About Us

Mission Statement

LOVE God• JOURNEY Together • SERVE Others

In response to God’s great LOVE for each person (John 3:16), we take seriously the words of Jesus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and . . . love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:37-40). We believe that our love for God is lived out by loving others both inside and outside of the Church.

We are all on a JOURNEY to become better disciples of Jesus. With the Early Church as our example (Acts 2:42-47), we seek to journey together as a community of faith that embraces others and embodies the teachings of Jesus.

We are a community with a mission to SERVE (James 1:27). The Christian life is, by definition, a life of service to others. God’s grace empowers us to serve others here in our church, in our neighborhoods and around the world.

CORE VALUES

Discipleship

We value discipleship. We are called to make disciples by introducing others to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Matt 18:19-20), and to become better disciples of Jesus throughout our lives as Christians (Phil 3:12-14). To help us answer these clear calls in Scripture, our church provides numerous and varied opportunities to learn about Jesus, to know more of God's Word, and to live out our Christian faith. Sunday School, Bible Studies, Small Groups, Youth Group, Children's and Teen Bible Quizzing, Power House Kidz, mission trips, and worship experiences for all ages are some of the things our church provides so that we can grow together to become better disciples of Jesus.

Outreach/Ministry

In order to “make disciples” of Jesus (Matt 28:19) we need to reach out to those who don’t know Him in our community and around the world. All of us are called to be Jesus’ hands and feet to others—investing our time, energy and resources to meet their needs. Our desire is that our sincere efforts to help others will result in opportunities for us to introduce them to Jesus (Matt 25:34-40). We are committed financially to the work of our denomination through Nazarene Missions International, and to various missions’ projects for all age groups. We are also committed to feeding and clothing needy people closer to home and offer regular opportunities for people in our church to serve in that way.

Ministry also includes work done within the church to enable it to function as it should. We encourage everyone to be involved in some significant way in areas of ministry both inside and outside of the church walls.

Worship

We recognize that worship is a way of life (Rom 12:1), but our corporate services of worship are very important as well. We value worship that leads us into transforming encounters with God. In worship we learn of the mighty works of God and find our place among the purposes and people of God. The primary theme of our worship is the saving work of God accomplished for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This saving work is made real in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit who works within us, corporately and individually, to make us holy (Lev 11:45; Rom 12:1). We value preaching that teaches the Word of God in ways that are both encouraging and challenging. We strive for worship services that are welcoming and engaging, times when we participate together as the Body of Christ in praise, prayer, and the sacraments of the Lord's Supper and Baptism.

Community

We believe that the Christian life is meant to be lived in community, a place where we “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15-16). We strive to be a loving, supporting, generous community of faith that welcomes into our family people from all walks of life, and all ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. We invite people to come as they are to our fellowship. We believe that others will come to know the love of God by seeing how it is expressed among us (John 17:22).

It is in community that we worship, become better disciples, and serve the Lord by serving others. Our community is formed and sustained by the narratives of Scripture as we journey together, discovering all that it means to be Christian, a holy people, followers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Manteno Church of the Nazarene Mission Statement

Adopted by the Church Board 8/8/2011