CORE VALUES
Our core values are like a compass. They influence our decisions and help us navigate our direction as a church family in the city. Our values describe the way in which we display the supreme greatness of Jesus everyday to everyone we encounter.
Dependence Upon God Through Prayer and Worship
We value dependence upon God because we believe that apart from Christ we can do nothing. Worship is a loving and intelligent response to the nature and person of God. We express our worship in contemporary ways that are understandable to the culture in which we live. We make it a priority to gather regularly for celebration and corporate prayer, acknowledging God’s worth through praise and communing with Him through prayer. Since apart from God we can do nothing of eternal significance, every ministry of FRM is conducted as an act of worship and characterized by a reliance on prayer from conception through execution. John 15:5; Mark 14:3-9; John 4:23-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Culture of Grace
We value grace-filled relationships because we believe that God has demonstrated His grace by fully and permanently accepting us through Jesus Christ and His finished work upon the cross. We receive this grace by trusting His undeserved love, unconditional acceptance and complete forgiveness. We delight in extending this grace in respectful and responsive ways to lost and broken people in our community regardless of their hurts, habits or hang-ups. We believe that people are more important than programs and relationships are more important than rules. Our goal is to meet people where they are and encourage them to take the next step toward a growing relationship with Christ. Ephesians 1:2-10; 2:1-10; Titus 2:11-14
Biblical Truth
We value the Scriptures because we believe the Bible reveals the person and work of Christ by whom we have been redeemed and have a relationship with the Trinity. The Bible is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproving, correcting, and training in righteousness. God’s Word is the authoritative and trustworthy standard by which we live and we value its teaching above church tradition or human rules created to legislate the Christian life. The Bible is timeless and timely, relevant to the common needs of all people at all times and to the specific issues of contemporary living. Therefore, we teach and preach God’s word in an authentic and culturally relevant way and we submit to the authority of Scripture in order to present every person complete in Christ. 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; Colossians 1:28
Authentic Community
We value relationships because we believe that God has created all men and women for community as a reflection of the relationship expressed within the Trinity and we believe that progress in the faith is impossible apart from community. We seek authentic, loving, healthy relationships as we journey together in Jesus Christ. We share our lives, we speak the truth in love to one another, and we care for one another, encourage one another, and serve one another toward the ultimate goal of maturity in Christ. Every person who has the Holy Spirit within has been entrusted with spiritual gifts. In community, we encourage one another to discover and exercise these gifts in order to build up the body of Christ. John 13:34-35; Ephesians 4:2-16; Romans 12:3-8
Missional Living
We value a missional lifestyle because we realize that we are sent people sent on mission, just as Jesus was sent by the Father to save the world. We believe that all people matter to God, so we are committed to sharing His love and grace with others here in Rocky Mount and around the world. We engage people God has brought into our lives in real and meaningful relationships. We do not merely wait for others to come to us, but actively meet them wherever they are in order to win them to Christ. We first demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to people and are then ready with an answer for the hope that is within us, encouraging them to take the next step toward a relationship with Him. Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23; 1 Peter 3:15-16
Leave a Legacy
We value the process of making disciples who will make other disciples because God places a high calling on every Christian to transfer the faith to those coming along afterwards. We are responsible for passing along to others, including our children, both in the home and in the faith, the knowledge, skills, and opportunities for service that God has entrusted to us. Therefore, we expect every leader, both in the home and in the church, to train up successors so that the next generation will be equipped to reach its peers. We seek to multiply everything. Genesis 1:26-28; Romans 15:14; Ephesians 6:4; 1 Timothy 1:18; 2 Timothy 2:2
Our core values are like a compass. They influence our decisions and help us navigate our direction as a church family in the city. Our values describe the way in which we display the supreme greatness of Jesus everyday to everyone we encounter.
