Things we hold as foundational to who we are – and are becoming – as a church body.
Word and Worship
We believe God's Word, the Bible, to be reliable and helpful in all things pertaining to how we live and what we believe.
(Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:15-17)
The Bible is the foundation for our worship, when we gather to sing hymns and songs to God, to hear the preaching of the Word, and to observe the sacraments of baptism and communion. Through these simple means, we believe our lives are shaped for the better.
Hospitality
Because God is the quintessential hospitable host, we believe church should be a warm, inviting place where people are welcomed and cared for. No matter your background or current station in life, whether full of faith or full of doubts, you are welcome at Midtown.
(Luke 9:11)
Eclectic Community
From Merriam-Webster: Eclectic, meaning: “including things taken from many different sources.”
Though outwardly different, inwardly we share a common need for healing of brokenness, forgiveness of sin, and hope in this life and the life to come. The Gospel of Jesus Christ meets our need for these things and brings us together in community, as we trust in Him and care for one another.
(Galatians 3:28)
And so, we are a community of the “no two exactly alike”. We are from Missouri and the Midwest, the South, and both Coasts. We are single, married, and divorced; educators, caregivers of family and home, students, volunteers, children of different ages, artists, healthcare workers, and computer nerds; extroverted, introverted, and sometimes both.
(Revelation 5:9)
Generosity
God is abundantly generous in how he cares for His creation and in how he cares for his people, seen most abundantly in how He did not spare His own Son but gave him up to death in our place.
(Romans 8:31-32)
It is fitting, then, that we partakers of His grace in Christ, would be generous back to the Lord, to one another, and to Columbia’s Midtown. We strive to this end: to become a community of “cheerful givers” of our time, our resources, and our prayers.
(2 Corinthians 8:7, 9; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
Mission and Service
We really love this place God has planted our church community. Columbia is a wonderful city and the “Midtown” area a particular favorite of our church.
As an expression of the Gospel and of Jesus' coming to take part in our humanity, we take part in the life of our city to enjoy Columbia and to serve Midtown well, especially in places of need.
(Matthew 25:40; Luke 10:27; Philippians 2:3-4)