who we are

our core values

Worship

The goal of worship is to express honor and glory to God who, in return, will open our hearts to experience for a moment God’s transcendent presence. The style of music used in a worship service finds its importance in whether or not the music itself is used to sincerely ascribe God’s worth and draw us into God’s presence. Our style will be set by our creative need to worship God with our entire persons, mind, heart, and body.

Evangelism

The word "evangelism" means sharing the "good news." At Heights Church our evangelistic efforts will be geared toward engaging the culture of the Heights with the good news of restoration and hope, as well as reaching unchurched people in our community. Through our cultural engagement people in the neighborhood will be drawn to the church and through our personal engagement we will invite them into a relationship with Christ

Discipleship

The call to discipleship must be central to the life of the church. Christ’s last words on earth were directions to his own followers to make disciples of all people. Discipleship will take place primarily within our small groups. We will cast a vision for our small group leaders that strong discipleship goes beyond teaching a good lesson or leading an interesting discussion. Their role will be to facilitate true community between members of the group and to make an investment in training believers to continually grow in the Christian life.

Teaching

We agree with the apostle Paul that transformation takes place largely through the renewing of the mind. We also believe that this kind of renewal requires a strong teaching and preaching ministry. At Heights Church we will place an emphasis on expository teaching and we will be creative and innovative in the way we present our messages. The gospel message is eternal and unchanging but in order to communicate it effectively we must present it in forms that will engage the people of the Heights.

Community

Jesus said to his disciples that the world will know that they are his by their love for one another. This scripture from John’s Gospel expresses the heart of Christian community. At Heights Church we will be a people who understand that true Christian community goes beyond casual fellowship and requires deep personal bonds of friendship. From the beginning we will be intentional about creating an environment that nurtures strong relationships between people. Then we will look outward and extend the hand of friendship to as many people as we can in our surrounding community.

Cultural Engagement

The Church has often had its most significant transformative impact on the world when it has actively engaged its surrounding culture through art, music, drama, intellectual endeavors, and so on. Heights Church will likewise seek to engage the culture of our neighborhood. We will incorporate the creative arts in the life of our church. We will be present in the coffee shops and cafés and we will host community gatherings that enrich an already thriving neighborhood culture.

Beauty

We believe that beauty is God’s gift to us to remind us of our true home in eternity. This is why when we see a beautiful sunset, or hear a moving piece of music, or watch a powerful drama, we experience a chill down our spine. For just a moment our heart has been opened up to eternity. When the church produces works of beauty even the most cynical person can be moved. This is why Heights Church will be devoted to the appreciation of and creation of beauty.

Justice

The end of the story of salvation is that God will make all things right. Here and now the church must also be devoted to working toward that end. We will be devoted to the work of correcting injustices in our community in whatever capacity we are able.