STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
For Christ Church Ventura

Empowered by the Gospel, we aim to experience God’s pleasure in fostering true knowledge, holy affection, and faithful obedience through historic worship, gospel renewal, genuine community, and global partnership to the end that God’s people are gathered and Christ’s Kingdom is extended throughout Ventura County and beyond.

The Church is God's worshiping assembly which exists to glorify God and to enjoy him as a vehicle, through which he gathers his people to himself from every nation, people, tribe, and tongue throughout the earth in order that they might know, love, enjoy, and serve him in this life and forever. We recognize that we are but one particular expression of the Church as she exists worldwide in every generation. As God supplies the means we will endeavor to be faithful stewards of all that He gives to us. Our purpose, simply stated is: Exalting Christ through Worship, Renewal, Community, and Partnership.

Worship: We believe that the well-spring of our lives is knowing and delighting in God. The highest activity in which a human being can be engaged is the activity of worship, whether individual or corporate. It is our conviction that there is a need for historic liturgical worship which does not place unnecessary obstacles in the way of those seeking to encounter and worship God. We desire to recover both the centrality of the Word of God preached and the beauty of historic worship.

Renewal: The triune God, who is the creator of heaven and earth and the redeemer of his people, will not be loved, enjoyed, or served if he is not well-known. We believe that all things come from and lead to this holy, triune God. We place high priority on knowing God through his Word. Because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation, we believe the message of our church must be gospel centered—the core of our life and faith. Jesus Christ brings us to life and empowers us to live for him through the gospel. Following Christ is not about improving our moral image and religious performance, but has everything to do with living in union with Christ and embracing his redemption, both personally and corporately. As we come to know and follow him, we endeavor to live by the whole counsel of God.

Community: Like the Israelites in Egypt, we are a people set apart without a homeland. In a culture which is increasingly fragmented and characterized by isolation we recognize the need to be creative and assertive in building our people into a community. We aim to accomplish this by means of pastoral care, mercy ministries, home studies, prayer groups, and volunteer service. We believe that God has established three institutions for the ordering of society: the family, the Church, and the civil government. In and through the Church we intend to establish and equip godly marriages and covenant families with the aim to develop a biblically faithful, culturally engaging and relationally desirable church family.

Partnership: Christ has commissioned his Church in every generation to make disciples from all of the nations, baptizing them and teaching them everything he has communicated by his Word and Spirit. We aim to be diligent in our neighborhoods, work places, schools, activities, and through our missionaries and church planters so that the work of Christ is declared to all peoples. We aim, as well, to be aware of the needy in our community so that the gospel permeates every stratum of society doing its work in hearts and thereby changing lives.