If you are here, it means you know something about ministry. By reading through this we want you to feel the pulse and heartbeat of the church. The following are guiding values and convictions that God has instilled in the Renaissance leadership. Why we believe spiritual experience precedes spiritual formation. People don’t need to change their behavior they need their hearts changed. God is the only one who does such a thing. By his Spirit Jesus can reshape the texture of one’s heart. Therefore we believe that people need to experience God to really be followers of God. The Bible also teaches that faith precedes spiritual knowledge. The natural man cannot appraise spiritual things (1 Cor 2:6-15) Therefore, faith precedes true spiritual knowledge which comes through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the revealer and teacher of spiritual truth. Why we believe in the practice and power of worship. What is our purpose in life? It is not just to have fun, raise a family, have a career, and one day get a gold watch. We were made to bring glory to God through a life of worship, relationship and service to Him. We were created for the pleasure of God. We want to be God-centered and not man-centered. Even the cross was not for man's glory, but for the glory of God. It is our belief that the believers worship experience is necessary to kindle the fire within us, so that we can be the people God has called us to be. Therefore, when we gather, we want people to expand their vision of the great God we know and serve, and to worship Him with all their hearts. [back to top] Why we believe prayer is more important than our effort:. We do not want to be mere products of human effort. Often we can try so hard in church to produce results. We want our ministry to be the fruit of God’s spirit. We need God to work in people’s hearts, and in doing things only He can do. Therefore, we are seriously committed to seeking God in prayer for true spiritual transformation. Prayer and fasting are part of the spiritual practices of Renaissance Church. Although we strive for excellence in all we do for the glory of God, we also balance that with the recognition that it is God’s Spirit not merely programs that produces real fruit in peoples lives. [back to top] Why we believe in giving meaning to church membership. We do not believe joining a church is like joining the health club. At Renaissance we look at membership as a way of defining what we stand for, and what we live for as a church. It is the Pastors/Elders role to nurture the spiritual life and vitality of its members, but it is the members role to fulfill the mission of the church (Eph 4:11-13). At Renaissance we set the bar high for membership so that together we can rise up to be the people and church He has called us to be. [back to top] Why we believe our ministry must extend beyond ourselves. Every church is given a mission of defining a quality ministry for its community. We also believe God has called His Church to be the bearer of His love and message to the whole world. We recognize our responsibility to participate in fulfilling His mission outside our community. This Kingdom mindset also means we are supportive of other churches and endorse all movements that are advancing Christ's work in the world. [back to top] Why we believe in the value of originality. We believe that churches shouldn’t be cookie cutter versions of each other. Like our children, God has a unique stamp for each of his churches. Although we can learn from other's visions, we believe God is dynamic enough to give fresh and personal visions to the leadership of each church. When the leaders receive a vision from God they can proceed with personal conviction to pursue what God has uniquely called them to do. [back to top] Why we believe in developing deep relationship with others. God made us to experience life with others. Relationships are placed at the highest priority in the Bible. According to Jesus, loving God and loving others are the greatest of the commandments (Matt 22:36-40). It is our conviction that life is richer when we live in fellowship and community with others. That means getting beyond the superficial individualism that permeates society. [back to top] Why we believe in the integrity and unity of church leadership. God has called and gifted people for leadership in his church. Leaders must "live the life," as examples and models to the congregation (1 Pet 5:1-3). Leaders must also be relationally and emotionally healthy, and able to maintain high-trust relationships with others in the church. Additionally, because God has many diverse visions for his churches, a unified-shared vision is essential for the leadership, so as not to be pulling in different directions. At Renaissance we require all our leaders to be members, and owners of the vision God has given for the birth and development of this church. [back to top] Why we believe creativity can be a spiritual act for God's glory. We are made in the image of God, our Creator. We are made with creative capacity. Every day, every word spoken, every message written, every idea and creative inspiration is the opportunity for people to tap this capacity. At Renaissance we believe creativity honors our Creator and can be used to bring Him glory. In the past, the church was the place where art shaped the culture. We seek to submit our art to Christ and allow him to use it to create and influence culture again. [back to top] Why we believe in the unity and diversity of Christ's Church. As we look to scriptures we see the power of the gospel to break down the barriers between people. It is first seen between Jew and Gentile, but also between different racial and ethnic groups. We also see one of the great strengths of the Biblical picture of the church is that it was intergenerational. With so much racial and intergenerational division in our culture, we seek to demonstrate the power of the gospel to break down cultural walls. At Renaissance, it is our desire to be a diverse body of believers from different backgrounds, ages, and races. [back to top] Why we believe all members are missionaries. Because the ultimate purpose of the church is mission, we believe all members are missionaries. The distinction between those who are missionaries and those who are not hasn't always helped the church. We believe we are all called to be "on mission" whether we head to another land or not. Let us not forget that we can worship and fellowship in Heaven, but the one thing we can't do there is reach people for Jesus. The fulfillment of Christ's mission is why we are here. [back to top]