What We Believe

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer

CORE BELIEFS

We Don't Assume Everybody Believes, Or Even Knows The Bible, But We Do Hope Everyone Who Attends Is At Least Open To Exploring It. WHY? Because We Rely On The Bible As The Foundation For All Matters Of Faith And Practice. We Are Committed To Biblical Truth; It's The Cornerstone Of Who We Are At CLOVERDALE.

WE BELIEVE
That you matter to God. The same awesome God who created the universe (and those pesky bugs) created you. He wants to give your life true meaning and purpose.
WE BELIEVE
There is only one God, who exists eternally as a trinity of three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each member of the trinity is fully God, yet each is personally distinct from the other. Wrap your brain around that!
WE BELIEVE
The Bible is the word of God, written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write down exactly what God wanted to communicate to us (and now is available as a Free download on your phone).
WE BELIEVE
Jesus Christ (second person of the trinity) was crucified and died on the cross, was resurrected from the dead, and ascended to heaven. Someday, he will return to Earth to conclude history and fulfill God's plan.
WE BELIEVE
The Holy Spirit (third person of the trinity) comes to live within a person once they cross the line of faith. He gives us power to live as God wants us to live, and he gives us spiritual gifts to serve others and change the world.
WE BELIEVE
Men and Women were created by God to live in relationship with him. Yet Adam and Eve chose to rebel, bringing sin into the world. Sin then spread like a virus to all humans, separating us from God.
WE BELIEVE
Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ – not by being a good person or doing good deeds — that a person can be restored to a right relationship with god.
WE BELIEVE
The local Church is God’s plan to mobilize Christ-followers to mobilize Christ-followers to be world changers! All believers belong to his “universal Church” and are to represent Jesus to their community (and not just with a cheesy t-shirt).

WHERE TO GO NEXT...

We Have Written The Following Statements To Help You Enter That Journey With Us. We Have Included Scripture References Where We Discover The Starting Point For These Statements.

GENESIS 1:27-28

A LOVING GOD CREATED US IN HIS IMAGE IN ORDER FOR US TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND WITH PEOPLE.

ROMANS 1:25, 3:23

UNFORTUNATELY, ALL OF US AT SOME POINT HAVE BELIEVED THE LIE, REJECTED OUR TRUE IMAGE, AND WANDERED AWAY FROM THE TRUTH OF GOD’S LOVE.

1 JOHN 4:9-10;
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-18

BECAUSE OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIP, JESUS LIVED, DIED, AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD TO RE-ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIP WITH US AND TO GIVE US LIFE TO THE FULLEST, NOW AND FOREVER.

1 JOHN 4:11-12

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH JESUS BRINGS US BACK INTO GOD’S FAMILY WHERE WE ARE JOINED TOGETHER IN A COMMUNITY OF FAITH, LOVE, AND ACCOUNTABILITY WITH OUR ADOPTED BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

1 PETER 4:10-11

THE HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND OTHERS AND HELPS US TO MAXIMIZE OUR GIFTS, ABILITIES, EXPERIENCES, AND PERSONALITY IN ORDER TO LIVE A LIFE OF PURPOSE.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:19-20

WE ARE CALLED BY GOD TO BLESS OTHERS AND HELP THEM FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO HIM.

REVELATION 21:4

WE BELIEVE THAT GOD’S DESIRE IS A WORLD WHERE SUFFERING AND PAIN DON’T EXIST. AS BELIEVERS, WE EXIST TO LOOK TOWARD THAT HOPE BUT TO ALSO PARTNER WITH GOD IN SHARING GLIMPSES AND CREATION OF THAT HOPE TODAY SEEKING JUSTICE, MERCY, AND LOVE IN THIS WORLD AND THROUGH OUR LIVES.

WE ARE MADE ALIVE BY OUR VALUES, THE SHARED IDEALS OF WHO WE BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE AS A CHURCH COMMUNITY

UNITY

It is better to be for something rather than against something. The good news of Jesus is about bringing the world together in worship, renewal, and restoration of all things. That’s good news for everyone. Because of this value we work for the good of the community God has placed us in and the people God has placed beside us. While we may have differences with others, we will always strive to discover where we can work with others as we seek to bring God’s kingdom to this world.

HOLINESS

We believe that God’s spirit works within our lives to transform us into people who exemplify love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness in our lives. We find this list of qualities in a letter called Galatians that is a part of our bible. It was written to one of the first church communities following the resurrection of Jesus. These qualities were exemplified by Jesus and as we desire to follow the way of Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit works in our lives to make that possible. While we may never be perfect, we daily seek god to work in our lives as we grow in our faith.

AUTHENTICITY

We believe that authentic faith is created from curiosity, wonder, and even doubt. We desire to be a community where you can be yourself, belong, and be challenged to grow in our faith as we develop real relationships with God and others.