Who We Are

Mission

Love Like Jesus

What does it mean to love like Jesus? God loves you right where you are, but He loves you too much to leave you where you are. Loving like Jesus means embracing a life of surrender to Him. It’s more than a one-time prayer or consistent church attendance. It’s a gritty, heart-level posture that affects every area of life. And there’s always a next step.

As we read through scripture we can’t help but notice a path that God most often leads His people down. It starts with knowing and loving Him and leads to knowing and loving people. We’re convinced loving like Jesus is an invitation to…

Know God

Jesus teaches us in John 17:3; “…this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Knowing God relationally is so much more than just knowing about God. We were created to glorify God, which begins through a life-changing personal relationship with Him. God’s word reveals His infinite selfless love for us as He left heaven and came to earth to die for our sins. Loving like Jesus means knowing God by accepting Jesus as our Savior.

Grow in Freedom

Jesus tells us in John 8:32; “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” Our salvation and eternity are secure the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior, but our spiritual maturity is a journey that doesn’t happen in isolation. Through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, God’s Word and a community of loving believers we can grow in Christ and learn to live in the freedom He paid for. Loving like Jesus means becoming more like Him.

Go Change the World

Jesus commands us in Matthew 28:19; “…go and make disciples…” We find great joy being obedient to Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us. We have freely received and freely we will give all that we are to further the greatest message ever! Loving like Jesus means going into the world and restoring people to a life-changing relationship with God through Jesus.

Cultural Values

We submit to God’s Word in all things because God’s Word is the ultimate truth. (John 1:1 | 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We celebrate change because a relationship with Jesus leads to a lifestyle of change. (Romans 12:2)

We sacrifice our preferences to reach others because Jesus came to seek and save the lost. (Mark 10:45 | Luke 19:10)

We confront one another in love because Jesus confronted us in love first. (Matthew 18:15 | Ephesians 4:15-16)

We forgive others because Jesus forgives us. (Ephesians 4:32)

We prioritize community because God calls us to live in relationship with one another. (Hebrews 10:25)

We cultivate Christ-centered families because families are the foundation of every community. (Colossians 3:18-21)

We strive for unity in Christ because Jesus calls us to live in unity. (John 17:20-23)

We give generously because God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

We pray boldly because fulfilling God’s purpose for us is impossible without Him. (1 John 5:14)

We embrace God-sized vision because without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)

We commit to teach the next generation because the future world needs Jesus. (Psalm 78:5-7)

Beliefs

Hope Community Church reflects God’s priority which He places on PEOPLE. Our passion is to provide a safe place where folks from all over Manitowoc County can come, feel accepted, and experience the rich community which exists at Hope.

As a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America we hold the following to be true:

Statements of Faith

God

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

The Bible

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

The Human Condition

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

The Work of Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

The Church

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish

the believer.

Christian Living

We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the

spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Christ's Return

We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Response and Eternal Destiny

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

Leadership

We have a passion for people, our city and our world. Our culture and leadership is characterized by worship, the love of God, and a genuine call to ministry. These core values have been shaped by our rich history of great co-workers and energy; always pressing forward in our call to love like Jesus.