OUR MISSION
We exist to humbly point
EVERYONE to Absolute HOPE.
The world is always looking for hope, and we believe that Jesus Christ is that Hope, our ABSOLUTE Hope. We also believe that God has called our church to point everyone to that hope, but that we are also called to do that with a confident humility.
In everything that we do, we want to humbly point everyone to absolute Hope. Whether we’re gathering together on a Sunday morning or are outside our walls serving LKN, we want to humbly point everyone to absolute Hope.
OUR VISION
We are Transformed People Changing Our Friends' Lives by Absolute Hope
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-18
When Jesus called his followers to ‘go and make disciples,’ we believe we are called to do the same. To actively engage with our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and community while pointing them to the Absolute Hope in Jesus Christ. To begin to see the need for hope in our personal circles of influence (Your Top 5) and to know that Jesus is the change they need for their lives. That is our task. We’ve been called by God to this LKN area to humbly point everyone to absolute Hope!
How can we do that? By understanding that we are the transformed people who belong to Christ. That our old life is gone and we’ve been given absolute Hope for this new life in Him. It’s a GIFT! This changes the way we approach partnering with a local church, growing in our faith, serving our community, and leading others to this same gift of hope.
Every person that you meet at Journey is on a path of transformation. Transformed is not a destination, it is a process of renewing our minds (Romans 12:2) daily. Our church is a collection of seekers, beginners, stumblers, and followers of Jesus Christ. No matter where you are on your journey, you can become a “transformed person helping change your friends’ lives by absolute hope!”
We hope that you will carry this vision with us. It’s not something that a RELIGION or an INSTITUTION can accomplish. It can only happen when we personally choose to be transformed by God and engage our friends with the message of absolute Hope!
– Matt Dawson | Lead Pastor
Our Core Values
Our Values help us live out our Mission & Vision in every-day life. These values drive the decisions we make and provide a way to remind us of what truly matters to us and why.
GRACE
Because there is nothing we can do to make God love us more.
LOVE
Because everyone matters.
GENEROSITY
Because we’ve been given more than we deserve.
INNOVATION
Because we want to reach people no one is reaching by doing things no one is doing.
PASSION
Because our purpose deserves our everything.
UNITY
Because the Church is better together.
REAL
Because God uses broken people like us.
Our Core Ambitions
At Journey, we believe that discipleship is a lifelong walk and relationship with Jesus. We help to visualize a walk with Jesus by outlining 4 Core Ambitions that any disciple of Christ should have: Partnering, Growing, Serving, & Leading.
Note that all 4 of these ambitions are active words, implying that we continue to engage each of these ambitions continuously. Similar to how the four wheels on a car work in combination, we should be engaging each of the 4 Core Ambitions simultaneously. As disciples, we should be Partnering, Growing, Serving, & Leading if we truly want to follow Jesus.
Partnering brings Community.
We don’t have traditional church membership at Journey, because membership tends to imply privilege and entitlement. We’re not hating on other churches who have it, we would just much rather PARTNER with you to accomplish the work of the Church together.
Partnering at Journey has three key parts: Community, Volunteering & Giving. We are so ALL IN on Partnering that we have a whole section dedicated to it!
Growing brings Change.
Just like a tree, if you’re not GROWING, you’re probably DYING.
Growing in your faith is an important part of our walks with Jesus. This includes expanding our understanding of God, growing in our relationship with Him, taking steps to increase our faith in our everyday lives, and so much more.
Growing at Journey can take many forms, our Groups are the best way for us to experience growth in what we call intentional community. We all want to see change in our lives, and we know that growing brings change.
Serving brings Purpose.
Serving at Journey is when we go outside the walls of the church to humbly point everyone to absolute Hope. This could be as simple as helping a neighbor with yard work or as big as going on a Journey GO (Global Outreach) trip to West Virginia, Peru, Haiti, or Kenya.
Serving is a natural part of becoming like Jesus because he was the ultimate servant. We regularly take time to find ways to serve in the LKN area and even those right where we live, work, and play. Serving is less an event on a calendar and more a lifestyle and outlook on life.
We believe that as we serve others, we find purpose in our service. As disciples of Jesus, we should live as humble servants, because He has served us first.
Leading brings Hope.
When we say Leading, we’re referring to how Jesus has called us to go first, to extend ourselves to those around us to share the Gospel with them. While sharing your faith may seem overwhelming and even intimidating, we believe that our job is to be obedient & willing – that the Holy Spirit is who brings the Hope to those we share the Gospel with.
At Journey, we believe there are 5 simple guidelines for how we should share our faith with others:
- You won’t fail.
- It’s for everyone. (Both to Share & to Receive)
- Be driven by love.
- Tell your story.
- Be yourself.
Everyone who follows Jesus should be regularly leading in their lives by sharing the Gospel with those around them, not by obligation, but out of an overflowing of what God has done in their lives. With all that He has done for us, why would we not want to humbly point everyone to absolute Hope?
The best way to learn more about Leading, and all the other Core Ambitions is to jump into Growth Track – a 4-session experience designed to help you grow in your faith and see change happen in your life!
Statement of Beliefs
If you’re interested to learn more about what we specifically believe as a church, then check out our full Statement of Beliefs.