Mission & Values
Mission
Covenant Life Church exists to display God’s glory by making disciples who…
delight in God,
live together in gospel-centered community, and
work for gospel renewal in Tampa Bay and the nations.
Delight in god
Disciples of Jesus find their joy in God first by knowing him through prayerful meditation and study of his word. We believe in the inseparable relationship between growing in Christ-likeness as a disciple and the spiritual disciplines of reading the Bible, praying, giving, confession of sin and weakness, and gathering together with the church regularly. We believe the Bible gives us the truthful paradigm for a life filled with delighting in God through joyful and sorrowful times, and that it is the final source of authority in every regard for all people.
live in Gospel-Centered Community
To be a Christian means being taken out of isolation into the corporately gathered life of the body of Christ in its local expressions (the local church). In Christ we belong together. As we commit ourselves corporately to the gospel, authentic fellowship will mark our lives.
work for Gospel Renewal
Faith in Christ restores people to God and to one another. We care for the wellbeing of our city – and a host of related issues – because we first love God. This leads directly to loving our neighbor. As people are restored to God, they become agents of restoration in the city.
Values
EXPRESSION OF MISSION
Gospel – The Gospel Changes Everything
The gospel is literally the “good news” of God’s grace (undeserved kindness) to sinful people through Jesus Christ. The gospel announces that our Creator has become our Redeemer (Rom 5.6-11). Jesus Christ has shielded us from God’s wrath by becoming our representative substitute, receiving the wages of our sin in our place, and by conquering death in His resurrection (1 Cor 15.3-4; Rom 4.24-25). We believe this gospel of grace to be both the starting point for the Christian life and the way that we grow at every point. The Gospel possesses the power to renew individuals, families, communities, cities – even the whole world (2 Pet 1.3-8).
Sound Doctrine – The Gospel Testifies to what and why we teach
God’s word is Truth and thus authoritative over every aspect of our lives (2 Tim 3.16-17). This leads us to teach Scripture expositionally, always making the point of the passage the point of the message (Matt 4.4; Jn 17.17). We believe that right-thinking fosters right-living. Therefore, we are committed to theological training. Holding firm to the trustworthy word as taught, we are able to give instruction in sound doctrine and to rebuke those who contradict it so that we are not tossed about by false teaching (Eph 4.14-15; Titus 1.9).
Biblical Community – The Gospel Creates a New Community
The gospel transforms our relationships with one another. It creates a new community where we as the church grow together in the knowledge and wisdom of God (Eph 4.11-13). The restoring power of the gospel creates a diverse family from all cultural, social, ethnic backgrounds, and political preferences (Eph 1.4-10; Eph 2.13-22). As a family, we seek to guard one another against the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3.13), always considering how to stir up one another to love and good deeds (Heb 10.24-25). The presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer. Therefore, we pursue authentic life together daily (Acts 2.42-47).
Family – The Gospel Transforms and Redeems families in our culture
The gospel does not only reform people – it restores them (Rom 6.4). We are restored as individuals, as families, and therefore, as the church. While the church is called to make disciples, it is clear that God has given the family as the primary unit of discipleship (Deut 6.4-9). God’s word has established clear roles within the family through which discipleship takes place. As Christ is the Head of the church, so also are husbands and fathers to humbly serve their families as pastor, protector, and provider (Eph 5.25-26; Eph 6.4). As the church is subject to Christ, wives are to submit to and support their husbands (Eph 5.24). Motherhood is a high and honorable calling with extraordinary responsibilities – loving their husbands, nurturing their children, and serving their families (Titus 2.3-5). Children are a blessing from the Lord, entrusted to parents for their physical and spiritual nurture (Ps 127.3; Eph 6.1-4).
Our City – The gospel brings restoration to our city
The gospel gives us a deep love for the city and a great hope for its restoration. We believe that nothing promotes the peace and restoration of the city like the spread of faith in the gospel (Col 1.19-20; 2 Cor 5.18-19). Christ compels us to become generous servants by committing our time, talents, and money to meeting the needs of our city. We believe that the gospel has a vital impact on the arts, business, government, media, and academy of our city. Therefore, we are committed to helping the church work with excellence, distinctiveness, and accountability in their professions, as well as in these spheres of our city (Eph 2.10; 1 Cor 10.31; Col 3.17).
Movement – The gospel calls us to pLant churches
The gospel leads us to display God’s glory through church planting and church reformation among all peoples (Matt 28.18-20). We recognize that our single church is not sufficient to renew all of our city spiritually, socially, and culturally. Therefore, we are committed to planting (and helping others plant) new churches, while at the same time working for a renewal of gospel vitality and unity in all existing congregations of the city (Eph 4.1-6). This is not only our desire for the city, but for all the nations of the world. It is our hope that the truth of God would reach to all the people groups of the world and that these groups would worship the one true God (Rev 5.9). To that end, we are committed to go, to give, to send, and to pray (Rom 10.14-15; Jn 17.18; Acts 13.1-3).
