About GCC Roseburg

CORE VALUES

Gospel Centrality

We believe Christian community is vital for a Christian’s growth. As the body of Christ comes together, we have a more accurate picture of Jesus (1 Cor. 12:12-31). In addition, as each member brings their spiritual gifts and speaks truth in love, we grow up to maturity in Christ (Eph. 4:9-16). Community is where we live out Scripture’s 54 commands regarding “one another”, including encouraging one another to love and good deeds. At GCC we believe the best way to make Jesus the hero is in the context of loving one another (John 13:35).

Community

Mission

We believe some people are called to overseas missions; however, we believe all Christians are called to see themselves as missionaries living out lives on mission. Christ came as a sojourner/alien to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), and as Christians, we have been placed into our homes and workplaces by God because He continues to accomplish that through us (Rom. 15:20-21, 1 Cor. 9:22, Matt. 6:37-38).

We believe mission is best lived out in the context of community so other people can witness our love for one another (John 13:35). We believe living on mission means seeking the welfare of our city which will be our welfare (Jer. 29:7) Finally, we would summarize mission as lifting up the Son of God which is done through word and deed.

Transparency/Genuineness:

We are not perfect, and hope that our vulnerability would create a place where people feel safe to be transparent. We want others to know that we need the perfection of Jesus just as much as they do (2 Cor. 1:12, 1 John 1:8, Rom. 7:15-25).

Joy

Joy is a theme throughout our Bibles and a word that appears almost 60 times in the New Testament, and we believe Christians are empowered to be the most joyous people in the world! Why? Because we have something greater than circumstances, finances, careers, trials, and even sicknesses that give us our identity and hope: Jesus!

Jesus himself made a way for his joy to be in us and for our joy to be full (John 15:11). This is why Paul, when writing from prison, is able to tell the church of Philippi about the joy he has and call them to rejoice as well. Similarly, James calls believers to have joy when experiencing trials, knowing a trial cannot shake the greatest gift we have in Christ: his love for us and the identity he gives to us as children of God. Importantly, joy goes hand in hand with our core value of transparency; we can be real and acknowledge when we’re in a difficult season of life while still having joy in the midst of it.

DOCTRINE

Scripture

We believe the Bible to be the written revelation of God, absolute and sufficient in all respects. This inspired word of God is without error and complete in its disclosure of God’s will for the salvation of man. We believe the Scriptures to be the very words of God written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They are therefore fully authoritative in and of themselves; their authority is not derived from any church, council, or creed, but are authoritative simply because they are the Word of God fully standing as its own self-attesting authority. The Scriptures, which contain sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, as they embody the very speaking of God, partake of His authority and His power.

God's Sovereignty

We believe in one true and eternal God, unchanging and unchangeable. We believe God is the Creator of all that exists in heaven and earth. God, as described in the Bible is distinct; He is unlike anyone or anything else in the entire universe. God has all power, all knowledge, all wisdom, and is due all glory, honor, and praise. That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance. All that comes to pass does so by the power of His decree. He governs all creatures and all events and does so, in no way, as to be the author or approver of sin, all without destroying the free will and responsibility of mankind to obey his commands. God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life is not because of any foreseen merit in them, but of His pure mercy in the work of Christ on the cross by which the believer is called, justified and glorified. All things will, in the end, result in the glory of God.

God's Deity

We believe the Bible teaches that there is but one being of God, yet there are three distinct Persons who equally share this one being of God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each Person is fully and completely God, but without disunion of nature, essence or being, all while possessing recognizably different and personal attributes of God. Each person in the Godhead has eternally known, loved and glorified one another. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have eternally existed in the relationship described by the term “Trinity.” God is the Maker, Preserver, and Ruler of all things. He is perfectly holy and cannot partake in or endorse evil. He requires from us that we be holy as well, as beings created in His image.

God's Plan of Redemption

We believe that man was created in the image of God. Man rebelled against His Creator in the garden and fell into sin through the first man Adam. Thus, both Adam and his progeny became spiritually dead, totally unwilling and indeed incapable of seeking after God.

According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin. God’s holiness and perfect justice demand that all sin be punished. The wages of our sins is death. God, from eternity past, having foreordained all things, joined a certain people to Christ Jesus, so that He might redeem them from their sin and in so doing bring glory to Himself. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died in the place of this elect people, providing full and complete forgiveness of sins by His death upon the cross of Calvary. No other work can provide for forgiveness of sins, and no addition can be made to the completed and finished work of Christ making Him the Hero of all of human history.

Salvation

We believe that God, in His sovereign grace and mercy, regenerates sinful men by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by any action of their own, bringing them to new life. Regeneration is a change of heart that is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit, who gives life to those who are dead in trespasses and sins. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God grants to them the gifts of faith and repentance, which they then exercise by believing in Christ and turning from their sins in love for God. True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. It is not enough to simply believe in Christ, for even Satan and the demons believe in the true God, but they do not love God and obey Him. As a result of this faith, based upon the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, God justifies, or makes righteous, the one who believes. God’s gift of faith and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the elect will result in love and obedience towards God. These good works flow from true, saving faith; they are a necessary result of faith but are not to be considered necessary to the gaining of justification, which is by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone, so that no man can boast.

The Church

We believe Jesus Christ established His Church, which is made up of all the elect of God. His Church, as an obedient bride, listens to His Word as found in the Bible. All who believe in Christ are placed in His body, the Church. The local expressions of the Church are very important, and each believer should be actively involved in such a fellowship.

The Return of Christ

We believe that Christ is coming again to judge the living and the dead. This promise is found throughout the inspired Scriptures. Until His return, believers are to live lives that bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. The Church is to be busy doing the work of evangelism and discipleship, proclaiming the pure, uncompromised Gospel of Christ by teaching the Word of God until He returns or calls us home.