Purpose and Core Values
The purpose of the Hillcrest College Ministry is to call and equip young adults to live the rest of their lives as maturing, committed disciples of Jesus Christ.
“We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” Colossians 1:28
God’s Glory
Col. 1:16, 18; Is. 48:11; 42:8; Ez. 36:22; Jn. 17:1; Php. 2:9-11; 1 Cor. 10:31; 1 Pet. 4:11
God’s glory is supreme over everything else in all creation. Everything that exists does so to bring glory and honor to God. We should see our lives through the biblical filter that God’s glory is the highest and greatest thing and that his glorification is the best possible thing for us, his children. In every situation, throughout history, God has always acted in the interest of his glory. Because he is the most glorious thing, it is right for him to do so, and our lives are best utilized and most fulfilling when we spend them to magnify the glory of God.
Centrality of Scripture
2 Tim. 3:15-17; Col. 3:16; Heb. 4:12; Ps. 19:7-11; Pr. 30:5; Lk. 11:28; Acts 6:2, 4: 1 Th. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:23
The Bible is the inspired word of God and applies to every area of life in every culture throughout every generation. It should be at the very center of our lives, impacting every decision we make and guiding our thoughts and actions from beginning to end.
Missional Lifestyles
Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 4:19-20; 8:4; Ps. 96:2-3; 1 Pet. 3:15
As Christians, we should live our lives on-mission with God in the world. We should look for opportunities for God to use us in his redemptive plan every day of our lives. As we live every day on-mission with God, we should also turn our hearts to the call and need for workers to go to the ends of the earth with the message of the gospel. As missional people, we will join God at work both in our immediate location and around the world.
Devotion to the Local Church
1 Cor. 12:12-27; Rom. 12:4-5; Acts 2:46; Rom. 15:19b; Heb. 10:25; Eph. 3:10-11
The church is God’s chosen agent to make much of himself in all the earth. The New Testament clearly shows the pattern of establishing local churches to carry out that mission. God has equipped every believer to serve by giving them spiritual gifts that are intended to be used in the context of community within a local church. But it is about more than just cold commitment. Devotion is the fusion of commitment with affection.
Embracing Biblical Community
Heb. 10:24-25, 33-34; Acts 2:42-47; Col. 3:12-14; Jn. 13:34-35; Pr. 27:17; Ecc. 4:9-12; Rom. 1:12
The Christian faith was meant to be lived in community. God exists in community as well as one. God has designed us so that we long for and thrive in community. When we embrace community the way the Bible describes it we experience the mutual openness, accountability, encouragement, refining, and support that God intended it for, and we grow in spiritual maturity as we are sharpened by each other.
Discipleship strategy
Everything we do, from Bible study to serving to playing and having fun, is designed to drive all of us deeper into discipleship and love for Jesus. None of us are perfect, but we’re all walking the same road, moving toward Jesus together. Growing in discipleship and spiritual maturity is the goal.
The two main events at the center of that focus are tenthirty and Home Groups. Tenthirty is our weekly worship and teaching time. We meet on Sunday mornings at 10:30, and tenthirty is the time when we are all together as a group to worship, pray together, dig into the Bible, and hang out. Tenthirty is where we preach and teach through scripture as a whole group.
Home Groups are the small group connecting place to go deeper in Bible study and relationships. We look at the same passage from Sunday in a small group oriented way. This is the place to ask questions about the passage, talk about how it applies practically to your life, and share struggles with a small group of friends.
This strategy of a large gathering and a small group focused on the same passage is intended to do two things:
1) Help us all go deeper in our study of the Bible. It’s good to be under Bible teaching, but it’s hard to go very deep when you only hear someone talk about something without an opportunity to interact and ask questions. Hearing it taught and being able to interact with it in a group will hopefully help us go deeper.
2) Not overwhelm us. It’s easy to meet for Bible study several times a week, look at several different passages and topics, and walk away with too much to process. Taking several looks at only one passage will hopefully help us focus in on it and what that means for life.
