Westwinds

OUR MISSION is to lead more people into fuller life development.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20

OUR VISION is to present Christ to the (spiritually) curious, the disenfranchised (with organized religion), the intellectual, and the creative. Using a variety of contemporary formats, we desire to reach the believer as well as the seeker with a message that is as satisfying to the head as it is to the heart and brings them toward full life development in Christ.

 

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. I Corinthians 9:21-23

 

 

WESTWINDS CORE VALUES
What we value reflects how we will take the journey of fulfilling the mission and vision.

Imagination
God authors our dreams. As such, we need to ask ourselves, ‘God, what are you doing to heal the world?’ and ‘who are you calling me to be?’ We need to open our imagination to the Spirit and let God help us find these answers together.

perMission
Too frequently in churches, people feel as if they need permission from church leaders to be involved in ministry. Not so at Westwinds. We need our owners to be looking for opportunities all the time to serve our community and to heal the world in the name of Christ.

Authenticity
There is so much advice on what a “good Christian” looks like, but that advice – by and large – leads us astray. Be authentic. Let Jesus come out of your pores, and don’t sweat the made-up rules. Sweat Christ.

Community
A major part of church is community. Community is tough because it means we’ve got to make it work with people we might not like and with people we might not care about. But that inherent difficulty is what makes community spiritual. Being in community requires character, because it is hard work, it’s deep work, but it’s also the work to which we are called as lovers and followers of Jesus Christ.

In essentials beliefs - we have unity

There is one body and one spirit . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. . .” Ephesians 4:4-6

In non-essential beliefs - we have liberty

Accept him whose faith is weak; without passing judgment on disputable matters . . . Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. . . So then each of us will give an account of himself to God . . . So whatever you believe about these things keep them between yourself and God. Romans 14: 1, 4, 12, 22

In all our beliefs - we show charity

. . . and hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but the very secrets of God, and if I have the absolute faith which can move mountains - but have no love, I amount to nothing at all. I Corinthians 13:2

 

The Essentials We Believe

1. Scripture: We believe the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error when they were initially penned by their authors. We believe it to be the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of all people, the divine and final authority for the Christian life and faith in all matters of creed and conduct, belief and behavior, orthodoxy and orthopraxy.

2. Godhead: We believe in the Trinity, the Triune God, one God who has always and will always exist as one substance with three distinct persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe there is only one Father, one God, and one salvation, manifest in Jesus Christ, to which there is access only because of the Holy Spirit.

3. Humanity: We believe that all people are created in the image of God. Through the fall of Adam and Eve, we have all been separated from our true selves as image-bearers of God and from God Himself. Only through following Jesus Christ can we recover our true humanity. Only through the work of the Holy Spirit can eternal life be received.

4. God the Father: We believe in one God, almighty and eternal, Maker and Creator of all things in heaven and earth, all things visible and invisible.

5. God the Son: We believe that Jesus Christ, who lived fully as a human being, was and is fully God – being of one substance with the Father. We believe that He was incarnated for our salvation and was crucified, died, and came to new life. We believe He now resides with the Father until He should come again to judge the living and the dead.

6. God the Holy Spirit: We believe the Holy Spirit’s goal is to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ. We affirm He is actively involved in the lives of Christ followers. He is not only responsible for their new birth, He also instructs and empowers them to live the Christian life. He grows fruit in their lives as evidence of character development. He gifts them in ways that enable fulfillment of their God-given destiny. We affirm He is also active in the lives of all unbelievers, whether skeptics or seekers. He is at work prodding them about sin, pointing out their distance from God, and heightening their sense of emptiness that only God can fill.

7. Salvation: We believe that God, in His great love for all people, provided the ultimate sacrifice for sin in His Son, Jesus Christ. Salvation can come through Him alone. Only through His shed blood and resurrection are there any grounds for justification and reconciliation to God. Salvation is, therefore, received as a free gift of faith.

8. Judgment and Assurance: We believe that death seals the eternal destiny of each person. At the final judgment, unbelievers will be separated from God into eternal condemnation. Believers will be received into God’s loving presence and rewarded for their faithfulness to Him in this life.

9. The Local Church: We believe that the local church is a congregation of believers who gather for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, mutual accountability, and community with each other. Together, the local church comprises the “Body of Christ.” Through it, believers invest time, energy and resources to fulfill the Great Commission – reaching lost people and growing them into fully devoted followers of Christ.