And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
(Acts 2:42)
There are different ways to talk about what makes one local church different from another. Our Vision captures the big picture goals of Cornerstone—like most local churches—but we have distilled how we work out our vision into Four Core Values. These values describe broad specific aspects of our church life that we treasure and pursue.
1. A foundation of DOCTRINE
By doctrine, we simply mean "what the Bible teaches." God’s inspired Word is authoritative, sufficient, and perfect. It's the guide and foundation for everything we believe, how we think, and what we do. It's for everyone, for all time, and it's our final authority in all matters of belief and practice in the church and in the life of the Christian.
We often ask, "What does the Bible say about that?" Because of it's authority in the life of the Christian we teach from the Bible expositionally on Sunday mornings. As small groups we often discuss the Sunday sermon and spend time applying what we learn to our lives. Whatever the topic, we look to the Bible to inform us how to live.
You can explore more about what we hold to as sound doctrine in our Confession of Faith.
2. Earnest desire for the HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit fills Christians with all the fullness of God. It's the Spirit who causes us to be born again and transforms us into the image of Christ. The evidence of his presence comes from fruitfulness such as peace, patience, kindness and self-control, and sometimes He brings unique experiences with God like we see in the New Testament that empower believers and demonstrate the presence of God in a visible way.
Whether we are worshiping individually, as a small group, or all together as a church body we eagerly pursue His presence and fullness. Sometimes this manifests personally as intense joy, awe or gratitude—perhaps in speaking a tongue, "uttering mysteries in the Spirit" and "...building himself (oneself) up." (1 Cor 14:2,4). Sometimes the Spirit will give a prophetic word to someone that He intends to be spoken to the gathered body, "for building them up, encouraging or consoling them" (1 Cor. 14:3). This is done at the "prophecy mic" when we are gathered corporately or one-to-one in smaller settings. This life in the Spirit is not just a conviction we hold but a lifestyle we pursue.
3. Intentional RELATIONSHIPS
Approximately 60 times in the New Testament we find a command to having to do with "one another": "Love one another" (Jn 13:34), "Be devoted to one another" (Rom 12:10), "Build up one another" (1 Thess 5:11). As such we are devoted to strong relationships in the church that accelerate spiritual growth and testify to those outside the church of our love for Christ through unity in his gospel. The Christian life is a shared life—a fellowship or partnership—and not simply an individual pursuit.
Small groups meet 24 times a year, twice a month on Wednesdays, Fridays and a few on Sundays. These meetings give us perfect opportunities to connect with one another in a more personal setting than Sunday morning. We intentionally leave space in our church calendar to allow for you to arrange one-on-one and family-to-family fellowship to practice "...breaking bread in their homes..." (Acts 2:46).
4. Ongoing SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Spiritual growth is the result of being rooted in doctrine, empowered by the Spirit, and committed to relationships. It's growing into our vision to love God, love one another, and love our neighbors—next door and across the globe. Spiritual growth in us produces a vibrant church ministering in the community freely sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and seeking to plant churches throughout the world as part of the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8) Whether you have yet to become a Christian, are new in the faith, or are a seasoned saint, spiritual growth isn't a destination—it's a direction.
Spiritual growth at Cornerstone manifests in a myriad of ways. Everything from watching our children grow in their fear and admonish of the Lord and seeing new members added from our community to our regular work with local and global ministries to not only share the gospel of Christ, but also care for the practical needs of the poor and sojourners of Apex. This happens through partnerships with local organizations like Safe Families for Children, Crossing all Boarders, With Love From Jesus and international agencies such as Acts 29 Latin America and TWR.
Hopefully Cornerstone isn't very different from many other local churches you've been a part of—but it's possible that it is. We share these values so that hopefully you may have confidence as you think about what it means to work out your faith as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and what will help you understand what matters to us. You can learn more in our Exploring Membership Class, or more about what we believe on Our Beliefs page.