Vision & Mission Statement

We exist to bring the Shalom* of Christ to South LA, by proclaiming Christ Jesus to all people, discipling and equipping the saints, and purposefully loving our community and the world, by the grace of God to the glory of God.

*Shalom – wholeness, health, peace, safety, prosperity, fullness, rest, and harmony

Core Values

Gospel-Centered: Grace & Growth (Matt. 28:18-20, Titus 2:1)

The Gospel is not only the belief that one accepts once for eternal salvation, but it is a continual way of life where the believer finds God’s grace in order to have an authentic, thriving relationship with God. God’s saving grace can only be given and accepted in terms of the Gospel. The message of the Gospel must be received, trusted, and requires embracing it with all of your being because it is the grace of God shown to humanity as the only fertile soil where His children can grow into the image of His Son.

God-Glorifying: All For Him (1 Cor. 10:31, Romans 11:36, Psalm 73:24-26, John 17:22, 24)

We strive to see God glorified in all we do, from our personal lives to the local church. We don’t seek our own glory nor make the church the end of all praise. We strive to see God glorified in all things as He is the One worthy of all praise. We glorify God by walking in His calling on our lives to spread the news of His Kingdom where he has placed us (i.e., family, neighborhood, work, school, community) and enjoying Him in all we do. We strive to be one people as the Father and the Son are one.

People-Oriented: People Over Programs

All ministry in the New Testament is about people.  The local church exists to glorify God among people.  All commands for believers and the church community are specifically for people.  As a result, everything we do as a church must be aimed not at fulfilling some cultural expectation for what “church” should be or at satisfying the requirements for an organization, but at glorifying God among the people he has put in our lives and community.  Programs, therefore, should only exist to the extent that they demonstrably and effectively facilitate the ministry of people to people.  We strive to be a church that is passionate about personal ministry in the lives of people that develops programs only to the extent that they help, not hinder, that personal ministry. Programs must focus primarily on spreading the Gospel to people in our church and the local community.

Empowered-People: Equipping the Saints (Eph. 4:11-13)

Members of the church will be empowered to do the work of ministry. Leadership will be focused on developing members to take part in the life of the church in order to serve and care for others and not merely be consumers. We as a church will focus on developing and identifying the gifts in the church and help people work out of all of their giftedness. We are committed to making disciples that make disciples.

Theologically Informed: Fluent in the Bible (1 Timothy 3:15-17) & the Culture (1 Cor. 9:19-23, 1 Chron. 12:23) 

We love that the Bible is a complex book fitting for the complex world we live in.  It provides answers to complicated questions; it rewards thinking that is humble, careful, and devoted.  Instead of using proof-texts and settling for superficial answers, we want to apply this humble, careful approach when we study the Bible and think about our community’s diverse cultures.  When it comes to Biblical truth as well as contemporary cultural concerns, we push ourselves to genuinely understand in a full and nuanced way.  It is a passion and priority for us to carefully explore what God has said and provide robust answers that intersect with the actual thoughts, attitudes, and questions people have in our community.  

Theologically Transformed: Living Out the Truth (James 1:22-25, Hebrews 4:12, Matt. 7:21-23) 

We love that the truth transforms lives and speaks to people right where they are at. The Bible is not a textbook or a history book but is living and active. God’s word does not only transform us individually but will transform our community. It is a passion and priority for us to carefully explore how God wants us to live among each other and our city. We are called to take that truth and live it out.  We do not only want to profess the truth but allow the truth to transform our minds, leading us to do the will of the Father.

Collaboratively Structured: Leading and Ministering Together (Acts 1:14, Gen. 1:26, Eph. 4:11-16)

The New Testament depicts the church as a body whose parts work collaboratively together.  This collaboration is modeled throughout Acts and the epistles in how the church is led and how its various members carry out their ministries.  As a result, the church was designed to be led by a team of co-equal pastors/elders.  Throughout the New Testament, local church leadership is only ever spoken of in the plural, and nowhere is the role of “senior pastor” ever taught other than referring to Jesus, our chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4).  All ministry functions most effectively when done in the context of teams. We see the benefit of diverse viewpoints, the necessity of humility, the encouragement of mutuality, and the opportunities for varied giftedness as just some of the many practical benefits of collaborative leadership and ministry structures.  We strive to be a church that recognizes God’s sovereign design of ministry teams and the diverse strengths and gifts that each team member offers.

Intentionally Unified:  Pursuing a multi-_____ church (John 17, Rev. 7:9, Eph. 2:11-22)

In John 17, Jesus prays that His Church will be united. The Church is not linked by age, life stage, ethnicity, nationality, social or personal preferences, but by Christ Himself and His love for us. This means that Shalom Bible Church is a church that intentionally pursues relational unity across the lines that often divide people in the world. We are people from various tongues, ethnicities, life stages, social-economic, and backgrounds, but we are one because we are united in Christ. We strive to be unified in these ways, not to follow trends or “fit in,” but to reflect what Christ’s heart is for His church and all people. We pursue being a church where all people in our community can find refuge.

Committed to our Local/Global Communities: Love for the Marginalized (Matt. 25:31-46), Love for the Lost (Mark 16:15-16)

Jesus demonstrated a profound love for those who were lost and those who were hurting and suffering when He was on earth. As Christ’s Church, we are called to care for and actively love the marginalized (the voiceless, the powerless, the suffering) and the lost (those who don’t know Christ). This love manifests locally in our love for our city, and it manifests globally in our love for our world. The church should invest its time, energy, and resources towards reaching the lost and serving the marginalized in our city and worldwide. We strive to bring the shalom of Christ to our neighborhoods and the world by partnering with like-minded ministries or stepping in the gap when we can.

To learn more about what we believe, check out our Statement of Faith.