No Forced Servitude

No forced servitude means that we want people to serve according to their gifts and passions. We don't want people to simply be a name filling in a blank. The best way for the church to do ministry is when believers serve within their area of spiritual giftedness and passion. When we serve God in this way, we are more fruitful and fulfilled. In Romans 12:6, the Scripture says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” At North Ridge, we help people discover their passion and spiritual gifts so that they are more effective in serving. When our different gifts and passions are blended together, the church becomes a powerful team to be used by God.

Organized for Growth

Organized for growth means that we seek to structure our ministry to help people and the church to continue growing. We believe that a healthy church is a growing church. That means that as long as we are healthy, we will be in constant need of an organizational structure that aids and allows for growth. In Acts 6:7, the church in Jerusalem had just made a change in their organizational structure and then the Scripture says, “…the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly…” We seek to continually structure our church so that we may see the number of disciples at North Ridge increase rapidly.

Relationship Centered

We believe that ministry is meant to be done in the context of relationships. Therefore, we focus on people more than programs. We believe people reach people, people disciple people, people assimilate people, and people help train people for leadership. In other words, relationships are the key to impacting lives for Christ. Philippians 2:4 says, “Each of you should look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.” At North Ridge we want people to be our focus and we want people to be more important than programs.

Teachers/Leaders Qualified Spiritually

The Bible teaches that church leadership should be based on spiritual qualifications, not political qualifications. In Exodus 18, Moses is told to select spiritual leaders by his father-in-law, Jethro. In verse 21, the Bible says, “…select capable men from all the people- men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain…” This theme of spiritually qualified leaders is continued throughout the Scriptures. At North Ridge, we seek to place people in leadership positions who are spiritually qualified.

Home Groups Prioritized

The Bible teaches that small groups have been the most effective structure for ministry as far back as the days of Moses. Jesus used a small group approach to ministry and the New Testament church organized in small groups as well. In Acts 5:42, the Scripture says, “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” When believers met in the temple court, they met as a large group and when they met from house to house, they met as a small group. We prioritize the use of small groups just like the scriptures teach because we believe it is the most effective way to do ministry. At North Ridge we have decided to be a small group church not just a church with small groups.

Rely on Prayer, Faith, and the Holy Spirit

The church is a spiritual organization and should be managed from a spiritual perspective. Prayer, faith, and the Spirit’s leading have always been the way God directs his people. The church does not need human wisdom; it needs supernatural wisdom, and that only comes through prayer, faith, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. In Acts 1, we find the apostles waiting on God’s direction. As they wait, notice that Scripture says in verse 14, ‘They all joined together constantly in prayer…” The church needs spiritual direction, and that can only come through spiritual means.

Initiate Acceptance

The church should be a place where all people are welcome and accepted. 1 Peter 2:17 says, “Show proper respect for everyone…” A part of showing respect means accepting people for who they are. We want our church to be a place where all people of different backgrounds find love and acceptance. Initiating acceptance is not to be confused with approval. We may accept a person and still not approve of his or her lifestyle if it contradicts the teaching of Scripture.

Disciple Making Focus

We believe making disciples is not part of the purpose of the church- it is the purpose of the church. We believe Christ wanted the church to be a movement of multiplying disciples. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus says, “go make disciples of all nations…” If the church is doing what Jesus commissioned, it will be a movement of multiplying disciples. At North Ridge, our purpose is to “Be and Build” disciples of Christ. As we help people move from babies in the faith to mature adults, the end product is exactly what Christ calls for- a reproducing disciple. Making disciples is the focus of our church.

God's Word is Our Authority

We believe the Bible is our sole authority for life. Since the Bible is the inspired Word of God, we know it is a trustworthy and reliable guide for our lives and our ministry. 2 Timothy 3:16 teaches, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” Everything we do in the ministry of this church must stay true to God’s Word. The Word of God is our standard and our guide. If we stay true to the Scriptures, God will honor His word and bring blessings to our church. The Bibles is our sole authority for all we do.

Effective in Our Culture

The core value of being effective in our culture means that we do ministry in a way that identifies with contemporary culture without compromising the truth of God’s Word. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of being effective in one’s culture. Jesus reached the people of His day in a way that identified with their culture. In 1 Corinthians 9:22 Paul writes, “…I have become all things to all men so that by all means I might save some.” Like Paul, we identify with our culture through things like casual dress, music, and dramas that we might be better able to reach our culture.