Our Characteristics

Every church develops a personality with various “defining characteristics.” Who we are will  impact our ministry as much as what we do. We are always praying and working towards developing these 7 characteristics in the life of our church. 

C – Community              - Where people count and relationships grow
A – Acceptance             - Where we accept each other as Christ accepts us
S – Scriptures                - Where we explore the scriptures with humility and consistency
C – Creativity                - Where the mission matters more than the method or tradition
A – Authenticity            - Where we are open and honest with God and each other        
D – Determination         - Where we don’t give up
E – Excitement              - Where we celebrate living with real hope, not empty hype 

Dear God, by your power and grace help us be a church of real…

C – Community: Help us at CCC experience genuine love, joy and spiritual encouragement in our relationships. Help us, Lord, to grow as a family of friends rather than an assembly of individuals. Use our small groups and other ministries to help people experience CCC as a genuine community of faith.

“Above all, love each other deeply.” - I Peter 4:8

A – Acceptance: Help us at CCC accept people as Christ does. Help us be a welcoming church with a loving heart. Protect and forgive us from any spirit of judgmental superiority or painful prejudice. Assist us in accepting people at various places in their spiritual life with the hope that at CCC each of us can grow. Lord, help me to accept and respect my brothers and sisters in Christ who might have different positions then me on some issues.

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.” – Romans 15:7

S – Scriptures: Thank you for the gift of your Word! Help us at CCC to be defined as a community of faith that is centered in the scriptures. May your word not just inform us,  but by your spirit may it transform us! Help us to open ourselves up to you with a teachable mind and a humble heart when we look to the scriptures.

“For the word of God is living and active.” – Hebrews 4:12

C – Creativity: Assist us, Lord, when we need to be creative in our ministry. Help us to value the blessings of our traditions without being bound to them. Give us faith and courage to try new methods of ministry even as our message and mission remain the same.

“I do all this for the sake of the gospel.” – I Corinthians 9:23

A – Authenticity: Lord, we want and need to be a church where people can be real. Help us to not settle for being superficial. Protect us from being phony. Give us the courage we need to share our lives authentically with each other. Give us the grace to accept each other as we go deeper. Give us the needed faith to be open and honest with you and each other.

“We do not want you to be uninformed of the hardships we suffered.” – II Corinthians 1:8

D – Determination: Lord, we need a strong spirit of determination in our church. When hardships come, help us to never give up. When discouragement threatens us, help us to never give in. Grant us the grace to endure hardships with trust in you, love for each other and a passion for your ministry. Help us to be determined to follow your example.

“Run with perseverance the race marked out.” – Hebrews 12:2
 
E – Excitement: Lord, Give us a growing joy, passion and excitement for you! Give us an excitement for you that flows from the truth of who you are, what you have done, what you are doing and what you will do. Thank you for the real hope for real life that we have in you!

“I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart.” – Psalm 86:12