We believe that Jesus Christ and the news of His birth, death, burial, and resurrection should remain central in all of our ministry efforts. We acknowledge Him as Head of this fellowship and submit ourselves and all our activities to His will and good pleasure (Eph. 1: 22-23).

(2)  Intimacy with God

God desires an intimate relationship with each of us (Rev. 3: 20). This relationship provides the power to live healthy, transformed lives. Obviously, each individual must take personal responsibility for nurturing this relationship. However, we believe it should also be emphasized and encouraged within the context of all corporate worship and group events. For this reason, worship events will be planned with the intention of leading people to passionately celebrate God, engage Him, and grow in their love for Him. Intimacy with God will lead us to emphasize freedom over form in our worship expression. Our community groups will also be designed to be a safe place where anyone, no matter what level of spirituality they find themselves, can be encouraged and shown the way to a more intimate relationship with God.

(3)  Fostering Loving Relationships

“But God demonstrated His love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5: 8).

We believe that true love is not merely a fuzzy feeling, nor is it only a decision. In the example of Christ, we discover the amazing reality of true love and heart-felt devotion to the welfare of another without regard to their worthiness to be loved. The love of Jesus produces willing and joyful personal sacrifice, service, and even suffering for His sake. Therefore, we value cultivating a community of believers where people express this kind of true, Christ-like love, not only for one another, but in all of their personal relationships, including the unchurched and lost. We ask all our people to commit to and fully participate in the corporate worship of the church and in our community groups.

We will not seek to fill all of our time with church programs and activities but are committed to having space and time for friends who are outside of God’s Kingdom. Our efforts within the context of our building will reflect this value and our heart for the unchurched, lost, and religiously disenfranchised.

EdgeWater is about relationships more than programs or structures. We want to know, love, forgive, serve, and encourage each other. Community Groups will be the base of our relational connections.

(4)  Intentional Apprenticing

In order for our mission to be sustainable and reproducible, we believe that we are obligated to pass along to others the knowledge, skills, and values that have been entrusted to us. We believe leaders are not just born, but developed.

(5)  Ministry Expression

We believe every believer is equipped to perform at least one ministry and that we are all called to serve others (Rom. 12: 6; 1 Pet. 4: 10; Gal. 5: 13). In addition, we believe the primary responsibility of the pastor(s) and teachers in the local church is to “prepare God’s people for works of service” (Eph. 4: 12). Therefore, the leadership of EdgeWater Church will always seek first to train believers and encourage lay initiation, leadership, responsibility, and authority in the various ministries of the church. As each member exercises their giftedness, God will effect many evidences of His presence within our fellowship. We will operate with an “every man a minister” mindset.

This mindset will also lead us to be servants to our community. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. We believe that we are able to influence the world for Christ, when resting in, and motivated by His great love for us and we extend that love through our own hands and feet in acts of service to others.

(6)  Creativity and Relevance

In today’s rapidly changing world, forms and methods must be continually evaluated, and if necessary, altered to fit new conditions. While proven techniques should not be discarded at a whim, we encourage creativity and innovation, flexibility and adaptability in methodology. We are more concerned with effectiveness in ministry than with adherence to tradition.

(7)  Reproduction

Disciples are meant to reproduce disciples, and churches are meant to reproduce churches (2 Timothy 2:2). Our goal is not to simply add disciples to our church, but to multiply churches and develop a network of organic churches.

(8)  Ministry Excellence

We believe that the God of our salvation deserves the best we have to offer. The Lord Himself is a God of excellence, as shown by the beauty of creation; further, He gave the best that He had, His only Son, for us (Rom. 8: 32). Paul exhorts servants, in whatever they do, to “work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Col. 3: 23). Therefore, in the ministries and activities of EdgeWater Church we will seek to maintain a high standard of excellence to the glory of God. We will not acquiesce to a culture and mindset that “settles for less” and “looks for the cheapest way out.” We will seek to always offer God our very best and at a minimum, more than we would do for ourselves.

(9)  Spiritual Transformation

We believe CHRISTIANITY IS A RELATIONSHIP, NOT A RELIGION. Religion is man's attempt to reach God. Christianity is God reaching down to man to restore a relationship that we severed through our sin. In religion, people attempt to "balance the scales" of their "rights and wrongs" in order to please an unknowable god. In Christianity, God has revealed Himself to us through Jesus and provided a way for us to re-enter a relationship with Him (John 3:16.) Relationships are built on love and are nurtured through trust.

God desires deep, lasting relationship with us, not only during our time on earth but throughout eternity. Our choice to follow Jesus simply marks the beginning. God calls us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This deep love creates opportunities for us to surrender and trust Him as we open our life to the Holy Spirit who molds us into the image of Jesus and shapes our character. The Spirit’s ways are beautiful and mysterious, sometimes miraculous but often subtle. He works and guides in the midst of our daily life through our relationships, both with God and with others. Our transformation takes a lifetime, not a few moments or even years.

Spiritual transformation means that from the inside out we are becoming, looking, and acting more and more like Jesus Christ. It is progressively moving toward spiritual completion. (Ephesians 4:14-16; Philippians 3:14; Colossians 1:28) This progressive transformation means that the believer’s actions and attitudes will be in a constant state of becoming more fitly conformed to the character of Christ.

Therefore, EdgeWater Church will emphasize “being” more than “doing” in the Christian life. We will encourage “spiritual change” not “religious activities.”

(10)  Prayer

We believe that God desires His people to pray and that He hears and answers prayer (Matt. 7: 7-11; James 5: 13-18). We believe prayer is a powerful mover of God.  Therefore, the ministries and activities of this church will be characterized by a reliance on God through prayer in their conception, planning, and execution.