The word comes from a Greek word meaning “good news.” Evangelicals have four distinguishing marks: 1) biblicism—a high view of Scripture, seeing the Bible as God’s Word; 2) crucicentrism—a focus on Christ’s atoning death on the cross; 3) conversionism—a focus on the new birth and belief that sinful humanity must be converted; 4) activism—living out the gospel in works.

We believe in the authority of Scripture as the final rule of all faith and Christian living. Baptism is reserved for believers, and is done by immersion into water as the entry point into membership. Further, Baptists maintain the autonomy of the local church and the authority to govern her own affairs.

We believe men and women are created in the image of God, and are therefore of equal dignity, value, and worth. As part of God’s good created order, men and women are to have different yet complementary roles and responsibilities in the home and church. As it relates to the church, men and women are both expected to lead; however, the office of elder is reserved for qualified men (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1).

We believe divine sovereignty and human responsibility are complementary truths taught in Scripture. Man cannot free himself from his bondage to sin (Eph. 2:1–3). Therefore, God must first initiate salvation in the heart of man. We are then responsible for responding in the faith that is supplied by God’s grace (Eph. 2:8–9). Regeneration precedes faith.

The Holy Spirit equips every believer with spiritual gifts for the building up of the church (1 Peter 4:10). Gifts are sovereignly bestowed and corporate in nature (1 Cor. 12:11). No one person possesses all gifts, which is why it is crucial that believers come together and use their gifts for the good of the whole. Spiritual gifts do not necessarily indicate spiritual maturity. The New Testament instead emphasizes spiritual fruit as the indicator of a mature believer (Gal. 5:22–23; Col. 3:12–17).

We believe the family is the foundational community to make disciples. We also believe that every family should be connected into the larger family of a local church. Our desire is to see all family members of all ages be connected to one another and the church.

The Gospel is the Good News of Jesus’ sinless life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection.1 Christ’s work in the Gospel accomplished forgiveness of sin,² eternal life,³ satisfaction of divine wrath,⁴ a righteousness credited to us,⁵ reconciliation to God ⁶—among many other benefits. The Gospel calls us to respond in faith and repentance⁷, evidenced by a transformed life of obedience.⁸

Since the Gospel is Good News, it ought to be shared with as many people as possible. Jesus likens those who share the Gospel to a farmer who scatters seed wide and far, anticipating an abundant harvest.⁹ It’s the Church’s great privilege to not only receive the Gospel by faith but also share it with others. At Ignite, the Gospel informs everything we do. It’s our foundation for building and house for living.

_{1: 1 Cor. 15:1–3; 2: Matt. 26:28; 3: Rom. 6:23; 4: Rom. 3:25; 5: 2 Cor. 5:21; 6: Rom. 5:10; 7: Mark 1:15; 8: 1 Thess. 1:5; 9: Matt. 13:3–9.}

Ignite’s vision is to advance the kingdom of God by making strong disciples. The call to discipleship comes from our Lord Himself. In Matthew 28:18–20, Jesus called the Church to “make disciples of all nations.” From the Church’s earliest days, discipleship has been the priority.¹ We realize that if we fail to make disciples, we fail as a church. As such, our ministry priorities share the aim of making men and women mature, obedient followers of Christ. We want our people to be the strongest disciples possible in order to make the greatest impact imaginable.

_{1: See Acts 2:42–47; 1 Cor. 11:1; Eph. 4:15; Heb. 6:1.}

We serve an excellent God. Scripture is filled with examples of God—and God’s people—working with excellence. Consider a few of them. God placed Adam in a well-watered, fruitful garden.¹ The psalmist saw beauty in God’s creation.² Israel constructed both the tabernacle and the temple with painstaking precision and with an eye toward its design.³ Israel’s worship leaders played their instruments skillfully.⁴ And we are told that the new Jerusalem for God’s people will be replete with magnificence.⁵ With this pattern in mind, our church strives to do our best for Jesus. The value of excellence informs even our ministry philosophy. We strategically have four ministry priorities: Worship Services, Groups, Outreach, and Multiplication. We focus on a few key ministries and strive to do them with excellence. To borrow Paul’s expression, we wish to “do all to the glory of God.”⁶

_{1: Gen. 2:5–10; 2: Ps. 8:3; 3: Ex. 35:4—40:33; 1 Ki. 6:1–38; 4: Ps. 33:3; 5: Rev. 21:9–27; 6: 1 Cor. 10:31.}

At Ignite, we encourage our people to pool their kingdom resources so that we can do kingdom work. We simply could not do the work of the ministry without our people’s faithful giving. Generosity—that is, giving of our time, talent, and treasure—is a Christian’s distinctive mark and joyful privilege. We give freely, for God has lavished His mercy freely on us.¹ We also give generously, because our resources belong ultimately to our Creator. We are stewards, called to be faithful with what God has given us.² And finally, we give obediently—not under compulsion, but out of a desire to glorify Christ.³

_{1: Eph. 1:8; 2: Matt. 25:14-30; 3: 2 Cor. 9:7.}