What we believe

"For the son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10)
"Come, follow me..." (Mark 1:17)

• To love God with all that we are in all of life: The Greatest Commandment calls us to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind (Lk 10:27). We express our love for God by believing in his Son, Jesus Christ, keeping his commandments, and loving others through the power of his indwelling Spirit (1 Jn 3:21-24).
• To love each other through community and ministry: The New Commandment calls us to love the members of God's family the way Christ loved us (Jn 13:34). We do this by laying down our lives for each other in sacrificial acts of service (1 Jn 3:16-17). When we love each other in this way, we demonstrate the reality of Jesus Christ to our neighbors (Jn 17:20-23).
• To love our neighbors through evangelism and outreach: The Second Commandment calls us to love our neighbor the way we love ourselves (Mt 22:39). We do this by sharing the gospel, our lives, and our resources with those around us (Lk 10:29-37).

• We desire and pray for a church that regularly and effectively shares the gospel with our families, friends, and neighbors, with people in greater Grand Rapids, and throughout the world, so that each year more and more people find Jesus Christ as Savior through our witness.
• We desire and pray for a church that equips people to follow Jesus Christ and become more like him so that it becomes evident to everyone that the Holy Spirit lives within us and is transforming us into those who love God, love each other, and love our neighbors not only through our words but in every area of our lives.
• We desire and pray for a church that views all of life as an act of worship and that gathers together with the conviction that we are in the presence of God and therefore desire to celebrate who he is, what he has done, and what he will do in our midst.
• We desire and pray for a church that is a close-knit family and community where we can experience love, acceptance, forgiveness, encouragement, and the intimacy and oneness that have always existed among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• We desire and pray for a church where everyone can discover and use their spiritual gifts through regular opportunities for ministry, so that we all can serve God, each other, and our community in the unique ways he has made us.
• We desire and pray for a church where God’s Word shapes our minds, hearts, and lives, and where we hold firmly to the primary teachings of the Bible, such as salvation by grace through faith, but allow people great freedom to follow their own convictions and conscience in the secondary teachings of the Bible, such as the mode of baptism.
• We desire and pray for a church that each year becomes stronger in God’s power, deeper in maturity, larger in size, broader in impact, more generous in giving, more fervent in prayer, and more committed to fulfilling God’s mission and purposes for us here on earth.
• We believe that God can accomplish all these things at Thornapple and do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us for his own praise and glory.

• Outreach - serving the needs in our community and world.
• Hospitality - welcoming the stranger to our fellowship.
• Community - incorporating every person into the church family.
• Freedom / Diversity - seeking unity in the essentials of Christian belief without requiring uniformity in other areas.
• Faithfulness to Scripture - affirming the authority of God's word as the basis for belief and conduct.
• Worship - celebrating with awe the character of God and what he has done through proclamation, praise, and the sacraments.

• Ministry will determine facilities and staff.
• Ministry teams and staff will demonstrate good stewardship and fiscal responsibility.
• Ministry teams will lead ministry activities within their scope of responsibilities and will exercise care to communicate effectively with staff and council to whom they are accountable.
• All who represent Thornapple Evangelical Covenant Church will treat others ethically and in a way that reflects the character of Christ.
• Individual and corporate prayer will undergird the life and decisions of the church.
• Ministry activities will be consistent with Thornapple Evangelical Covenant Church's core values.

In March 2008 Ministry Priorities were adopted to bring focus and vision to this time in the life of Thornapple Covenant Church.  They were broken down into five areas:  worship, reach, connect, serve and grow.  To read about these ministry priorities, click here.