Values and Beliefs

Jesus is not a mascot for us. Belief drives action, so Jesus as our starting place really matters. We believe that Jesus is the key to understanding who God is and what God is like. He taught us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and to live our lives with purpose. Every story we read about Jesus in the Bible paints a picture of a revolutionary and a radical who intended to turn our ways of thinking upside down and inside out. Everything we do at Verve City Church is grounded in the teachings, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus surrounded himself with disciples who had very different political opinions: Simon the Zealot wanted the Roman Empire overthrown while Matthew the tax collector was employed by that same empire. At Verve City Church, you’ll find Republicans and Democrats and Independents worshiping together. We don’t exist to win elections; we exist to inspire people to find life by following Jesus. So we’re not going to tell you how to vote and we’re not going to allow our congregation to be divided by the political battles raging all around us. After all: Jesus didn’t come to take sides. He came to take over.

The early church didn’t seem to limit leadership capacity based on gender. Women like Mary Magdalene (Luke 24), Phoebe, Junia, and Priscilla (Romans 16) seemed to serve at the very highest levels of church life. While we understand that there are some wonderful churches who see this issue

differently from us, Verve City Church fully affirms both men and women in ministry at all levels of Church life based on our best understanding of Scripture.

For many people in our world, the opposite of faith is doubt. The goal, then, within this understanding, is to eliminate doubt. But faith and doubt aren’t opposites. Doubt is often a sign that your faith has a pulse, that it’s alive and well and exploring and searching. Faith and doubt aren’t opposites; they are, it turns out, excellent dance partners.

The life of Jesus is instructive for us: he spent a great deal of his time healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, providing food for the hungry, and delivering people from oppressive physical and spiritual forces. The early church followed his lead and was known for generosity and hospitality. Today, we serve with local and international non-profits and churches in order to make our communities and our world a more beautiful and equitable place. Because the good news of Jesus is good news for everyone.