Our Vision
The vision of
Riverwood Community Church is to know Christ and to reach Sterling Heights and
its surrounding
communities with the gospel by being a healthy Great Commission
Church that wins, builds, equips, multiplies and sends out its members for
service to Christ.
Riverwood's core beliefs are the foundation of this church, and are divided into three categories: beliefs about God, beliefs about people, and beliefs about the church, the Bible and Christ's return.
Beliefs about God
There is only
one God, who is infinitely perfect existing eternally in three persons: Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 28:19)
Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and
born of the Virgin Mary. He was sent by the Father to live on Earth; he was
fully God and fully human, yet he had no sin. Jesus willingly laid down his life
for us, and after three days rose from the grave. In doing this, Jesus fulfilled
the payment for the world's debt of sin. (Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 1:36-38, 1
Peter 3:18, Hebrews 2:9, Romans 5:9, Acts 2:23-24, Hebrews 8:1, Matthew 26:64)
The Holy Spirit is a divine person who was sent by the Father and Son to convict
the world of sin and to empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. He lives in
every believer and is a constant helper, teacher and guide. (John:14-18, John
16:13, Act 1:8)
Beliefs About People
God created
people in his image, and everyone matters to God. (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis
5:1-2)
All people are sinners and need God's forgiveness. (Romans 3:23)
Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all people; and those who
confess and turn from their sin and trust in Jesus Christ will be saved and
become children of God, with the promise of eternal life (John 3:16-17,
Galatians 3:26, Titus 3:4-7).
Beliefs about the church, the Bible and Christ's return
Jesus Christ is
the head of the church and all believing people are members. (Ephesians 4:15-16,
Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41).
The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God and is the supreme authority in
all matters of faith and conduct. (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:15-16).
Jesus Christ will return and there will be a final judgment. (I Corinthians
15:20-23, John 5:28-29, Hebrews 10:37, Luke 21:27, Titus 2:11-14).
Mission:
Riverwood exists for the purpose of reaching and equipping people, helping them
become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
Purpose:
Riverwood exists for the purpose of bringing people into a relationship with God
through Jesus Christ, and drawing them into the Christ-centered community of the
church.
At Riverwood everything we do is centered around reaching people for Christ.
Both our purpose and mission are aligned with Christ's. He came here with a
vision of the new humanity his mission would create. He modeled the kind of life
we all need to live in order to catch the world's attention, and to bring people
into a relationship with him.
As people come into a relationship with Christ, we work hard to develop them
beyond believers into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. It's a lifelong
adventure that affects everything a person does: how they think, the decisions
they make,
and how and why they relate to others.
Together, as we live these beliefs, we believe
that anything is possible and that our sphere of influence can be forever affected
through the life changing power of Jesus Christ.