CORE VALUES – These are the things at the very core of who we are as a church. For an exact statement of faith, refer to the Declarations of Faith of the Church of God, Cleveland, TN. These “core values” are what make up the ministry model, or DNA of Highest Praise Worship Center. These are in no particular order of importance, as all are equally valued and important.
1. MORE THAN HAVING CHURCH, BEING THE CHURCH.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus describes the church as a powerful force in the world that hell itself could not stop. That certainly sounds like more than meeting a couple times of week, in a building, singing a couple of songs, listening to some teaching, praying and waiting till we come back for the next service. At HPWC, we believe God has called us to do more than have church, but to be the church. We realize that the church is more than a building, but it is a group of people assembled under a common banner – the Lord Jesus Christ. That means that the church is everywhere we go. We want to take the church outside the four walls of our building, into the places where people are.
2. BUILDING PEOPLE, NOT JUST BUILDINGS
We believe that God has a plan and purpose for every, single person on this planet, regardless of their economic, family, or social background. At Abundant Life Worship Center, we put an emphasis on building people to be all that God has called them to be. Through worship experiences, Biblical teaching, or opportunities to grow through serving, we want to see you develop the destiny and dream that God has for your life. Therefore, we strive to make people feel loved, accepted, and welcome regardless of who they are, or where they are from. We work hard to create an environment where people feel the love of God through His church.
3. NOT JUST SURFACE FRIENDSHIPS, BUT AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS
Much of what Jesus taught deals not only with our relationship with God, but with our relationship with each other. Paul describes the church in the New Testament as a “body”. Like it or not, our faith joins us together. At Higest Praise Worship Center, we believe God intends for believers to have real, meaningful, authentic relationships with one another. Proverbs 27:17 says that “as iron sharpens iron; so one man sharpens another.” God wants to use relationships in our lives to sharpen us, and to mold us into what He has called us to be.
4. A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS AN EXCITING JOURNEY, NOT A BORING CHORE
Many people view Christianity as a boring list of do’s and don’ts, while that is the exact opposite of Christianity. Jesus said in John 10 that He had come to give us life, and that MORE ABUNDANTLY. God desires for His people to live a life of adventurous faith that takes us to places we never dreamed possible. This exciting, God kind-of life translates into passionate and enthusiastic worship, dynamic teaching and preaching, and a desire to reflect that life in everything we do.
5. SPIRIT-SENSITIVE, SPIRIT-LED, SPIRIT EMPOWERED
Acts 1:8 says that we will receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon us. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 24:49 to wait until they had been “clothed with power”. The Holy Spirit gives the church God’s power to do the work of ministry. At HPWC, we don’t just want to be sensitive to the needs of people but we want to be sensitive to how the Spirit of God wants to meet those needs.
6. REAL LIFE ISSUES, NOT JUST CREEDS AND DOCTRINES
While we hold fast to our statements of faith as an anchor for our theology and faith, we believe that God wants to deal with real life, nitty-gritty issues that you face everyday. Jesus told us that God has the very hairs of our head numbered. If God would concern himself with that, how much more does He want to speak to us about what matters to us today. At Highest Praise Worship Center, we apply God’s word and Biblical principles to real life issues that we all face along life’s journey.
1. MORE THAN HAVING CHURCH, BEING THE CHURCH.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus describes the church as a powerful force in the world that hell itself could not stop. That certainly sounds like more than meeting a couple times of week, in a building, singing a couple of songs, listening to some teaching, praying and waiting till we come back for the next service. At HPWC, we believe God has called us to do more than have church, but to be the church. We realize that the church is more than a building, but it is a group of people assembled under a common banner – the Lord Jesus Christ. That means that the church is everywhere we go. We want to take the church outside the four walls of our building, into the places where people are.
2. BUILDING PEOPLE, NOT JUST BUILDINGS
We believe that God has a plan and purpose for every, single person on this planet, regardless of their economic, family, or social background. At Abundant Life Worship Center, we put an emphasis on building people to be all that God has called them to be. Through worship experiences, Biblical teaching, or opportunities to grow through serving, we want to see you develop the destiny and dream that God has for your life. Therefore, we strive to make people feel loved, accepted, and welcome regardless of who they are, or where they are from. We work hard to create an environment where people feel the love of God through His church.
3. NOT JUST SURFACE FRIENDSHIPS, BUT AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS
Much of what Jesus taught deals not only with our relationship with God, but with our relationship with each other. Paul describes the church in the New Testament as a “body”. Like it or not, our faith joins us together. At Higest Praise Worship Center, we believe God intends for believers to have real, meaningful, authentic relationships with one another. Proverbs 27:17 says that “as iron sharpens iron; so one man sharpens another.” God wants to use relationships in our lives to sharpen us, and to mold us into what He has called us to be.
4. A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS AN EXCITING JOURNEY, NOT A BORING CHORE
Many people view Christianity as a boring list of do’s and don’ts, while that is the exact opposite of Christianity. Jesus said in John 10 that He had come to give us life, and that MORE ABUNDANTLY. God desires for His people to live a life of adventurous faith that takes us to places we never dreamed possible. This exciting, God kind-of life translates into passionate and enthusiastic worship, dynamic teaching and preaching, and a desire to reflect that life in everything we do.
5. SPIRIT-SENSITIVE, SPIRIT-LED, SPIRIT EMPOWERED
Acts 1:8 says that we will receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon us. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 24:49 to wait until they had been “clothed with power”. The Holy Spirit gives the church God’s power to do the work of ministry. At HPWC, we don’t just want to be sensitive to the needs of people but we want to be sensitive to how the Spirit of God wants to meet those needs.
6. REAL LIFE ISSUES, NOT JUST CREEDS AND DOCTRINES
While we hold fast to our statements of faith as an anchor for our theology and faith, we believe that God wants to deal with real life, nitty-gritty issues that you face everyday. Jesus told us that God has the very hairs of our head numbered. If God would concern himself with that, how much more does He want to speak to us about what matters to us today. At Highest Praise Worship Center, we apply God’s word and Biblical principles to real life issues that we all face along life’s journey.
