Our DNA

Outward — we make Jesus known

P — PROCLAIM

We believe God has revealed Himself. We believe there is one true God, the Creator of everything that exists—holy, good, faithful, all-powerful, all-knowing, and sovereign over His creation. The Bible is God's Word, given through human authors guided by the Holy Spirit; the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God and are our final authority for faith and life. Scripture is the standard by which we test every teaching, experience, idea, and way of life.

Jesus did not come announcing a private spirituality. He came proclaiming good news: the kingdom of God has come near—repent and believe the good news. And He calls His people to proclaim that same good news. We have been called out of darkness so that we can tell others about the One who called us into His marvelous light. Proclaiming Jesus means more than having the right words; it means living openly as people who belong to Him and being willing to speak about Him with the people God has placed around us. If the Gospel really is good news, keeping it to ourselves isn't humility. It's hoarding.

We don't proclaim because we have all the answers. We proclaim because we have good news.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”1 Peter 2:9

Who needs to hear about Jesus from me?

Upward — we trust Jesus through difficulty

O — OVERCOME

We believe Jesus has overcome sin and death. God created humanity in His image and gave us intrinsic dignity and value, created for relationship with God, with one another, and with the creation He entrusted to us. But humanity rebelled and sin entered God's good creation, bringing guilt, brokenness, alienation, and death. We are not basically good people who occasionally make mistakes; we are broken people who desperately need rescue, and none of us can repair that separation through our own goodness, religious effort, morality, or accomplishment.

But sin and death do not get the final word. Jesus Christ lived the perfect life we could never live, willingly gave Himself on the cross as the sacrifice for our sin, bore our guilt and shame, and rose physically from the grave. Everyone who repents and places their faith in Jesus Christ receives forgiveness, is born again by the Holy Spirit, and is brought into right relationship with God. Salvation is God's gift of grace; it cannot be earned, only received through faith. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer, convicts, comforts, teaches, sanctifies, empowers, and gives gifts for the building up of the body of Christ.

Following Jesus doesn't mean life stops being difficult. We will experience disappointment, suffering, loss, temptation, uncertainty, and seasons when faith feels more like endurance than victory. But difficulty doesn't have the final word. We don't overcome by denying pain, mastering every circumstance, or proving ourselves strong — we overcome by holding fast to the crucified and risen Christ.

Our faith isn't pretending everything is okay. Faith is trusting Christ when everything isn't okay. Most days we aren't overcoming by feeling victorious—we're taking the next faithful step because we trust the One who is greater than whatever we're facing. Our strength is not found in ourselves; our hope is found in Christ.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”John 16:33

What would trusting Jesus look like here?

Inward — we find our joy in Jesus, not our circumstances

R — REJOICE

We believe salvation brings us into relationship with God and His people. There is one God who eternally exists as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Father sends the Son, the Son accomplishes our redemption, and the Spirit applies that redemption to us and empowers us to live as God's people. God is not distant or detached; He is relational, and through Jesus we are invited back into a relationship with Him. Everyone who trusts in Jesus becomes a child of God, adopted into His family—forgiven, reconciled, secure in Christ, with the promise of eternal life.

The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. The Church is the community of people redeemed by Jesus and brought together by the Spirit—we gather for worship, prayer, teaching, communion, encouragement, accountability, service, and mission. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are gifts Jesus has given His Church as visible expressions of our faith and participation in the Gospel. The Church is not a building; the Church is God's people, and imperfect people are welcome here—not because sin does not matter, but because Jesus is able to redeem broken people.

Joy isn't the reward we receive after we've finally gotten our lives sorted out—it's the strength we need while we haven't. We can be hurting and still rejoice. We can be disappointed and still rejoice. We can be uncertain and still rejoice, because Christian joy isn't rooted in pretending life is good—it is rooted in knowing that God is good. Christian joy is not denial, personality, or emotional performance. It is the fruit of belonging to Christ and sharing life with His people.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”Philippians 4:4

Am I allowing my circumstances to determine my joy, or am I finding my joy in Jesus?

Center — Jesus is preeminent; we give Him everything

C — CHRIST

We believe Jesus Christ is the center of God's purposes and the Head of His Church. Jesus is the eternal Son of God—not merely a prophet, teacher, moral example, or created being, but God in the flesh. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, He is fully God and fully human. He lived without sin, died for our sin, was buried, physically rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father where He intercedes for His people, and He will return. He is Savior, Lord, Messiah, King, High Priest, Advocate, and Head of the Church. Everything we do as a church flows from Him and points back to Him.

Christ isn't simply one of our values—Christ is the center of all of them. PORCH isn't built around the parts of Jesus we happen to like. Jesus isn't simply a teacher we admire, a Savior we appreciate, or an addition to an already full life—He is Lord. That means Jesus doesn't ask for a portion of our lives; He calls us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Our money, our time, our relationships, our bodies, our work, our ambitions, our comfort — our entire lives belong to Him. We don't give Jesus everything because He needs our enthusiasm. We give Him everything because He is worthy of everything.

The Church is the Body of Christ, made up of all who have been born again through faith in Him and the work of the Holy Spirit. The local church is the visible expression of that larger Body in a particular place, called to worship God, teach His Word, make disciples, care for one another, serve their communities, proclaim the Gospel, and represent Jesus in the places where God has planted them. We want PORCH to be a people who look like Jesus — not perfect people, not people who have everything figured out, but people who are learning to follow Jesus together.

“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”Colossians 1:18

What am I still holding back from Jesus?

Forward — we live for the day Jesus returns

H — HOPE

We believe Jesus is coming again and God will make all things new. The Christian faith is not ultimately about escaping the world—it is about God restoring what sin has broken. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly as King. There will be a resurrection of the dead and a final judgment: those who have trusted in Christ will experience the eternal blessedness of God's presence, while those who reject Him will face eternal separation from God.

Because judgment is real, our response to Jesus matters eternally—but our ultimate posture is not fear. It is hope. We are waiting for the return of our King, who will establish His kingdom in righteousness and peace, renew creation, and bring God's purposes to their appointed completion.

We also believe God remains faithful to the promises He made to Israel. Through Jesus the Messiah, people from every nation have been brought near and incorporated into the covenant blessings of God's people—we do not believe the Church replaces Israel; we believe God is faithful to every promise He has made. We hold to what we call a Messianic Kingdom Hope: the conviction that God will accomplish His redemptive purposes for Israel and for all nations through the reign of Jesus Christ. Israel keeps her covenant identity and future calling, and the Church—made up of believers from every nation—has been graciously grafted into the blessings of those covenants through faith in Christ. Our hope is not in a political movement, a government, a nation, or human strength. Our hope is in the King.

The Christian life is lived in the present, but it is always looking forward. Jesus is coming again—that isn't wishful thinking, it is confidence rooted in who Jesus is and what God has promised to do. We abide in Christ now because we know He is coming. We endure because we know suffering will not have the final word. We rejoice because the kingdom is coming. We proclaim because the Gospel is moving toward every nation. And we surrender everything to Christ because He is the King who is coming again.

And so we don't wait passively. We watch. We pray. We serve. We suffer faithfully. We proclaim. We remain faithful until He comes — like someone who leaves the porch light on, not knowing the hour, but certain that Christ will return.

“while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”Titus 2:13

Am I living today in light of the day Jesus returns?