Core Values at Real Life Church
We exist to create Christlike environments wherever we go.
1. Community - Both in-house and local.
2. Encounters with God - Expressive worship, gifts of the Holy Spirit, divine instruction from the Holy Spirit.
3. Practical Missions that show the world God’s love both locally and globally.
4. Small Groups that promote godly relationships and community.
5. Youth and Children being raised up to become disciples of Christ. We want to provide real life opportunities to serve and contribute.
6. Leadership Development - Raising up the next generation of Leaders.
Values that we have discovered at Real Life Church
1. We believe in revealing the Good News of Jesus through unique church services, small groups, serving those with need, and helping others to do the same. This is where the Kingdom of God is truly discovered.
2. We believe that to have a healthy and pure spirit, we must be authentic in approach, relevant to culture, and focused on meeting real needs.
3. Faith in Action - Spontaneous response to local disasters and organized teams to improve quality of life to the world’s impoverished by discipleship, friendship, and evangelism all in one.
4. We believe in adjusting our personal goals and aspirations into a vision that transforms lives.
5. We believe in the “priesthood of the believers” (every member a minister) so much, that what normally happens through an organization now regularly happens through the individual.
6. We believe transformation comes through relationships, and those relationships are formed in small group and community-focused gatherings.
7. We believe children are extremely valuable in the Kingdom of God, so we put our best people and resources into those areas of ministry.
8. Community is where we find real life in Jesus. We build church and local community by engaging in meals, parties, and events that unify people to one another. It is in this setting that love, conversation, hospitality, and care are experienced.
9. We have noticed relationship with God comes before the “right” belief about God. Jesus came to refocus people to having the right relationships with God and man, and change the beliefs that interfere with that happening.
Church Affiliation
Real life church is a non denominational church that is connected to ILM (Integrity Leadership Ministers Fellowship) and the MVMA (Maple Valley Ministerial Association). Many churches identify with a denomination or fellowship organization for integrity and accountability purposes. But we also believe that relationship(s) with the local church community and pastors is the most important organizational accountability available to our church and the healthiest for the following reasons:
1) Local relationships are harder to hide from, lie too, boast to, and fake in front of because the relationship isn’t “out of sight, out of mind”.
2) Local accountability is found by submitting to many diverse ministries with doctrine and values that differ. When we gather with everyone that believes the same we don’t challenge or question our belief systems. We can easily lead people astray or into error when we all think the same.
3) Relationships that provide true accountability require relationship that knows the church’s and the pastor’s reputation in the community. This requires regular contact, not occasional lunches or yearly conferences.
Pastor Steve and RLC are committed to keeping our church in a healthy relationship with our local churches and pastors. In addition to the local pastors association, Pastor Steve has pursued for over 12 years personal friendships many with local pastors. They meet weekly for prayer and quarterly for retreats, activities, lunches and personal dinners which promote healthy conversation, counsel and fellowship.