Dependence Upon God Through Prayer and Worship
We value dependence upon God because we believe that apart from Christ we can do nothing. Worship is a loving and intelligent response to the nature and person of God. We express our worship in contemporary ways that are understandable to the culture in which we live. We make it a priority to gather regularly for celebration and corporate prayer, acknowledging God’s worth through praise and communing with Him through prayer. Since apart from God we can do nothing of eternal significance, every ministry of FRM is conducted as an act of worship and characterized by a reliance on prayer from conception through execution. John 15:5; Mark 14:3-9; John 4:23-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Culture of Grace
We value grace-filled relationships because we believe that God has demonstrated His grace by fully and permanently accepting us through Jesus Christ and His finished work upon the cross. We receive this grace by trusting His undeserved love, unconditional acceptance and complete forgiveness. We delight in extending this grace in respectful and responsive ways to lost and broken people in our community regardless of their hurts, habits or hang-ups. We believe that people are more important than programs and relationships are more important than rules. Our goal is to meet people where they are and encourage them to take the next step toward a growing relationship with Christ. Ephesians 1:2-10; 2:1-10; Titus 2:11-14
Biblical Truth
We value the Scriptures because we believe the Bible reveals the person and work of Christ by whom we have been redeemed and have a relationship with the Trinity. The Bible is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproving, correcting, and training in righteousness. God’s Word is the authoritative and trustworthy standard by which we live and we value its teaching above church tradition or human rules created to legislate the Christian life. The Bible is timeless and timely, relevant to the common needs of all people at all times and to the specific issues of contemporary living. Therefore, we teach and preach God’s word in an authentic and culturally relevant way and we submit to the authority of Scripture in order to present every person complete in Christ. 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; Colossians 1:28
Authentic Community
We value relationships because we believe that God has created all men and women for community as a reflection of the relationship expressed within the Trinity and we believe that progress in the faith is impossible apart from community. We seek authentic, loving, healthy relationships as we journey together in Jesus Christ. We share our lives, we speak the truth in love to one another, and we care for one another, encourage one another, and serve one another toward the ultimate goal of maturity in Christ. Every person who has the Holy Spirit within has been entrusted with spiritual gifts. In community, we encourage one another to discover and exercise these gifts in order to build up the body of Christ. John 13:34-35; Ephesians 4:2-16; Romans 12:3-8
Missional Living
We value a missional lifestyle because we realize that we are sent people sent on mission, just as Jesus was sent by the Father to save the world. We believe that all people matter to God, so we are committed to sharing His love and grace with others here in Rocky Mount and around the world. We engage people God has brought into our lives in real and meaningful relationships. We do not merely wait for others to come to us, but actively meet them wherever they are in order to win them to Christ. We first demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to people and are then ready with an answer for the hope that is within us, encouraging them to take the next step toward a relationship with Him. Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23; 1 Peter 3:15-16
Leave a Legacy
We value the process of making disciples who will make other disciples because God places a high calling on every Christian to transfer the faith to those coming along afterwards. We are responsible for passing along to others, including our children, both in the home and in the faith, the knowledge, skills, and opportunities for service that God has entrusted to us. Therefore, we expect every leader, both in the home and in the church, to train up successors so that the next generation will be equipped to reach its peers. We seek to multiply everything. Genesis 1:26-28; Romans 15:14; Ephesians 6:4; 1 Timothy 1:18; 2 Timothy 2:2
BELIEFS
We look first and foremost to Scripture to know God and form our beliefs about Him. In the event we need clarification on interpreting the Scriptures, we look to Tradition - the writings and creeds of the Church Fathers and Theologians.
GOD IS: God, in three persons, is Holy.
We believe in One God. God exists eternally as three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. The Father is not the Son or the Spirit; the Son is not the Father or the Spirit; and the Spirit is not the Father or the Son. God is wholly different in His Holy character. There is none like Him. Our proper response to His nature is to worship and glorify Him. Deuteronomy 6:4; Galatians 4:4-6; Revelation 4:8; Nicene Creed
GOD REIGNS: God is Sovereign over all creation.
We believe that God is the creator and sustainer of all things. He has the right to do as He chooses and always acts according to His
Holy character. Everything is subject to Christ’s lordship. Our proper response to God’s authority is joyful submission and obedience. Genesis 1; Psalm 47; John 10:18; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 1:8
GOD SPEAKS: God reveals Himself to us through His all-sufficient Word.
We believe that God is a God of love. His most loving act is revealing Himself to us. He reveals Himself most clearly through the Scriptures and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Scriptures testify about Christ, the Word made flesh, whose sacrifice was the ultimate expression of God’s love. Our proper response to His self-revelation is to demonstrate faith in and obedience to Him. Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 1:1-3; 2 Tim 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1; John 1: 1-14; John 5:39
GOD SAVES: Jesus died for our sin and rose from the dead.
