WHO WE ARE

We are a church comprised of Christians who find our purpose in the gospel of Jesus Christ, expressed through biblical worship and discipleship in community. 

We aspire to be a church that serves our community in the Name of Jesus through partnering with existing organizations thus building bridges of trust that can bear the weight of truth.

As a church, we find great joy in obeying the Great Commandment and the Great Commission (Matthew 22:27-40; Matthew 28:18-20). 

Under the great purpose of glorifying God, we see these purposes as guiding our mission and vision both locally and globally:

            WORSHIP (Love the Lord your God)

            MINISTRY (Love your neighbor as yourself)

            EVANGELISM (Make disciples)

            FELLOWSHIP (Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the      Holy Spirit)

What We Value

The ultimate Core Value of our church is the worship of Christ.    

We believe that all of the Old Testament points forward toward Christ and that all of the New Testament points backwards to Christ.  Each of the other core values stem from this and undergird it.

We believe that one of the ways we worship Christ is through being disciples and making disciples.  Teaching others through word and action, life and doctrine, we aspire to lead and walk with others to become dedicated and committed followers of Christ. 

We believe that the worship of Christ and discipleship are not values that are done in isolation but in community.  We highly value the local church, which is the visible expression of the Body of Christ here on earth.  We believe that living in community for the glory of God is one of the best ways to represent and share Christ faithfully.

HOW WE ARE STRUCTURED

At Santa Cruz Baptist we are Elder led, Congregationally governed, and Deacon served.

Elders (or pastors) are biblically qualified men who oversee the local church, particularly through teaching God's Word, praying, caring for church members and training members to do the work of ministry (1 Timothy 3:2-7; Titus 1:6-9; Ephesians 4).

Congregationalism:  We believe that the final say in matters of doctrine and practice are the members of the church, the priesthood of all believers.  Together, they guard the Gospel (Galatians 1:6-10), take in new members (Matthew 16:13-20), and lovingly correct one another (1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 18:15-20).

Deacon Served:  Deacons are biblically qualified men or women who work to care for the church through acts of service (1 Timothy 3:8-13; Acts 6:1-6).