CORE VALUES
FAITH
FAMILY
FORWARD
We will Strengthen our Faith.The most important change anyone will ever make this lifetime is to place all of their faith in Jesus. At Epoch Church we desire to see people come to faith in Christ and to continue maturing in this faith.
We will Grow as the Family of God. Epoch Church is not like a family, it is a family. Jesus has brought us together across racial, socioeconomic, and generational lines. We will covenant together as members to practice being a family under the authority of Christ and the leadership of our elders.
We will Go Forward through Discipleship. Following Jesus, means he forms us and appoints us as his kingdom representatives. Wilmington and its surrounding communities will only change when they encounter changed people. Our future is hopeful because we will leverage our time, skills, education and resources to seek the good of our city.
JESUS
No human shepherd will ever shepherd us better than Jesus. He has never failed us and promised never to leave us or forsake us. He is all-knowing, all powerful, and always present. Therefore titles don’t serve our leaders, they are created to simply serve Jesus’ church.
GOSPEL
We acknowledge the centrality of Christ's finished work on the cross in our place, his burial and resurrection. This Good News is not about us or what we can do, but what he DID. We will proclaim this news and its implications on our lives until Jesus returns!
WORSHIP
God placed worship in our spiritual DNA. God desires for us to worship HIM in every aspect of our lives. While salvation is the means, worship has always been the goal! We will fight to worship our Creator and not the created things.
FAMILY
Our local church is not like a family, it is the family of God. We have been united through the blood of Christ. We affirm the local church as God’s primary vehicle for accomplishing His Mission, holding one another accountable, and reflecting God’s glory.
MATURITY
The Holy Spirit draws every believer closer to God. He counsels, convicts, and comforts us. We believe that accepting the gospel message is not a one- time event; instead, by the Spirit of God, he renews, develops and forms us to Love Him, His Church, and Join His Mission daily. Our humility to continue learning will fuel our continuous growth with the help of God’s Spirit.
SCRIPTURE
We believe the Bible is relevant and useful for all generations and all times. We choose not to ignore or change it, we accept it and desire to let His Word change us. We read books, but acknowledge it as the only book that reads us!
SALVATION
We love to see people experience saving faith by following Jesus as Savior and Lord. It’s the most important decision any human can make! One changed life changes everything. A new epoch begins!
PRAYER
Prayer represents dependency on God. The absence of prayer connotes independence from God. Therefore, we love to pray in effort to build intimacy with God and with others. We believe that God loves to respond to our prayers!
COMMUNITY
We desire to be more than a physical church building in our community, but rather a church that builds our community in love. We intentionally meet the needs of our communities with the same passion and purpose demonstrated through Christ’s example, ultimately to bring God glory.
MULTI-ETHNICITY
We believe our church should reflect the communities we live, serve, and pray for. The bible is a multi-ethnic book with a multi-ethnic message, and a multi-ethnic future Kingdom. Practically, we believe multi-ethnic life discipleship begins at dinner tables before attending events like church gatherings.