In keeping with our Vision, we believe all members of Metro-East Christian Fellowship are called to become:

A Church Where Jesus Is Lord

We hold tenaciously to the truth that God has appointed Jesus "to be Head over all things for the church" (Ephesians 1:22). It is of primary importance to us that we all corporately, and each individually, obey Christ in all things. He is the uncompromising Chairman of the Board at MECF and, in all we do, we strive to be in the center of His will. We endeavor to practice, and encourage others to practice, living by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25) so we can please Him in all that we think, say, and do. We recognize we are all still sinners and, in our struggle to grow, we often fail. Knowing this we dedicate ourselves to practice the mutual forgiveness, encouragement and love Christ teaches in His Word.

A Church Where People Worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth

We are very deliberate about growing in our love for God, so we are enthusiastic about every opportunity to worship Him and to "ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name" (Psalm 29:2). We strive to be a community who genuinely seek the Lord in worship, both public and private, corporate and personal. We believe He (alone) is worthy of our honor and worship, so we are to express our love, gratitude, adoration, and devotion to Him in a wide variety of appropriate forms, and under the leading of His Spirit.

A Church Where Teaching the Word of God is Foundational

We are resolutely committed to the Bible as the Word of God and to the application of its truths to our everyday lives. We do our best to teach the Word in the power of the Holy Spirit through gifted leaders in an integrated variety of settings: Sunday morning Worship and Word services, weekly study groups in homes where the practical application of spiritual truth is emphasized, children's and youth ministries, as well as special teaching seminars. We believe in the effectiveness of His Word applied (2 Timothy 3:16-17) to bring ourselves and others into a faith relationship with God, a growing maturity in Him and a clear, comprehensive ministry of “equipping the saints” to accomplish His purposes in us, among us and through us. We are convinced that change and growth in the lives of believers should be normal and expected.

A Church that is Based on Small Groups

We believe in the importance of believers meeting together in small groups on a regular basis - groups small enough that genuine relationships can thrive in the context of true community and spiritual fellowship. We encourage each person, child or adult, to gather regularly for prayer, practical Bible Study, worship, and the twin ministries of winning and nurturing people in Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). Small group ministry is the backbone of our ministry at MECF and we urge each person who attends Sunday Worship and Word services to also take an active part in at least one small group. New groups will constantly be forming, and new leaders recruited as the groups multiply.

A Church That is Dedicated to the Important Role of the Family and the Home

We teach the centrality of the Christian home as the primary place for Christian education of children and youth. All that we do in our corporate education programs is designed to augment what godly parents do in bringing up their children "in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). We strive to protect the family and honor the home by streamlining our church-wide programming so as not to fragment the schedules and togetherness of families. We will do all we can to strengthen and equip families to minister to themselves and to others around them. The home is also important to us as that place where outreach and friendly encounters with unreached people can take place through informal, social interaction.

A Church Where Genuine Discipleship is Practiced and Encouraged

We believe it is our calling as Christians to encourage others toward faith by faithfully witnessing, teaching the Word, and demonstrating our faith before our unbelieving neighbors. The disciplining process continues for believers as well -- Christians never stop growing. We seek to challenge every believer to press on in Christian maturity, posturing themselves to give and receive in the mutual ministry of discipleship. We are aggressive concerning our Colossians 1:28 calling: "We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone, with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ."

A Church Where People Believe in Prayer and Practice it

A man in a leather jacket looking down while sitting on a ledge in a city

MECF is continually growing in our commitment to the kind of prayer that God expects of His people. From individual prayer in personal devotions to corporate concerts of prayer to groups meeting for seasons of intense special type intercession. We strive to grow, corporately and personally in the discipline of prayer. We are committed to be a people who believe God and expect His answers according to His will, and who obediently engage in prayer (Ephesians 6:18).

A Church Whose People Present a Genuine, Consistent, and Believable Witness to Others

At MECF we believe that every believer is a witness for Christ, and we strive to equip and encourage everyone to share their faith in a natural, genuine manner, using their unique personalities and gifts. We encourage believers to be ready, willing and available to God for outreach ministry. We believe we are to be "prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). We want to plant life-giving small groups in neighborhoods so that anyone will know exactly where to find a group of Christians whom they can trust for prayer, spiritual counsel, salvation, and other help.

A Church Where People Strive to be Continually Filled with the Holy Spirit

We will be a church where believers practice, and encourage others to practice, life in the Holy Spirit, as described in Galatians 5 and Romans 8. We consistently teach and lead the Lord's people to pray for the fullness of the Spirit, to strive to experience His fullness continually (Ephesians 5:18), to discover and use their spiritual gifts in ministry to others, and to bear the fruit of the Spirit. We believe and expect the power of God to flow through us and among us according to His grace and promise: He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20).

A Church Where Faithful Stewardship is Practiced and Encouraged

We dedicate ourselves to the biblical principle that God is the owner of all things (Psalm 24:1). We strive to constantly and consistently acknowledge Him as such, and to teach and model how believers ought to handle all that we have on loan from God. We believe, and teach others to believe, that God will demand an accounting of us as to how we use our time, talents, and treasures. As such, we will always consider the free and gracious contributions of time, effort, and finances as normal Christian behavior, and expect it from one another. We as a church practice the biblical discipline of tithing (giving ten percent of all we receive back into the work of the kingdom), and we encourage one another to give tithes and offerings regularly.

A Church Where Biblical Fellowship and Healthy Community are Practiced and Encouraged

people sitting in front of table talking and eating

Because of the importance of relationships between people, as stressed in the New Testament, we strive to teach and model healthy, biblical relational skills. We take quite seriously the command to "love one another" (John 15:12) and understand that it is the devil's plan to divide and destroy relationships. Much attention is given at MECF encouraging believers to live out the "one anothers" of the New Testament (love one another, prefer one another, edify one another, bear one another's burdens, etc.).