Our Core Values
- Lost people matter to God. He wants them found.
- Prayer is the primary work of the people of God.
- Everything we have belongs to God. We are only stewards.
- Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success.
- Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully devoted disciple.
- Without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit we can accomplish nothing.
- Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith filled risks. This always involves change.
River of Life Alliance Church’s Mission Statement
River Of Life Marshall is a Great Commission Church[1] of the C&MA: existing to know Christ[2] and to make Him known[3] by reaching people with the whole Gospel in our community[4] , bringing them to faith in Jesus Christ[5], and making disciples that reflect the character and priorities of Jesus Christ[6].
1. Our primary focus is to be a Great Commission Church:
Matthew 28:18-20 (King James Version)
18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Because Jesus is Lord of our lives, He has the authority to command us to make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching. These are the primary core values of our church plant:
In order to make disciples that reflect the character and priorities of Jesus Christ, we must:
A. First, we must go. We must go first to our families, our friends, our neighbors our community. We have a core value of evangelism to our circles of influence. We will go and share the good news by speaking and by living the Gospel to those people all around us.
B. Next, we must baptize. This is a both a literal and metaphorical term, meaning that we must invite people to not just know about Christ, but to commit to following Him with their lives. This decision is symbolized by believer’s baptism.
C. Finally, we must teach. We must teach the Word of God in its entirety in a way that inspires the desire to follow Him with our whole hearts.
2. In order to make disciples, we must be willing to know him. Our next value has to do with worship. We believe that to get to truly know Christ, we dedicate our whole lives to him as an act of worship:
1 Corinthians 2:2 (King James Version)
2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
We must live and model an active worship in our lives, for not only is this pleasing to God, but it is attractive to those who do not know Him. If we do not worship Him by loving and knowing His Word, and by seeking Him daily in prayer, we will not have His priorities first in our lives. We must set aside time for daily, personal communion with God, as well as corporate worship opportunities.
3. Our next priority is to make Jesus known. It seems cliché to say that the only Jesus people may ever see is you, but it is true. To make Jesus known means to love God first, and to love people-love them enough to share with them the whole Gospel. It also means loving them and ministering to them wherever they are in life.
Romans 1:16 (KJV)
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Being not ashamed of the Gospel means that the life you live lines up with the words you speak and the faith you claim. We believe that the power of God is given us through the Holy Spirit to be able to live the Christian life and proclaim the Good News to all whom we can.
4. Our focus is first on the people who do not have a relationship with Jesus within our community of Marshall. Jesus was very specific in his words in Acts 1:8:
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
We recognize that the power to reach our ‘Jerusalem’ comes from the Holy Spirit. We know that no one will come to the Father unless He draws them, but we also know that we are responsible to giving the whole Gospel message- “ye must be BORN AGAIN” -to our friends, our neighbors, and our contacts in the Marshall area. By the grace of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can accomplish this goal.
5. We recognize that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and it is a major priority to invite people into a faith relationship with Jesus Christ.
John 3:3 (KJV)
3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
We desire that all men might know him, so the Gospel Ministry will be the major focus of this ministry in Marshall. We will proclaim the truth of the Gospel to all who will hear, and we will, by the Grace of God, lead people into a redemptive relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
6. Finally, we desire to be a church that reflects Jesus’ character and His priorities. Jesus is not willing that any should perish. He also proclaimed to us the Great Commission. We are not sent here to simply sit on our hands; we are called into His fields. So, River of Life Church, as one of its core values, will equip people to find and use their gifts to build up the church in the county, the state, the country, and the world in which we live. We desire plant a church within 24 months of our launch, and, God willing, to continue that trend every year until the Gospel is preached to the ends of the earth:
Matthew 24:14 (KJV)
14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
We believe that the best model that we can follow from the scripture is Acts 2:42-47:
Acts 2:42-47 (KJV)
42And they continue stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
We envision a church fellowship that:
- Devotes themselves to the teaching of the Word and fellowship. This will be done through small groups as well as the Sunday worship service.
- Practices regular corporate and individual prayer times for the needs of the church here and around the world.
- Shares with those who are less fortunate, helping people as they have need.
- Regular meeting and fellowship throughout the community- not just in a church building.
- Sharing of common experiences; meals together, activities that build fellowship and times of shared fun together.
- Times of regular and celebratory corporate worship and praise
- Intentionally presents Gospel truths to any and all who will listen.
- Understands that the work is ours, but the result is up to the LORD
[1] Matthew 28:18-20
[2] 1 Corinthians 2:2
[3] Romans 1:16
[4] Acts 1:8
[5] John 3:3
[6] Mark 12:28-31
The Alliance Doctrinal Statement
1. There is one God,(1) who is infinitely perfect,(2) existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.(3) ([1] Deuteronomy 6:4, [2] Matthew 5:48, [3] Matthew 28:19)
2. Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man.(4) He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.(5) He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust,(6) as a substitutionary sacrifice,(7) and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood.(8) He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures.(9) He is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our great High Priest.(10) He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness and peace.(11) ([4] Philippians 2:6–11, [5] Luke 1:34–38, [6] I Peter 3:18, [7] Hebrews 2:9, [8] Romans 5:9, [9] Acts 2:23–24, [10] Hebrews 8:1, [11] Matthew 26:64)
3. The Holy Spirit is a divine person,(12) sent to dwell, guide, teach, empower the believer,(13) and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.(14) ([12] John 14:15–18, [13] John 16:13, Acts 1:8, [14] John 16:7–11)
4. The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.(15) ([15] 2 Peter 1:20–21, 2 Timothy 3:15–16)
5. Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God 
16) he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature,(17) are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.(18) The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment;(19) and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss.(20) ([16] Genesis 1:27, [17] Romans 3:23, [18] 1 Corinthians15:20–23, [19] Revelation 21:8, [20] Revelation 21:1–4)
6. Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God.(21) ([21] Titus 3:4–7)
7. It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly,(22) being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.(23) This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.24 ([22] 1 Thessalonians 5:23, [23] Acts 1:8, [24] Romans 6:1–14)
8. Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body.(25) Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.(26) ([25] Matthew 8:16–17, [26] James 5:13–16)
9. The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, (27) which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations.(28) The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.(29) ([27] Ephesians 1:22–23, [28] Matthew 28:19–20, [29] Acts 2:41–47)
10. There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life;(30) for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.(31) ([30] 1 Corinthians 15:20–23, [31] John 5:28–29)
11. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent(32) and will be personal, visible, and premillennial.(33) This is the believer’s blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.(34) ([32] Hebrews 10:37, [33] Luke 21:27, [34] Titus 2:11–14)
