VISION & BELIEFS

IT IS OUR VISION TO:

  • share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the hundreds of thousands of residents in the Greater Sarasota County area.

  • gather 100's, even 1,000's of Spirit Filled believers together each weekend for the purpose of Celebrating the presence and power of God through powerful contemporary Worship, relevant life changing Preaching, and opportunity of response through commitment.

  • develop people to spiritual maturity through Daily Bible reading and Devotions, discipleship training, Small Group Ministry, seminars, and Leadership Training.

  • see 100's of Small Groups meeting weekly throughout the Gulf Coast area for fellowship, ministry, and evangelism. It is our vision to minister to the total person their spiritual, emotional, physical, and social needs.

  • be a church where the Leaders are free to lead and the Members are free to minister, a place where everyone can discover and develop their Spiritual Gifts and be involved in significant ministry.

  • send out 100's of persons on the mission field on short term mission trips and as career missionaries for the purpose of building the Kingdom of God by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and planting churches.

  • target and adopt an Unreached People Group for the purpose of sharing the Gospel and Church Planting. It is also our vision to send out teams to plant daughter churches.

  • develop a Youth Ministry that reaches and touches every teenager in our area with the Life Changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the vision of equipping every teenager as a disciple of Jesus Christ in order to make other disciples.

  • make a significant positive impact in each of the public high schools in our area with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

  • develop a Children's Ministry that teaches our children the foundations of the Word of God and helps them begin to apply God's principles to their lives.

  • have age appropriate teaching and experiences that will enable each child to develop a healthy relationship with God.

  • have a campus that will serve as a regional church for the Greater Sarasota County area with beautiful, yet simple, facilities that can adequately facilitate our Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, Leadership Training Center; a counseling and prayer center; and a Worship Center that can comfortably seat everyone that God sends our way.

Our vision is what we see God doing thru us as a community. It is only through the power of God can this vision be accomplished.

OUR BELIEFS

  • God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

  • Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is one with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

  • The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He works in the believer's lives through the distribution, manifestation, and ministry of spiritual gifts . As Christians, we are commanded to "Be filled with the Holy Spirit", and we seek to live under His control daily.

  • The Bible is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error.

  • People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin". This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life.

  • Salvation is God's free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When we turn from our self ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.

  • The end of this age and the coming of the New Kingdom will be marked by the personal return of Jesus Christ. He will come at a time when he is least expected. When he comes back he will take back to heaven those who have trusted him with their lives and have accepted the free gift of salvation; first those who have died, and then those who are still alive.

  • People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

Want to learn more about the vision and beliefs of ALC? Consider attending our ALC101 class. Contact the church office to sign up.