What Kind of Church is The Bridge?

The Bridge is one of the most peaceful churches you will ever encounter. But being full of people and led by frail humans, we do face minor conflict from time to time. Probably the most common surrounds the purpose of our church and what kind of church we are supposed to be. When you think of it, once that is settled, most other decisions are simplified and we are able to see our way through the things we do and don’t do, and how we approach every ministry.And that is something that was settled for us long time ago. Jesus announced the mission of the church in Matthew 28:19-20.We are a church that is driven by the Gospel and passionate about making disciples.But, not having that understanding, sometimes people get upset because we don’t get involved in certain things, or the approach we take.Everything we do is with the Great Commission in mind. As an outreach-oriented, Gospel driven church, we try to keep ourselves focused and uncluttered. That’s why we try to steer clear of Christian lingo, or allowing a church culture to gain a footing. It’s why we carefully think through all of our ministries and are constantly evaluating how effective those ministries are in accomplishing that mission. It’s why we hate legalism, and refuse to embrace Christian do's and don’ts that are extra-Biblical.It’s why we steer clear of politics. It’s why we don’t do pot-lucks. It’s why we wear regular clothes in our services and use a music style that people who have never been to church before can relate to. It’s why we don’t have the typical and awkward church greeting time in the service. It’s why we try to preach in a way that regular people can understand, and explain texts and references used in sermons so that everyone gets what is being said.It’s why we encourage you to not only witness to people in your life, but also invite them to church to hear the Gospel in the context of seeing God’s people worship. It’s why we advertise outreach-oriented sermon series, host Awana, Celebrate Recovery and our other ministries. It’s why we encourage parents to use the nursery and other Bridge Kids' ministries, because the message we share in the auditorium (and Bridge Kids for that matter) is so absolutely vital that we want everyone to be focused on every sentence, without distraction.And we believe that by being united around that one mission, all of us will grow in a greater way and be more effective in our Christian walk.We don’t always accomplish it, but that’s the kind of church The Bridge aspires to be.“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Jesus (Matthew 16:18)