Values and Beliefs

Relationship is what Jesus came to establish—between God and man. As we live out our faith, all meaningful change comes because of relationship with God and relationships with others who support us, encourage us, challenge us, and simply walk through life with us.

In a polarized world, where hate is the vehicle of dealing with differences politically, morally, and culturally, relationship above differences is the only way to restore sanity and unity.

God defined love by sending Jesus, not when we were all in agreement or in right relationship with God, but when we had differences, disagreements, questions, wrong thinking, and sin. When we offer kind relationship to others with whom we disagree or have conflict, we love like Jesus.

It would be weird for a healthy, capable 20-year-old to be spoon fed by their mother. In the same way, if we want healthy relationships with God and other people, we need to take personal responsibility for feeding our own relationship with God through the exercise of spiritual habits, intentional exposure to teaching, and worship, both individually and corporately, in committed relationship with others.

In our practice of faith, so often we compartmentalize our lives into “spiritual/mystical” and “practical” wisdom. At Quest, we believe there is no separation between spiritual and practical, as God creates it all. God wants to impact us spiritually through the practical wisdom we learn in the busyness of life. He also wants to impact our way of doing the busyness of life through our spiritual experiences with Him. For the strongest faith and best life, we need to vigorously hold onto both, knowing they mesh together to help us live in wholeness.

Religion defines maturity as correct biblical knowledge and being less sinful than others. We believe the true evidence of maturity is how your life reproduces healthy spirituality and healthy relationships in other people, as well as how your life empowers others to use their gifts to serve God.

How is the life and grace of God in you being reproduced in others? There are too many people who live detached, thinking because they sin less obviously and know more, they are mature Christians. Those are the people Jesus rebuked the most.  How many people have you lifted up when they fell down and helped them stand and run confidently again? How many people have you encouraged to step out in faith to serve God and live His good dream for them when they didn’t believe they could?

We always achieve our highest, God-given potential when we are encouraged to set high goals (to believe in God’s high view of us). We also follow Jesus’ example of giving grace in the context of truth when we fail.

So try! Give it your best and often succeed! And when you fail, be honest with the truth but get back up and try again because grace abounds. We think God is happier with us stepping out in faith and trying more….and failing more….than He is with us being too careful and never failing.

1. There is one living, creator God revealed as three persons: Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit.
2. The Bible is God inspired and the ultimate, reliable guide for navigating life and understanding reality.
3. When there is apparent conflict between science and the Bible it should drive us to curiosity and to seek a better understanding of both science and the Bible, because God is the creator of all and, in the end, all truth is God’s truth. Dissonance between the two only means there is more to discover about creation and our infinite, good, loving creator God.
4. God is deeply involved in all of life to bring health, goodness, purpose and beauty into our lives and our world.
5. God seeks to befriend all people and save all from the pain of sin and evil, and invites us to live like Him, seeking to share that good news by befriending people across all boundaries.
6. We believe as true what the Bible says and what classic Christian creeds (i.e. Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed) affirm about Jesus’ nature, origin, virgin birth, life, death and resurrection.
7. While all fall short and sin, Jesus forgives those who repent and commit to His leadership in their lives. On top of that, God gives us His Spirit to lead us and help us live in all the good things God created us for.
8. The church is all people who believe in Jesus by faith, and live under the grace and leadership of Jesus. The church is a diverse representation of God’s transforming work across divides, including spiritual, racial, national & political divisions.
9. We celebrate baptism and communion as two Biblically commanded sacraments.
10. What we see God doing in the Bible in & through people still happens today through the work of His Spirit. Therefore, we believe God’s Spirit works in us, and communicates to us in many ways. These include the Bible, prayer, spiritual gifts, laying on of hands for healing, and through the words of others in our lives.
11. Jesus is coming again: One day everything will be set right with sin, pain, and disease being abolished, and there will be endless life and joy for those who have received the grace of Jesus. For those who refused God’s overtures of forgiveness and offers to love & lead them, final judgment is real, because God is both far more patient and merciful than we imagine, and also just.