What We're About

The gospel is the heart of the Christian faith. It is the good news of what Christ accomplished for us through his death and resurrection. Out of his immeasurable love, Jesus willingly gave his life to rescue us from our sins and open the door to a relationship with him. We are saved by trusting Christ as our Savior and Lord of our lives. Our salvation is a gift of God's grace; we are not saved by our efforts to impress God or prove how morally deserving we are of his love. Jesus already definitively proved his love for us on the cross. Our lives of faith, including obedience to God's commands, are a joyful response to what he already did for us. The gospel, therefore, is our primary lens of faith.

The Apostle Paul said it this way in Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10)

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us...(Romans 12:4-6)

Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

While [the lost son] was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:20-24)

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvestis plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:35-38)

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? (Matthew 5:46-47)

The Samaritan woman said to [Jesus], “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) (John 4:9)

In ancient Greek – the original language of the New Testament – the word for Church does not refer to a structure; it refers to a people. The word is ekklesia, which literally means ‘those called out.’ It’s an assembly. A gathering. It’s easy to mix this up in 21st century America because we’re so accustomed to thinking of churches as buildings or destinations. The result is that we view ‘church’ as a venue instead of a people - brick and mortar instead of flesh and blood. We want to speak and think about ourselves in a biblical manner.

This means that we don’t attend Real Hope. We are Real Hope.

We speak grace and truth into the struggles of life. We look to the Scriptures for our understanding of God and ourselves. We embrace God’s agenda above our own. We are a safe place to ask real questions. We act as ambassadors of Christ to the world around us. We discover and use the gifts God has given us. We trust God in all areas of our lives. We give generously to God’s global mission. We are a voice of unity and reconciliation, not division and condemnation. We walk with people who are hurting. We celebrate life change. We rely on God to make all of this true of us!

Real Hope Community Church embraces the beliefs and practices of historic Christianity, as expressed in ancient statements of faith such as the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. The statements below represent our non-negotiable essentials of faith. On secondary questions of theology and biblical interpretation that have been sincerely debated by men and women who love the Lord, we allow room for differences of opinion. In all things, we strive for unity and give each other grace as God has given it so generously to us.