Who We Are
The Freedom Center values worship and prayer as an act of ministry to the Lord. We recognize and prioritize our responsibility to seek first the presence and person of Jesus, and to bring Him our offering of praise, prayer, and join with Him in intercession. We believe that in first seeking the person and presence of Jesus, we are fulfilling our call as His church. As we pursue Him, everything else will fall into place; we will carry His hope, joy, and peace into the lives and world around us.
We take mental health seriously. Our therapy department seeks to cultivate a space that is safe and loving to give our clients their best chance to work through the things holding them back from living fully and freely. Sometimes this means creating space for the unspeakable truths to be spoken; sometimes this means creating space that is safe to cry & break down; and sometimes this simply means creating space that is silent, helping our clients know they are being heard and listened to.
At the very core of who we are, The Freedom Center desires only to provide opportunity and to fill the gap within our community for healing. We believe in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and desire to host the Lord well within our space. We prioritize and value the act of honoring the beliefs, values, and convictions of all people. It is never our intent or agenda to push our beliefs or faith onto anyone. Our goal and purpose is not to convert individuals to Christianity; our goal and purpose is to love and care for people with sincerity and from a pure heart (modeling after Jesus); to provide space & opportunity for healing, both in therapy sessions and in the worship & prayer room.
Core Values
GROWTH
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:18
We are always growing – spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. At The Freedom Center, we value spiritual growth above all else because our faith in Jesus is the foundation on which we stand and build our lives. We desire to pursue God’s heart to gain a deeper understanding of who He is, and in turn, who we are. We believe we always have room to grow and go deeper in our relationship with Jesus. Along with spiritual growth, The Freedom Center values mental and emotional growth. Through discipleship meetings and time together as a staff, TFC leadership desires to provide opportunity for growth in all areas. It is expected that staff & volunteers maintain an attitude of humility and teachability to allow the most room for growth and maturity.
HEALING
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. – James 5:16
We understand that Jesus has already forgiven us of our sins and imperfections; forgiveness is something we accept and receive. Healing, however, comes through intentional prayer. Spiritual and emotional healing is where we encounter the true authenticity of God’s love. At the core of what we do at The Freedom Center, we want to simply give the opportunity for spiritual & emotional healing, whether that be through therapy or in the worship & prayer room. The more we grow in relationship with Jesus, the more healing He may take us through. TFC leadership desires staff & volunteers to be aware of their own healing process and communicate with their discipleship leader when/if they need additional resources.
FAMILY
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. – Ephesians 6:4
The family unit is a pure representation of the love, safety, and joy found in the Father’s presence. As parents and/or caretakers we are to be leading, instructing, and disciplining from the Father’s heart. Meaning, the ways in which we speak to, spend time with, and discipline our children should represent the Father’s heart. At The Freedom Center, we understand that our worship & ministry starts and ends in our homes; our family is our first priority, and we hope to communicate this priority through our conduct as an organization.
LOVE
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have no love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned but have no love, I gain nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
God is love (1 John 4). We strive to inhabit the character and care of God in all we do. Our heart is that whether you are a staff member, volunteer, client, or member of our community, you experience the love of God when you visit and/or interact with The Freedom Center. Our intention is that God’s love is in and apart of all of who we are as an organization. All staff & volunteers are expected to maintain an attitude of love, first and foremost.
Statement of Faith
The Trinity
God is a triune God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three persons are equal in power and authority and all are God. Each person plays an intricate part in the Gospel story and in the daily lives of Christians. God is all knowing, all powerful, and ever present. Any reference to “God” from here on out refers to the triune God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 28:19
Creation
God created the heavens and earth in six days. On the seventh day God rested and declared the seventh day the Sabbath day of rest. Within the six days, God created mankind, animals, plants, and the seas. God created all things by His spoken word. When God created mankind, He first created Adam out of dust from the ground. From Adam’s rib bone, God created Eve. Adam and Eve were the first man and woman. Everything God created was good and perfect. Sin, shame, and imperfection were not a part of God’s original design for mankind or the earth.
Scripture: Genesis 1 and 2
The Fall
Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve gave in to the enemy’s temptation to disobey God. The devil came in the form of a serpent to Eve and tempted her to eat from the one tree God instructed Adam and Eve not to eat from. Eve was convinced by the serpent and chose to eat fruit from the forbidden tree. Once Eve ate from the tree, she convinced Adam to eat from it as well. This is when sin, shame, and imperfection came into the world, and mankind was separated from God.
