Our values
Mission
The mission of Jesus Christ is one of the most central parts of why the Church exists and should be a main focus of every true follower of Jesus. (Matt. 28:19-20). 1 John 2:3 and 6 says that “we can be sure we know him if we obey his commandments” and that “those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”
We see throughout Scripture that sharing the Gospel and making disciples was as natural as breathing for the apostles and early church. Wherever they went, they were not only in tune with the Holy Spirit's leading to bring this message of love and hope to those around them but they were willing to suffer for the sake of the Gospel and mission.
We want to be a church that is empowered by Holy Spirit and so deeply in love with Jesus that sharing the Gospel and making disciples becomes as natural as breathing, like it was for the believers in the early church. We believe that through prayer and Holy Spirit we can have supernatural boldness and courage that allows us to share the Gospel in any situation to our family, friends, colleagues, community, and world (Acts 4:31). While we can be certain that persecution will come as we share the Gospel (2 Tim. 3:12-13), we can stand firm together in one faith (Phil. 1:27-30) and be willing to suffer for the sake of the Gospel.
Love
In Matthew 22:37, Jesus says the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” More than anything, we want to be people who are deeply in love with God and are spending time in His presence regularly and daily through reading, studying, and meditating on the Word of God (Bible) and prayer.
We believe that a church cannot be fully successful or healthy if the people are not personally meeting with God and enjoying His presence consistently. We also believe that when we draw closer to God, our love for Him, His Word, one another, the lost, and Jesus’ mission naturally grows and we become more like Jesus.
Jesus also said that "all people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). The body of believers should be closer to us than our own families (Matt. 12:46; Luke 14:26). It is our priority to first know God and be spending time alone with Him regularly but we want to also genuinely know and love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in the way we are commanded to in the Bible. We want to be a community that shares openly and regularly about our lives, struggles, sins, and joys (Romans 12:15); a community that shares our possessions, speaks the truth in love, corrects in love, forgives, encourages, cares for and supports one another, builds up, and offers accountability (Eph. 4:15; 1 Thes. 5:11; Heb. 3:12-13; Acts 13:15; Gal. 6:1-2).
Through prayer, sacrifice, and the empowering of Holy Spirit, it is also our desire that we would be able to exhibit the supernatural love and unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17 with every member of the body. In a true family, no one should be left out or feel alone and isolated. Every person’s needs should be cared for (Acts 4:32-34), and the family takes it upon itself to care for its members. This is the kind of love that points people to Jesus.
Meeting Together
Throughout Scripture, we see that the believers devoted themselves to teaching, prayer, fellowship, and communion and met together regularly for these purposes (Acts 2:42, Colossians 4:2-3). Also, in Colossians 3:16, Paul commands the church to “teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives and to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”
It is our goal to meet together reverently before God and to be devoted to the same things the believers in the Early Church were devoted to while leaving room for Holy Spirit to lead us and work in and through our lives. This can happen in many different ways and expressions.
We believe that every member has been given a gift to help build up the body of believers (1 Cor. 12:17) and without each member pursuing and contributing their spiritual gift(s), we fall short of being the church that God truly desires. It is ultimately our hope that as we spend time with God regularly throughout the week that when we meet together, we would be able to bring insight from our personal time with the Lord, teach and counsel one another, share a word of encouragement or wisdom, sing spiritual songs, and use our gift(s) to build up the body.
Lastly, Hebrews 10:24-25 says “let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” We want to be a church that does not compromise our time together, but instead works towards being the church that God desires by prioritizing our regular gatherings.
Similar to the early church, we will ensure that the Word, prayer, and table fellowships are carried out in all of our gatherings.
Our Journey
Building in to build out
In 2017, a group of people decided to plant a (house) church. One day, Trevor reached out to Kristian and said, “we got to check out this Bible Study. It’s being held in a bar.” Intrigued by this, they both went to a ‘Bar Bible Study’ and it was there that they met Gabe. Soon after meeting Trevor and Kristian, Gabe and his family joined the house church and from that day forward, God had a good plan for why things happened the way they did!
Throughout the next five years, the church deepened their relationships with one another, grew in their knowledge of the Bible, and committed their lives to the mission of Jesus. In 2022, the church had the desire to be more missional. One group of people decided to connect and commit to serving at a local church, and another group of people connected to Hope Multicultural Church (HMC). Gabe, Trevor and their family went to the local church while Kristian and his family went to HMC. During that time, the three of them remained close checking in on one another from time to time and keeping each other accountable in life and ministry.
Recently, the Senior Pastor at HMC decided to retire and asked if Kristian would consider taking over the ministry. At the same time, Gabe and a group of people had began meeting as Beloved and were looking for a space to plant a church. After some further discussion and prayer, they both felt it would be healthy and beneficial for the two groups to unite and plant a church. Together, they have all now become the Beloved Church!
Why was it important to share this?
Wherever we find ourselves on the journey of life, it’s important to know where we’ve come from in order to know where we are going. We’re not saying that we should hold on to the negative aspects of our old self as we are now new in Christ. But we believe God has brought us together as a church for a reason. Some of us are currently seeking to connect with a Church while others have decided to commit and you’re all in. Wherever you find yourself, we lovingly invite you on a journey to connect with Jesus - the Beloved, find community in the Beloved - family, and be purposeful with your life!