our worship and praise of God. Acceptable worship is regulated by the truth and parameters of Scripture. This, however, does not bear upon the particulars of worship style as it does content and the basic elements of acceptable worship. The concern of acceptable worship is essence, not form. We desire our worship services to be a time of expressing what we know of God through His Word in a manner that reflects our heart’s affection for Him. Our hope, then, is to experience the presence and reality of God in our midst through the Holy Spirit as He responds to our worship.

In light of our purpose, mission and priorities, The Cornerstone Bible Church is committed to:

  • Biblical leadership through a plurality of elders

  • Training up biblically qualified leaders who will lovingly shepherd God’s people and care for their spiritual well-being

  • Supporting and sustaining the family by encouraging and regularly teaching on scriptural standards for the husband, wife, and rearing of children

  • Proclaiming the gospel within our community through the strategic opportunities the Lord grants us

  • Proclaiming the gospel to all peoples through supporting men who are committed to training up local pastors around the world

  • Counseling believers from the Bible, since God’s Word, in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, is sufficient to care for the growth of the believer, both spiritually and emotionally

  • Emphasizing and practicing discipleship as a means of maturing in Christ

  • Encouraging believers to serve one another in love by the Spirit’s power and with the Spirit’s gifts

  • Demonstrating genuine Christ-like love and acceptance to believers and unbelievers alike

  • Training up future shepherds of God’s flock that can be sent out to plant other churches