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Our Mission Statement
Shoreline Community Church—Becoming a community of Love, Acceptance, Forgiveness, and Belonging. We know that we haven’t arrived yet, but we really want SCC to be a healing environment where people experience the love, acceptance and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. We can’t be all that God has created us to be alone, so we need one another to understand Who God is and how to be more like Jesus. We’re made for community and we belong together in this journey.
Our Purposes
The first group of people to seriously follow Christ (basically, the original Christian Church) is spoken of in the Bible, in the book of Acts. The stories in that book display how the church is to function, specifically as a group of people intent on Worshipping, Sharing, Belonging, Serving, Growing, and Sending. We try to make these purposes the motivation and criteria for all that we do with SCC. We believe that the church is a group of people, not a place or a building, and because of this, our ministry has to revolve around people, not programs! The foundation for our purposes is outlined in Acts 2:41-47:
“Those who accepted His message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
The Circle
Our purposes are displayed in this Circle Diagram, and there are Scripture verses as the basis for those specific purposes:
Worship and Prayer:Psalm 29:2- “Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”; 1 Thessalonians 5:17- “Never stop praying.”
Sharing: Acts 8:4- “But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.”; Ephesians 2:10- “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”; Matthew 5:16- “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father.”
Belonging: Acts 13:42-43- “As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God.”; Acts 2:41-47 (above)
Serving: Ephesians 6:7-8- “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.”; Romans 12:11b- “but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”; 1 Peter 4:7-11- “The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”
Growing: 2 Timothy 2:1-2- “Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”; Hebrews 5:11-6:3- “There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”; Matthew 7:24- “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”;
Sending: Acts 1:8- “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Transformed hearts: As we really get to know God, and love Him and grow as believers in Jesus, our hearts will be transformed from thinking only about ourselves, to thinking of how to love and help others. Philippians 2:3-5- “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Romans 12:2- “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
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