We believe that God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who was born fully God and fully man by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary.
Although tempted, He lived without sin. Man is totally depraved and dead in sin, completely unable to remove the curse of sin by good works. Yet, Jesus bore our sin on the cross to the point of death, demonstrating the Father’s love for us in judgment of sin. He was buried and on the third day rose from the dead so that sin, death and Satan would be destroyed. Our proper response to Jesus’ death and resurrection is to trust that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. 1 John 4:10; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Gal 4:4-5; 2 Cor 5:21; Is 53; Col 1:19-20; John 20:31; Rom 5:8; Eph 2:8-9
GOD UNITES: The Church is the body of Christ.
We believe that Christ is the head of the church, which is comprised of those regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit since the day of Pentecost. The church has been chosen by God and exists as one. The unified body consists of many members with varying gifts and ctions, rejoicing together and suffering together. The church is marked by the proclamation and preservation of The Faith handed down once for all, the baptism of believers, and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Our proper response as members of the body of Christ is obedience to the leadership of the local church and service in accordance with the Spirit’s gifts in love. 1 Cor 12: 12-31; Rom 12:3-8; Eph 4:1-6, 11-13; Col 1:18-28; Col 3:12-17; Eph 2; Acts 2:42-47; 2 Cor 2:9; Heb 13:17; Jude 3
GOD ILLUMINES: The Holy Spirit illumines truth and empowers us for wise and godly living.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God and the active, life-giving person of the Trinity (in this age). The Father and the Son have sent the Spirit to be our Advocate, who reveals Christ and regenerates believers. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives as believers guarantees eternal security and empowers us to walk in godliness. Our proper response to the work of the Spirit is to yield to His power and to strive for righteousness. 1 Cor 2:10-12; Luke 3:16; John 3:1-8; John 14, 15, 16; Romans 8; 1 Cor 12:1-13; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:13-14; Is 11:1-5; Ezek 36:26-27; Joel 2:28-29 (Acts 2); Zech 4:6
GOD SENDS: God sends us to join Him in His mission.
We believe that just as God the Father sent the Son and the Father and the Son send the Spirit, the Triune God sends believers. The mission of God since the Fall is to redeem His creation to glorify Himself. At the center of His redemptive activity, God has predestined believers to be conformed to the image of His Son. Our proper response to God’s call is to proclaim the gospel, provide aid, pray for co-laborers and invite people to trust that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Gen 1-2; Gen 12:1-3; Is 6:1-9; Is 9:1-7; Matt 9:36-38; Matt 28:19-20; John 20:31; Acts 1:8; Acts 8:26-40; Rom 8:18-25, 28-30; Rom 10:14-15; 1 Cor 9:22-23.
GOD RENEWS: Christ will return to reign with His people forever.
We believe that just as Christ ascended into heaven, he will suddenly and victoriously return to earth. Upon His return all people will be physically resurrected for judgment; salvation for believers and eternal punishment for non-believers. Christ will reign as King with His people upon the new earth forever. Our proper response to his inevitable return is to believe, repent and encourage one another toward love and good deeds. Heb 9:28; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Thess 4:13-18, 5:1-11; Revelation 20, 21, 22:20-21; 1 Cor 15: 2 Thess 1:5-12; Acts 1:9-11; Acts 2
Formal doctrinal statements we hold to consist of the Dallas Theological Seminary statement http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement/, the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian Creed.
We look first and foremost to Scripture to know God and form our beliefs about Him. In the event we need clarification on interpreting the Scriptures, we look to Tradition - the writings and creeds of the Church Fathers and Theologians.
GOD IS: God, in three persons, is Holy.
We believe in One God. God exists eternally as three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. The Father is not the Son or the Spirit; the Son is not the Father or the Spirit; and the Spirit is not the Father or the Son. God is wholly different in His Holy character. There is none like Him. Our proper response to His nature is to worship and glorify Him. Deuteronomy 6:4; Galatians 4:4-6; Revelation 4:8; Nicene Creed
GOD REIGNS: God is Sovereign over all creation.
