CITV CORE VALUES
We believe our core values of truth, discipleship, community, service, and missional living accurately reflect God's purpose for his people.
Truth
"What is truth?" Pilate asks Jesus this question in John chapter 18, Truth was standing right in front of Pilate but he did not see it. Truth is a paradox of realities - it is both complex and simple, static and dynamic. Truth is a person.
Although we cannot capture Truth in a sentence, we find its essence in the Triune God. In His grace, the Father has revealed Himself through the Son by His Spirit. So, Truth is found in the person of Jesus. He is the Truth and He said He will set us free, John 14:6 and 8:32.
One of God's primary means of revealing Himself to us is through His own words. We find His words in the sacred scriptures, a series of 66 books we call the Bible. It is our guide to finding the Truth...our compass to the Triune God.
The Bible is an essential and infallible record of God's self-disclosure to humanity. These scriptures are fully inspired by God. The Truth is fully expressed by grace.
We search the scriptures to be introduced to the Triune God and discover the Truth that sets us free. We desire to couple the Truth with grace in hopes that we might also introduce non-believers, or reintroduce believers no longer in a church, to this same God. We want to extend Truth to a culture desperately seeking answers, hope, and meaning.
Christian Discipleship
The Truth sets us free by better understanding and walking in the Truth. The process of understanding and practicing what the Bible and Jesus teaches is called discipleship.
Christian discipleship is a process of training believers in scriptural principles, discovery and development of spiritual gifts, and being used to serve one another. This process of maturing by discipleship is important so that the body of Christ is built up and the saints are equipped for the work of ministry.
Discipleship works with God's sanctification to move us toward perfection. The word "perfect" means complete. It describes a mature, full-grown man of mental and moral character. Jesus was the perfect reflection of this maturity and while we will not be able to attain that here on earth, we can grow and mature in the process of discipleship.
Community
Throughout the Bible, we see groups of people gather together and express their faith. These local communities of believers are what comprise the local church, part of the Body of Christ. Church is not the building where we meet or a place where we can come together, rather, church is a community of like-minded believers who live out their gifts and talents.
In Acts chapter 2, the first century church met in the temple courts and in the homes of believers. These two examples of community gathering are expressed at Church in the Valley by our Sunday morning services and also by our small group meetings, either at the church or in members' homes.
Small group meetings are where people grow in relationship with one another. The Bible has over 50 examples of "one another's" that direct us to be closely involved with a small group of other believers, so that we can learn and imitate Christian attitudes. Small groups help us live out the characteristics of God's household - the community of believers.
Service
The Bible tells us that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve others. Christ lived this out in many ways. One was by washing the feet of the disciples a the Last Supper; and in the ultimate act of service, He willingly went to the cross at Calvary to pay the penalty of our sins.
Not only are we to serve each other in the Body of Christ, but we are also to serve our neighbor. The story of the Good Samaritan is an example of Christians serving those that may not be like us, or even have a different belief system. Jesus taught that anyone is our neighbor.
Church in the Valley believes its members should reach out into our community - to our neighbors - with a ministry of mercy and Truth. We should all ask, "Who can I be a neighbor to?" The Bible says that Christians will be known by their love and how we love others.
Missional Living
God works in our lives and works through us in the lives of others. He is intentional in what He does in our lives. He has placed us in our jobs, neighborhoods, schools, - in all places. There are no random places or events in our lives because God has designed our lives with meaning, purpose, and intention. We love, serve, and care for those people that God has placed in our lives in hopes that they will see Jesus living and working through us.
As such, we live out our lives as an expression of the grace, joy and peace God has given us. We extend ourselves when we introduce other people to the great and glorious message of Jesus Christ.