Scripture: Genesis 3
The Gospel & Salvation
Because it was not God’s original design for mankind to be separated from him and to live in a world of sin, God decided to redeem mankind by taking the punishment for sin upon Himself. Jesus was sent by the Father to earth to teach, preach, perform miracles, and to atone for mankind’s sins. Jesus was arrested, beaten, and crucified on a cross. Once Jesus died, He was put into a tomb. Three days later, it was found that Jesus’ tomb had been opened and His body was no longer inside. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating sin, death, and the enemy. Jesus appeared to many people after raising from the dead. Jesus then ascended into heaven to be with God the Father. When Jesus ascended, He promised He would return the same way in which He was leaving.
Mankind now has the opportunity to gain freedom from their sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When an individual accepts Jesus’ sacrifice as atonement for their sins, receives Jesus’ forgiveness for their sins, believes in their heart, and confesses with their mouth, they are saved. Individuals who choose to be saved through Jesus receive the gift of eternal life in heaven with God and are saved from eternal damnation in hell.
As an individual becomes saved, they receive the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit comes and dwells within us, helping us in our weaknesses and counseling us through life. Holy Spirit is always interceding for us and speaking to us from the heart of God. It is Holy Spirit within us that enables us to operate in the spiritual gifts.
Scripture: Isaiah 53; Luke 22:39-24:53; Matthew 26:36-27:2; 27:11-28:20; Mark 14:32-16:20; John 18:1-21:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; John 3:16; Romans 10:9; Romans 8:1-2; John 14; Romans 8:26-28; Acts 2; Acts 5:12-16; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 2 Timothy 1:148
The Church
The Church is the body of Christ, the collection of individuals who are saved and born again. The Church was designed to work as one strong body of believers. The Church is to be a community that works together to bring heaven to earth and spread the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus. There is no biblical basis for denominations. Today’s denominations are not bad, nor are they necessarily wrong, however, The Church was never meant to be divided out by the differences in our beliefs and preferences. The Church was designed to be unified, despite differences in opinion, preferences, and beliefs (beliefs that go beyond the core foundations of Christianity and God’s Word).
Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Corinthians 14:26-40; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 5:16-26
Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual gifts are given to believers by God according to His will. All spiritual gifts are relevant today and are available for the ministry of the Gospel and transforming power of Jesus. Believers are encouraged to desire the spiritual gifts and actively use them in daily living. The following spiritual gifts are explained due to the questions, controversies, and confusion that sometimes surrounds these three in particular. The following three are not more important nor do they hold more significance than any of the other spiritual gifts listed in scripture.
The gift of tongues is a personal love language between believers and God. Speaking in tongues is not a requirement or proof of salvation, but a verbal overflow of the Spirit of God within believers. Speaking in tongues should not be done publicly from a platform unless there is an individual present gifted to interpret the message given in tongues.
The gift of prophecy is a vessel for God to deliver messages, whether individual or to a body of believers, through those He’s anointed with the gift of prophecy. Prophecy connects the heart of God with His believers in an intimate and loving way. All prophetic messages are encouraging and given for the building up of believers. The gift of prophecy is not a pass to call out people’s sin or faults. Those anointed with the gift of prophecy should be trained, equipped, and discipled by other, matured individuals with the gift of prophecy before actively practicing the gift of prophecy in a ministry setting.
There is a difference between the gift of prophecy and God speaking to His believers. All believers have access and are able to hear God’s voice. All believers have the freedom to seek the heart of God on their own behalf and receive God’s spoken word on their own. God is always speaking and has a strong desire to share His heart with His people.
The gift of healing is the gifting God uses to bring physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing to people. Healings can be instant, miraculous events that take place as someone, or a group of people, pray and lay hands on an individual.
Scripture: Acts 2:14-21; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Corinthians 14:1-33; 1 John 4:1-4; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Timothy 4:14; Acts 11:27-30; John 10
Spiritual Leadership
One piece of the biblical design for spiritual leadership is found in Ephesians 4: apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors. These five offices allow for a wholistic approach to ministry and bringing heaven to earth. All five of these offices exist to equip believers to serve and to lead. These five offices do not exist to run the show on their own or create a personal following.
The second piece of the biblical design for spiritual leadership consists of elders and deacons. Elders and deacons consist of men and women who meet the specific qualifications given in scripture. Elders and deacons exist to lead, teach, and disciple members of the church.
Within the traditional church setting, elders, deacons, and the five offices found in Ephesians 4 allow for a wholistic approach to ministry and furthering the kingdom of God.
Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16; Acts 14:23; Titus 1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9
Marriage
Marriage has been created by God to be between a man and a woman. God purposefully created each individual either male or female. God created mankind for community and for relationship. God’s design for marriage is good, fruitful, and purposeful. The similarity between God’s design for the family & marriage, and God’s design for His relationship with The Church is not by accident. There is power and revival found within the family unit when the family unit is committed to serving and honoring the Lord.
Scripture: Genesis 2:18; Ephesians 5:22-33; Matthew 19:1-9; Ephesians 6:1-4; Exodus 20:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:9; Ephesians 3:14-15