Gospel-Centered
We believe that the gospel is at the center of all that Mercyview is. The Gospel is one thing (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) - it is the historic Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected that demands a response. But it does more than one thing (Galatians 2:11-14) - his plan isn’t to steer us beyond the Gospel but to move us more deeply into it. The gospel is both the key to a sojourner’s salvation and the key to the Christian’s sanctification. We desire at Mercyview for the gospel to be the "filter" for everything in our lives and in our ministry and mission as a church (Romans 1:16-17; Galatians 3:1-3; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:12).
Missional
We believe the mission of the church is, in reality, a continuation of Christ’s earthly ministry: to contend for and contextualize the faith. We are a community sent on a mission together - to keep on doing the ministry of Jesus so that all people and all creation might experience the reconciliation of God. We do this through the proclamation of the gospel (Mark 16:15; Acts 17:23; Romans 10:14) and the enactment of the gospel through acts of mercy and justice (Matthew 25:31-47; Luke 6:27; James 1:27; 1 John 3:17), working to alleviate the spiritual, psychological, social, and physical suffering and effects of sin around us (Jeremiah 29:4-7) so that God’s will might be done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
Family
We believe that one of the primary ways that the Scriptures describe those who are members of a local church is by calling them family. We believe that if you want to truly experience the grace he is offering us in his body, it’s found in the safety and intimacy and shared identity of his family in the local church. As God’s family, you see it as our obligation to personally care for the needs of one another – both physically and spiritually. You disciple, foster and hold each other accountable to gospel life together. (Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 2:9-11)
Discipleship
We believe that discipleship is the primary means that God's kingdom is extended in the world (Matthew 28:19-20). When we are saved by God, we become his disciple, renouncing anything that challenges or trumps our allegiance to the kingdom of God. It also means we begin the journey of being discipled by Jesus and others, as well as discipling others. The primary context for discipleship at Mercyview is found in our missional communities, a place where we can share our lives in a more intimate context that allows for sharpening and formation.
Multiplication
We believe a gospel-centered person and church multiplies both organically and organizationally. People within the church multiply as they live with a “mission of reconciliation” on the forefront of their minds. The church multiplies as it plants missional communities from within but also it plants churches outside of its fellowship. (Matthew 13:23, 33; 2 Timothy 2:1-2)
God's Glory
We believe that the biblical story of creation reaches its climax with the creation of man in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). Though creation exists for man, because God made man like Himself, man’s dominion over the world and his filling the world is for a very specific purpose – displaying the image of God. God’s aim was that man would act that like a mirror, a reflection of God himself, whose image he bears (Isaiah 43:7). So God’s purpose in creation was to fill the earth with His own glory. As Christians individually and corporately, God’s purpose for His new redeemed people is to glorify God in Christ in all things (1 Corinthians 2:10).