CITY CHURCH OTR
OUR VALUES
Our values shape our community.
They’re at the center of all that we do. They keep us focused on what matters most - cultivating the kind of family that Jesus introduced to the world.
FAMILY
We cultivate authentic community for individuals in every stage of life.
Life is better together.
We commit to radical friendship.
We love family. And we embrace a vision of family that extends beyond the biological. A vision of family that reflects God’s heart for relationships—and His concern for individuals in every stage of life.
We also believe that Jesus’ life set into motion a new kind of family. The kind that is formed around hearing God and following Him together.
When we say “family,” we think of covenant bonds and deep friendship. Radical friendship. The kind of friends who feel like family, who say hard things because love is on the other side of those words. Friends who are forged in shared adventure and vulnerability.
We want everybody to have somebody like that in their life.
Maybe even a few somebodys.
We’re on a mission to help you find that kind of family in our city.
And, we want to empower you to be that kind of family to others.
We love each of our values. But we carry a deep conviction that mission, presence, and formation happen best in the context of family.
Because life is better with a tribe. A team. A group of people who—over time—become family.
MISSION
We empower one another to renew our city and our world.
Everyone's designed to make a difference.
We empower one another to renew our city and our world.
We’re convinced mission is a lifestyle, not an activity.
And empowerment is at the heart of our idea of mission.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says that Jesus gave His church its leaders “to equip his people (you) for the work of ministry” People, YOU, are our big missions’ initiative.
We love community outreaches and sermons, but we believe an equipped church is more effective than a polished event. Artists already rub shoulders with other artists. Executives with other executives. Teachers with teachers. And servers with servers.
We want to pour into everyone, including those who are shaping the ideas of our city and culture.
Our priority is to empower you.
Mission happens in our living rooms and across the world. We’re doubling down on the missional lifestyle. And we’re confident that an empowered group of people is the best strategy to influence a city for Jesus.
PRESENCE
We listen to God’s voice and experience His power.
Being with God changes everything.
We listen to God’s voice and experience His power.
Everything we do is centered in experiencing the presence of God.
We know that being with God changes everything. So if God isn't with us, we're not interested in going.
Moses knew this, too. When God asked him to leave where he was in order to face a new challenge, Moses replied, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
Our focus on experiencing the presence of God influences the way we worship, the way we pray, and the way we gather.
People live differently when they actually believe that God is with them.
We want to be those kinds of people.
Specifically, we are pursuing God’s voice and God’s power. We believe God has spoken through His Word and that He still speaks to us today. We love hearing Him, so we cultivate the practice of listening to His voice.
We also believe God is still on the move. And that His power is not just a story of old that is out of our reach.
We want to be people who live in and with that power.
FORMATION
We want to become more like Jesus, together.
There are many ways to think, live and love.
We practice the way of Jesus.
We want to become more like Jesus.
We're convinced the world would be a different - and better - place if every Jesus follower modeled their life after His.
That's because Jesus was committed to specific practices and disciplines. They were always lifegiving, yet many times countercultural.
These practices included loving enemies, forgiving radically, and serving humbly. He prayed often, fasted regularly, and lived in community.
Jesus had countless rhythms that made Him unique. We want to imitate those rhythms.
We want to practice living the life that Jesus lived.
Our aim is to worship Jesus as Lord and to orient our lives to look like His.
We know that anxiety is often easier than peace, anger easier than forgiveness, and self-promotion easier than humility; but we are dedicated to traveling the difficult road that leads to being more like Jesus. We're focused on being transformed into His image.
Because we know that the life Jesus lived is life to the full.
And we're convinced that we'll never regret any decision we make to become more like Him.
