Our Purpose

• CORE VALUES

 

        A CORE VALUE is what we deem important as ministry is carried out. Our CORE VALUES are unique to us as they characterize our approach and attitude when ministry is done. The following represents the core values of Lighthouse Baptist Church. They define and "drive our desire as a people of God, under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, to have a Passion for God and Compassion for People." 

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          The core values of Lighthouse Baptist Church are expressed by the following guiding principles that give direction to the development and growth of our ministry.

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1. We value Scripture alone as the ultimate and sufficient authority in matters of life and doctrine.

2. We value proclaiming Jesus Christ both locally and globally to the glory of God.

3. We value topical preaching and expository teaching of God’s Word for the ongoing edification of the church.

4. We value God-centered worship as thoroughly biblical and deeply joyful.

5. We value providing a place of worship that is safe, attractive, and God-honoring as a service to all who gather with us.

6. We value earnest and consistent prayer, recognizing God’s call upon his people to pray and his promise to answer prayer offered in faith and in accord with his will.

7. We value equipping every member to serve.

8. We value godly and biblical leadership, composed of a pastor, associate/assistant pastors, deacons, with lay ministry teams carrying out many aspects of the work of ministry.

9. We value biblical marriage, upholding God’s wise and beautiful design in the complementary, life-long covenant relationship between a man and a woman.

10. We value the family as the first God-ordained unit of care, nurture, and instruction in godliness.

11. We value the sanctity of human life for all people as created in God’s image, from conception through death.

12. We value intentional evangelism as an act of love toward non-Christians, including children of our members, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, friends, and anyone with whom we have opportunity to share the gospel.

13. We value the reconciliation of people of diverse races, backgrounds, and life situations through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

14. We value caring for the needs of the people in the Truckee-Meadows region, where we regularly gather as a congregation.

15. We value sending people out from us for the good of the Church of Jesus Christ and the spread of the gospel around the world, by sacrificially giving of our time, resources, and people.

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• GOD-CENTERED​

 

          Lighthouse Baptist Church exists for God. In every person and ministry, God is first, and our ultimate goal is to please and glorify God. We desire for people to experience and encounter God in our church by means of our corporate worship services, and through the godly personal lives of our members. If God is not glorified through our church, we have failed, no matter how much outward success we may enjoy. We desire for others to see Jesus in us, while at church and in our daily lives. Our church will not be people or program driven, but driven by an all-consuming passion to exalt our Lord, Jesus Christ.

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• TEACHING THE BIBLE

 

          Lighthouse Baptist Church lives by the Bible. Every ministry and program of our church must be rooted in God's Word. The Bible is inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed, and therefore, must be the final authority for everything our church believes and does. We believe that the preaching and teaching of God's Word is the catalyst for change in people's lives, and therefore, holds the highest priority. Also, our members should be striving to live out God's Word, daily. Learning and living the Bible is natural and normal to Lighthouse Baptist Church. Believing the Bible is the revelation of God’s will and absolute, life-changing truth – our passion is to communicate it with integrity, doctrinal purity and authority in every sphere of ministry. 

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• OUR SOUL PURPOSE

 

         We are not a church that simply exists for ourselves. We exist for others. We look beyond the walls of our church to serve and minister to non-Christians, demonstrating to them the love of Christ. We do not believe it is the lost's responsibility to seek the church, but our responsibility to seek the lost.

 

          We believe the great commission compels the church to lead people to a saving knowledge of Christ and then disciple them to Christian maturity. We believe that lost people matter to God, and ought to matter to the church. "One Soul is More Important than the Whole World" In Luke 15:3-7, the shepherd who lost one sheep leaves the rest of his flock of ninety-nine to go and find the one lost sheep. This is impractical and ludicrous by the world's standard, but God loves each individual as tenaciously and wastefully as this shepherd. At Lighthouse, we experience the same personal love from God and strive to consider each other as valuable as God does.

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• THE WORLD - OUR MISSION FIELD

 

          Beginning with one person, and going to the whole world, the Lighthouse family seeks to obey God's commission to share His Good News to "the ends of the earth." As we expand God's tent, we are committed to strengthening each stake, holding nothing back, as we send out and support our long-term and short-term missionaries all over the world.

 

          The heavenly kingdom of Jesus Christ is far greater than any local church. It includes loyal followers of Jesus all over the world. Our passion is not to see how big our local church can become, but rather, how much we can grow God's kingdom in this world. Therefore, we willingly give away to other churches many of the blessings God has given to us. This is done by providing prayer and financial support to other co-laborers in the world, starting new churches, encouraging hurting churches, sharing what we have learned, learning from others, sending missionaries, and much more.

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• PRAYER - TO GOD AND FOR ONE ANOTHER

 

          The first local church was birthed in a prayer meeting (Acts 1:14) and they experienced the energizing power of the Holy Spirit. In the church where God's people have a lively prayer life together, regenerating power is present, life is there, and the lost are converted. Where prayer is not the central focus, there may be an outward shell of growth and productivity, but within it is empty, dry, and dead. Believing that Jesus Christ is our advocate with the Father and that God answers prayer – our passion is to be a praying church, faithfully upholding each other, family and friends, our pastors and leaders, our missionaries, and those whom God has established in authority, and to pray consistently for the lost in our community, local area, and the world.

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• FOLLOWING JESUS CHRIST

 

          We value transformation, not just information, as the basis of a successful ministry. (2 Corinthians 3) We believe that a high commitment to Christ and the work of His church should permeate and prioritize all of our personal relationships, activities and interests. Believing that Jesus Christ desires committed followers and not just adherents – our passion is to encourage and aid each other in making progressively greater commitments to Christ through a Christ-first environment.

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• HOLDING EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE

 

          Christians are disciples - believers who are learning and changing as Christ lives His life through them. We believe that every Christian should be growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Our church assists Christians in this process by offering Bible preaching and teaching, Bible studies, discipleship training, a counseling ministry, mentoring, retreats, conferences, seminars, and a Christian school. We are constantly exploring new methods to better disciple those who attend our church.

 

         We believe that Christ’s followers should exhibit godly integrity and strive for continuous growth. Believing that in the Body of Christ we are called to mutual care and accountability – our passion is to operate biblically, to communicate openly, and to edify one another.

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• FELLOWSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER

 

          We believe that our love for God should result in loving relationships that will be evident in every aspect of church life. Believing that everyone yearns to belong and that belonging is vital to unity and effective ministry – our passion is to embrace and practically encourage each person the preserving the unity of the Body in the bond of the Spirit.