Mission & Values
Grace Polaris Church exists to honor God by multiplying devoted followers of Jesus through worship, community, training, and witness.
Our Mission
WORSHIP
Worship reflects our passion for God — Father, Son, and Spirit. He’s the maker, sustainer, Savior, and Lord. In our worship, we recognize Him for who He really is, revel in His power and glory, and reveal our need for His grace in our lives.
COMMUNITY
Community displays our participation in Jesus’ family. We were designed for connection to others as we follow the Lord together. This collective pursuit and relational joy is a gift from God. We belong and are valued in God’s family. Community begins when we declare our trust in Jesus alone, and then join with others to express that together.
TRAINING
Training describes our preparation for service. Through our study of the Bible and our involvement in practical ministry, we learn to practice what we believe to be true. The Bible calls this “bearing fruit.” God’s desire is that we grow in maturity and are mobilized to use His gifts to us for the good of others. We feast on His Word and we exercise through service.
WITNESS
Witness highlights our presentation of Jesus to the world. We are recipients of God’s grace, and we can’t keep it to ourselves. The Gospel is meant for the whole world, and we desire to take the message of Jesus to the neighborhoods and the nations. Through outreach (demonstration) and evangelism (proclamation), we make known the God who can save and transform lives.
Our Values
We are Bible-driven and Spirit-led
The foundation for all we do at Grace is the Bible — the very Word of God — which, through the Holy Spirit’s guidance, leads us into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. God’s revealed will in the pages of Scripture saturates and informs every ministry at Grace.
We understand God’s will humbly through the Holy Spirit’s leading and apply it diligently to life through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment.
We practice pervasive prayer
We commit to living in conscious awareness of God’s presence and in communion with Him through Jesus Christ. Prayer is a mandate and a privilege to praise God for who He is and what He does, to intercede on behalf of others, and to petition God for our needs, knowing He will hear and answer our prayers according to His will.
Because we affirm that nothing of eternal value can be accomplished without prayer, we will infuse our daily lives with prayer, especially with others.
We embrace risk-taking faith
In pursuit of excellence and fruitfulness, we will promote a spirit of initiative and innovation. As good stewards, we will consistently evaluate and hold ourselves accountable for results, focusing on fruitful ministries and structures that most effectively accomplish our mission.
We will seek to wisely navigate the inherent tension between the local church as both a relational community and a religious organization.
We prioritize the Gospel
We will bear witness of Jesus to our neighbors and the nations out of the overflow of our transformed lives. We commit to prioritizing ministries and initiatives that emphasize Gospel proclamation, relational contexts, and a “go and tell” pattern.
In light of our culture’s abundant spiritual resources, we will aggressively pursue cross-cultural opportunities which further the Great Commission.
We engage our culture
Followers of Jesus possess an identity not of this world, but together we are sent into a fallen world to live among broken, sinful people. We are called neither to isolation nor assimilation, but to genuine love.
As a church, we will pursue opportunities with both wisdom and courage to bless our community and culture. We will resist a posture of fear but rather demonstrate our confidence in the ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ.
We equip for maturity and ministry
Not only are the Word of God and the Spirit of God essential for Christian life and growth, but so are the people of God. We will therefore labor to connect people to others who will foster their spiritual maturity and capacity for service.
We will emphasize the giving of time, talent, and treasures to God. Because godly leadership is vital, we will affirm gifted individuals and train them to equip devoted followers of Jesus.
We celebrate unity in diversity
The plan of God involves people of very different backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, and economic means. The people of God proclaim through their diversity the Gospel’s power to transform all kinds of people.
We will welcome such variety within our church family and choose to view it as a benefit, even with its complexities. With such diversity, we are enriched and the radiance of Gospel reconciliation is highlighted.
We embrace grace as our character and calling
Extending grace to others is our only reasonable response to a God who has lavished us with grace in Jesus. We gladly celebrate grace as our spiritual and collective identity and bask in God’s mercy to us.
We will live and speak grace to all those we encounter, regardless of their spiritual status, social standing, or behavior toward us.