What You Can Expect

Everyone Really Does Belong!

Everyone really does belong!  The word "belong" is defined by the dictionary as "to fit into a group naturally."  We all know the great feeling that comes from belonging to something we wish to be a part of.  Belonging means experiencing acceptance.  We are all a little broken, but we believe that God cares about bringing our rough lives together and that God can still form something beautiful  with us as His light shines through us.  At Central, we are accepted for who we are by others...we belong.

When it comes to churches, belonging can be more difficult than one might think.  While larger churches offer many great programs and activities, some remark they feel like "another number" when attending with such a big crowd.  Often times, they may never be able to meet or speak personally with the pastor or other church leadership.

In smaller churches, belonging can be just as challenging.  While personal access to the pastor and leadership is readily available, other pitfalls can interfere with belonging.  Perhaps the church has just a few "power" people who "run" everything or maybe the church so strictly holds beliefs, there is no room for other points of view. 

"At Central, what you see is what you get.  And hopefully, some of what you get is something worthwhile!" says Brett Ballard, the senior minister at Central.  "The ability to show up at church ‘as you are' is very important.  Unfortunately, most people don't feel comfortable in church because of the way they have been treated or judged by a church in the past.  Our knack for helping people feel welcome and that they belong is our greatest strength at Central."

What Does Central Believe?

It's simple.  We trace our statement of belief all the way back to the early church, when things were just shaping up, right after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  Those early Christians had only one creed, "Jesus is Lord" that they used in worship and repeated publicly just before baptism. 

Also, during the first century the phrase Jesus is Lord was intended by early Christians as a political contrast to the popular greeting amongst Roman citizens -- Caesar is Lord.

After that, we believe that it's up to YOU and God on how that plays out in your life.  We're here to listen, encourage, support and provide feedback, but ultimately, how Jesus becomes Lord in YOUR life is YOUR business.

Servant Creation - Matthew 25 style...

We believe God's ultimate goal with us here on earth is to make us faithful servants, serving our community on behalf of Jesus, until He returns again.  As a church, we share our money, resources and ourselves with no strings attached and attempt to demonstrate the life of a servant.  We believe this is strongly taught by Jesus himself in Matthew 25.

We do not believe in a typical "church membership" where one can come inside a building, sit on a pew and maybe drop a check in the offering plate while attempting to stay alert during the message.  We see Biblical Christianity as a call that demands we lose our lives to find them.  we value serving others first.  Therefore, we intentionally seek to create servants - people who wish to serve, rather than people who only wish to be served.

We're very excited about what we are doing to serve our community, both locally and globally.  Of course, we always need the help of others and the more resources we have, the more we can help.  That's why we are making every effort to meet new people and to tell them about Central, the Christian Church of the Cultural District.