God is glorified when people who have lived opposed to Him are transformed and become followers. We believe the most effective way to see this happen is to establish as our first priority the preaching of the Gospel. We are committed to sharing God’s TRUTH with anyone who would listen.
Further, we understand that, although people’s greatest need is a spiritual one, God hates the temporal effects of sin and desires that we would do good, alleviating suffering as much as it’s in our power. Displaying LOVE in this way not only meets real needs of people in our community, but also softens hearts to God’s message.
As people are transformed into Christ-Followers, we desire to see them grow in maturity, learning more and more of God’s character and becoming wholeheartedly devoted to JESUS.
The VISION of Church of the Harbor concerns the path we are inspired to travel in the coming months and years. It is not based on our current reality. Rather, it involves our aspirations and expectations…the road we hope to travel together. The vision of CoH is expressed through our Piers.
The Harbor Piers are scriptural principles necessary for establishing a healthy church. Further, these are marks of true disciples, and the way these are born out in our community of believers uniquely mark our church. We will endeavor to use these values to guide us in the pursuit of our vision.
Pier 1. SCRIPTURE :
We envision a church marked by the continual pursuit of God in His Word, both collectively and individually. This is how we know Him and how we are equipped to live obediently for the sake of His glory, others’ benefit, and our blessing. Scripture is God’s sufficient, accurate, and authoritative Word and we will seek to communicate the truths of scripture with integrity and authority that people would find Christ and mature in Him.
Pier 2. WORSHIP :
We envision a church in which our members are marked by deep affections for God which flow out as 1) praise, both corporately and privately, and 2) in a lifestyle of service to others. We value a contemporary expression and will endeavor to offer authentic worship in spirit and truth, namely with all we are in accordance with God’s Word, in recognition of God as our supreme treasure.
Pier 3. PRAYER :
We envision a church in which we continually express our dependence on God through prayer, believing He hears us and that our prayers genuinely make a difference in the lives of people and for the sake of the Kingdom.
Pier 4. EVANGELISM :
We envision a church in which each member has been affected so deeply by a relationship with God that there’s no helping sharing it with others. We desire that our church would grow, we desire to share the gospel with those in our community, and we believe evangelism is central to these.
Pier 5. COMMUNITY :
We envision a church in which people live in loving relationships with others in the church. The Christian life is not to be lived alone, and through living in genuine community, we bless others and are ourselves blessed. We value family, and will endeavor to ensure marriages are built up to honor Christ, children are served and parents are equipped to love their children well, and those without spouses or children are knit together with other believers as family.
Pier 6. SERVICE :
We envision a church in which members are characterized by a life of service. Upon coming to faith in Christ, each believer is entrusted with spiritual gifts, which we are compelled to use for the sake of building up the church. We serve not from guilt or obligation, but by the power of the Spirit and in response to the grace God has poured out on our lives.
Pier 7. STEWARDSHIP :
We envision a church in which members recognize all we have is a gift from God, including possessions, time, and our lives. With this in view, these are to be used for the sake of the Kingdom. We believe our possessions our not to be used for selfish indulgence; rather, we are to give generously, finding joy in blessing others as we steward well that with which God has blessed us.