Our Impulses
We make disciples who make disciples who start churches that start churches!
If we make healthy disciples they will, in turn, make other healthy disciples – and pretty soon we’ll have a group of them (a faith community – a “church.”) If these disciples stay on task, making other disciples, these faith communities will soon be starting even more faith communities.
To launch church-planting movements throughout North America!
Our end game is not to create one monolithic church-planting entity that controls or guides church planting in various regions… but to launch multiple networks that voluntarily collaborate and partner to launch churches in their own regions. We tend to avoid numeric goal setting (we find it slightly distasteful frankly) – but we do have one numeric goal we’re pursuing: we want to see each regional network develop the capacity to start one new church per year should the Lord provide them with a church-planting couple.
These values actually reflect the way we behave… they are the intentional postures and impulses that guide our everyday decisions and activities.
- Passion… Salvation Hangs in the Balance
- When in Doubt – Just Lead!… Go With The Goers!!
- ThinkNEXT… More – More – More…
- Risk-Taking Faith… Fail Fast – Recover Faster!
- Be Nimble… Run Loose – Not Tight
- Nurture… Leaders are our Legacy
- Relational… It’s not what you know, but who you know… who also know you Love them!
- Selfless… Kingdom-Focused Generosity … Giving without Expectation of Return
We promise to provide the best possible care for church-planting leaders and their families. We are Nurturing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today!
Nexus’ leadership (at both the staff and board levels) comes out of the networks of churches known as the Restoration Movement (sometimes identified as the Stone Campbell Movement.) In keeping with the historic distinctions of this network of churches, we commit to embracing unity with all like-minded congregations as well as with other Christian networks and groups. We operate out of a deep commitment to the biblical practices of non-denominational Christianity, weekly celebrations of communion, the leadership of a team of elder/shepherds, and the celebration of believer’s baptism by immersion upon the profession of the new disciple’s faith in Christ Jesus.
- I believe in one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt 5:16, 45; 6:1, 4, 8, 9; James 1:17; John 1:1; 4:24; 14:9, 16-20; Gen 1:2; 2 Peter 1:21).
- I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of all things visible and invisible (Gen 1:1; Acts 17:24-28; Heb 11:3).
- I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, our one and only Savior (John 1:14; 1 John 4:9; John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:18), who was born both fully human and fully divine, conceived of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and who lived a sinless life (Matthew 21:11; John 1:14; 19:19; Romans 5:15-17; Colossians 2:9; 1 John 1:1; Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:26-38), who suffered and was crucified (Luke 23:1-46), who died and was buried, and who rose again bodily from the dead on the third day (Luke 23:44, 24:8; John 20:24-29; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8), who ascended into Heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father, (Luke 22:69; Acts 1:1-9; Colossians 3:1), and who will return to earth to judge both the living and the dead (Matthew 24:36-42; John 14:1-3; Acts 1: 10-11; 10:39-42;1 Peter 4:5).
- I believe in the Holy Spirit, who is a personal and active part of the triune God, (John 16:5-15; Acts 1:7-8; Romans 8:26-27), and who indwells every Christian, (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14), who indwells us in order to develop within us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26), and also to release through us the gifts of the Spirit (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12.)
- I believe in the Bible – God’s Holy Word as inspired Scripture (Mark 12:36; John 14:26; 16:12-15; Acts 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:14-16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). I accept the Bible as the final authority for all matters of faith and practice (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:18; 24:35; Romans 15:4; Hebrews 4:12).
- I believe that people created by God willfully sin against God and are consequently lost and without hope apart from Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23). I believe that all humanity was marred through the sin of Adam, but that whatever was lost – with or without our consent – in Adam, we have now regained – with or without our consent – in Christ, and mankind is now able to respond in faith to the message of the gospel (Romans 5:12-17).
- I believe that salvation – the forgiveness of sins – cannot be earned, but is given to us only through the blood of Jesus Christ and by God’s grace (Matthew 26:28; Romans 5:1-11; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 10:19-22; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 1 John 1:7).
- I believe that we must respond to God by admitting our sin and our need for God’s grace (Romans 3:23; Titus 3:3-7), believing and confessing the truth about Jesus (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:9, 10), turning away from sin and idolatry (repenting – Luke 24:45-47; Acts 3:19; 17:30), trusting Jesus as both Savior and Lord (Romans 10:11-13; Philippians 2:11), and expressing our faith and allegiance by being baptized (immersed) into Christ (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-4).
- I believe the church of Jesus Christ consists of all Christians everywhere who truly call on the Lord (Matthew 16:13-18; Acts 2:14-47).
- I affirm the early church’s practice of celebrating the Lord’s Supper weekly as a proclamation of the death, burial, resurrection, and continuing presence of Christ (Acts 2:42;20:7; I Corinthians 11:24-30).
- I affirm the principle of Christian stewardship and practice tithing as an essential habit of a fruitful life and ministry (Leviticus 27:30; Malachi 3:8-10; Luke 6:38).
- I believe in the church’s mission: to glorify God by going out and making disciples of all people groups, immersing them into the reality of our Trinitarian God, and teaching them to obey all of Jesus’ commands (Matthew 28:18-20).