We believe that God is the creator and sustainer of all things. He has the right to do as He chooses and always acts according to His
Holy character. Everything is subject to Christ’s lordship. Our proper response to God’s authority is joyful submission and obedience. Genesis 1; Psalm 47; John 10:18; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 1:8
GOD SPEAKS: God reveals Himself to us through His all-sufficient Word.
We believe that God is a God of love. His most loving act is revealing Himself to us. He reveals Himself most clearly through the Scriptures and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Scriptures testify about Christ, the Word made flesh, whose sacrifice was the ultimate expression of God’s love. Our proper response to His self-revelation is to demonstrate faith in and obedience to Him. Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 1:1-3; 2 Tim 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1; John 1: 1-14; John 5:39
GOD SAVES: Jesus died for our sin and rose from the dead.
We believe that God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who was born fully God and fully man by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary.
Although tempted, He lived without sin. Man is totally depraved and dead in sin, completely unable to remove the curse of sin by good works. Yet, Jesus bore our sin on the cross to the point of death, demonstrating the Father’s love for us in judgment of sin. He was buried and on the third day rose from the dead so that sin, death and Satan would be destroyed. Our proper response to Jesus’ death and resurrection is to trust that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. 1 John 4:10; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Gal 4:4-5; 2 Cor 5:21; Is 53; Col 1:19-20; John 20:31; Rom 5:8; Eph 2:8-9
GOD UNITES: The Church is the body of Christ.
We believe that Christ is the head of the church, which is comprised of those regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit since the day of Pentecost. The church has been chosen by God and exists as one. The unified body consists of many members with varying gifts and ctions, rejoicing together and suffering together. The church is marked by the proclamation and preservation of The Faith handed down once for all, the baptism of believers, and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Our proper response as members of the body of Christ is obedience to the leadership of the local church and service in accordance with the Spirit’s gifts in love. 1 Cor 12: 12-31; Rom 12:3-8; Eph 4:1-6, 11-13; Col 1:18-28; Col 3:12-17; Eph 2; Acts 2:42-47; 2 Cor 2:9; Heb 13:17; Jude 3
GOD ILLUMINES: The Holy Spirit illumines truth and empowers us for wise and godly living.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God and the active, life-giving person of the Trinity (in this age). The Father and the Son have sent the Spirit to be our Advocate, who reveals Christ and regenerates believers. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives as believers guarantees eternal security and empowers us to walk in godliness. Our proper response to the work of the Spirit is to yield to His power and to strive for righteousness. 1 Cor 2:10-12; Luke 3:16; John 3:1-8; John 14, 15, 16; Romans 8; 1 Cor 12:1-13; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:13-14; Is 11:1-5; Ezek 36:26-27; Joel 2:28-29 (Acts 2); Zech 4:6
GOD SENDS: God sends us to join Him in His mission.
We believe that just as God the Father sent the Son and the Father and the Son send the Spirit, the Triune God sends believers. The mission of God since the Fall is to redeem His creation to glorify Himself. At the center of His redemptive activity, God has predestined believers to be conformed to the image of His Son. Our proper response to God’s call is to proclaim the gospel, provide aid, pray for co-laborers and invite people to trust that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Gen 1-2; Gen 12:1-3; Is 6:1-9; Is 9:1-7; Matt 9:36-38; Matt 28:19-20; John 20:31; Acts 1:8; Acts 8:26-40; Rom 8:18-25, 28-30; Rom 10:14-15; 1 Cor 9:22-23.
GOD RENEWS: Christ will return to reign with His people forever.
We believe that just as Christ ascended into heaven, he will suddenly and victoriously return to earth. Upon His return all people will be physically resurrected for judgment; salvation for believers and eternal punishment for non-believers. Christ will reign as King with His people upon the new earth forever. Our proper response to his inevitable return is to believe, repent and encourage one another toward love and good deeds. Heb 9:28; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Thess 4:13-18, 5:1-11; Revelation 20, 21, 22:20-21; 1 Cor 15: 2 Thess 1:5-12; Acts 1:9-11; Acts 2
Formal doctrinal statements we hold to consist of the Dallas Theological Seminary statement http://www.dts.edu/about/doctrinalstatement/, the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian Creed.