Our Theological Distinctives

A commitment to the glory of God

1 Chronicles 16:24 - “Declare His glory among the nations,
    His marvelous works among all the peoples!”

Worship services, leadership practices, ministry opportunities, all filter through the question, “Does this bring glory to God?” Likewise, we as the church (a people), should ask the same question as we go about our daily lives. As HCC models this in our worship, we hope it will help our congregation model it in their lives.

Worship service - Is primarily for the glory of God. While yes, we as His people do experience a great measure of grace and assurance during the worship service, the goal of the service is not to make everyone walk away happy or make them “feel” like they have had an emotional experience. Our primary task is to bring glory to God. 

Leadership practices - We are not a Fortune 500 Business, nor are we a small business. Capitalist practices might indeed bring short and long term financial health, however they are not the primary lens we see our calling through. We must ask, as we make decisions as leaders, “Does this bring glory to God?” Even at the cost of our own financial, emotional, and reputation capital. 

Ministry opportunities - Just because other churches down the road do something, does not mean we will. Many fun and enjoyable ministries happen all over the world in churches. Some of which have little benefit to the spiritual growth of a congregation or the glory of God. Likewise, there might be ministries that exist for a season, but they might not be ministries that need to be accomplished in all seasons. We will ask the question, “Does this bring glory to God?” and “Do we have the spiritual giftings to do it well?” 

A commitment to Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

We hold scripture as the highest authority. We do not apologize for this. We believe Scripture is the word of God given to us for our good and for the Father’s glory. We desire to interpret the text in a manner that is faithful to the original audience, and beholden to the original intent. While we acknowledge that the New Testament now shines light on passages of the Old Testament that were once but shadows. (Hebrews 8:5) We desire to be faithful to the words of the scripture and not bend those words to suit the desires of the culture we live in. 

A commitment to the overarching narrative of Scripture

Colossians 2:8-9 - “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”

We believe that all books of scripture ultimately point to Jesus. Jesus was there in the beginning (John 1). Was prophesized as the savior as early as Genesis 3. And that the Old Covenant sacrificial system ultimately pointed to the sacrifice he would make at Calvary. C.S. Lewis’s quote sheds light not only on how we see life, but how we interpret scripture. 

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it, I see everything else.”- CS Lewis

A commitment to the Great Commandment

Matthew 22:37-40 37 - “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love the Lord your God - This is our commandment. We do this by getting to know Him. This is done through study of his word (AV) commitment to his church (AV), and consistent time in prayer (AV). We must exhort one another towards this great task.

Love your neighbor as yourself - This is always easy until you meet the neighbors. These are the people you interact with all the time. Do you love them, even when they have wronged you? Do you desire their good, even when they don’t desire yours? May our hearts be made more into the image of Christ, and may the fruit of the spirit be born in season and out of season.  

A commitment to the Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20 - “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

A commitment to the Kingdom of God - All authority is His. Therefore, we are called to ask, what would God have us do? We are committed to prayer and seeking the Lord’s guidance for when and how He would have us seek the lost.

A commitment to our community - All nations begin in our own community. Acts 1:8b states, “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Hicksville is our Jerusalem. We want to love our neighbors. Seek the welfare of our city (Jeremiah 29:7). And champion the Gospel in our community. 

A commitment to the nations - We want to look for God’s guidance as we seek to expand the kingdom of God in Ohio, the US, the surrounding nations, and to the ends of the earth. We currently give 10% of our budget to missions, and we desire to continue to increase that in the future and encourage the congregation to extend themselves in their time, talents and treasures towards the expansion of the kingdom of God in the nations.