ABOUT US
why dwell city?
Psalm 107
Psalm 107 beautifully pictures the nature of the church. “Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”
We recognize ourselves as being empty, lost without hope, and having no place to truly belong. Yet we called upon the Lord and he heard our cry and redeemed us, filled us with joy, and gave us a forever family. We now dwell together and call out to others to come experience the joy we have found in Christ.
ephesians 2
Ephesians 2 speaks of the people of the church as the dwelling place of God. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
revelation 21
Revelation 21 describes the new heavenly city of God. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth … And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.”
our vision
our vision is to be a light for the nations, a community rich in faith and abundant in love, bringing the good news of jesus christ for the joy of all peoples.
our mission
our mission is to declare and demonstrate new life in christ in order to be a blessing to the nations
see what god can do through you
see what god can do through you
see what god can do through you
see what god can do through you
Meet the leaders
Pastor Steven and Julia were married in 2008. They have served together both overseas and stateside and have been involved in ministry for over 20 years. Steven is a former Air Force pilot and completed his PhD in systematic theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Julia has a master’s in professional counseling and a master’s in school counseling. They have three children: Hannah, Jacob, and Micah. They enjoy writing music, traveling, and trying new restaurants.the wilhoits
Pastor Chris and Lori were married in 2000. They have served in various church plants and have been in ministry for over 20 years. They are passionate about discipleship and building community in the church. Chris has a bachelor’s degree in theology from Boyce College and a master’s in computer science. Lori is pursuing her degree in Biblical Counseling. They have four children: Seth, Caleb, Nathan, and Grace. They enjoy exploring new places, reading, and spending time with family and friends.the myers
our values
expositional
preaching
we ensure the point of the text is the point of the sermon
persistent prayer
we pray without ceasing and expect god to move
wholistic impact
we aim for impact in both content and style
intentional disciplieship
we diligently pursue growth in faith
gifting enablement
we empower each other to exercise our gifts
vibrant worship
we worship as contributors rather than consumers
genuine community
we love one another deeply, serve generously, and gather together joyfully
integrated outreach
we leverage the corporate gathering as a means to outreach
missional partnerships
we joyfully partner with others to advance the kingdom of god
what we believe
doctrine of god
We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, each of whom is fully God, yet there is one God.We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is fully, equally and eternally God, yet there is one God. Each person has precisely the same nature and attributes and is worthy of precisely the same worship, honor and praise. The entire Christian faith is bound together with the confession of God’s Trinitarian nature (Matt. 28:18–20).We believe in God the Father, the Creator of heaven and earth. We believe in the Son, God from God, eternally begotten but not made, who in history assumed to Himself a human nature for the sake of our salvation (John 1:14; Heb. 1:3). He is fully God and fully man. Through Him, all things came into being and were created. He was before all things, and in Him, all things hold together by the word of His power (Col.1:15–20). He suffered, died, was buried, resurrected, ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father until He returns for the final judgment and consummation of the Kingdom. We believe in the Holy Spirit who eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son and is sent by the Father and Son to give new life (John 15:26–27). The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth and dwells within the regenerate (Eph. 1:13–14). The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son who, in turn, came to glorify the Father. He will lead the Church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He is to be respected, honored and worshiped as God, the third person of the Trinity.The triune God, Father, Son and Spirit, is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. As the immortal and eternal Creator, He sovereignly rules over all of His creation (Ps. 24:1).doctrine of revelation
God has made Himself known to the world in Jesus Christ, the Scriptures and creation.
We believe that God has made Himself known to His creation. He has revealed Himself to us in His Son, the incarnate Word (Heb. 1:1–2), in Scripture, the inspired Word (2 Tim. 3:16), and in creation (Ps. 8; Rom. 1:20).
We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the perfect revelation of who God is. Jesus Christ is the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15), “the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3) and a perfect reflection of God the Father (John 5:19).
We believe the Scriptures, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God and are therefore without error in their original writings. These writings alone constitute the verbally inspired Word of God, which is utterly authoritative and free from error. The Scripture is sufficient for all that God requires for us to believe and do and is therefore to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises (Is. 40:6–8). As God’s people hear, believe and obey the Word, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses to the gospel (Rom. 10:14–17).
doctrine of creation and providence
We believe that God created the world from nothing and governs all things at all times in all places.
God created the whole world from nothing (Gen. 1:1–2; Ps. 24:1). God’s creative work is the overflow of the love present within the Trinitarian fellowship. Creation, according to the design of God, was good (Gen. 1:3–31).
God doesn’t let the world exist, He makes the world exist. He upholds the universe by the word of His power, and He holds the world together in Himself (Col. 1:17).
doctrine of humanity
We believe that all humanity is created in the image of God and possess intrinsic dignity and worth.
God made humanity—male and female—in His own image (Gen. 1:27–30). Set apart as His image bearers, every human being is sacred. All men and all women, bearing the image of God, are meant to represent God in His creation (1 Cor. 10:31). God declares the created order to be very good, distinguishing men and women as His agents to care for, manage and govern over it. They enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church and civic life. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union in the covenant of marriage that establishes the only God- ordained pattern of sexual relations for men and women. In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways.
doctrine of sin
We believe that sin has fractured all things, leaving the world in desperate need for salvation.
Through the temptation of Satan, humanity transgressed the command of God and fell from their original holiness and righteousness (Gen. 3). Now the entire human race inherits a corrupt nature that is opposed to God and His law (Rom. 3:9–20). Therefore, all humans are under condemnation. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to the mind, will, body and affections.
Unregenerate humanity lives under the dominion of sin and Satan (Eph. 2:1–3). He is at enmity with God, hostile toward and hateful of God.
doctrine of salvation
We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
We believe that, due to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again (John 3:5–8); that salvation is only by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ; and that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ through faith are declared righteous by God and become children of God (Heb. 10:19–25).
We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that act of God by which the Holy Spirit imparts a new nature and a new spiritual life, not before possessed, and the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus (Gal. 2:20). The mind is given a holy disposition and a new desire to serve God, the dominion of sin is broken, and the heart is transformed from a love of sin and self to a love of holiness and God.
doctrine of the church
We believe that the Church is the body of Christ sent into the world to shine forth the glory of God.
God, by His Word and Spirit, creates the Church, calling sinful humanity into the fellowship of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:12–31). By the same Word and Spirit, He guides and preserves that newly redeemed humanity. The Church is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the gospel.
The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Church is an extension of the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Spirit.
The ultimate mission of the Church is to bring glory to God by making disciples (Matt. 28:18–20). The Church is called to make disciples through worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances, fellowship, the exercise of our gifts and talents, and the proclamation of the gospel both in our community and throughout the world.
doctrine of resurrection and consummation of the kingdom of god
We believe that Jesus Christ is returning to the world in the future to judge the living and the dead.
The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the consummation, Satan, with his hosts and all those outside Christ, is finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment (Rev. 20:7–15), but the righteous, in glorious bodies, will live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then the eager expectation of creation will be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God, who makes all things new (Rev. 21:1–5).
our ministry team structure
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all the nations. We view discipleship as the center of our ministry structure.
creative arts
hospitality
discipleship
missions/outreach
next generation
our discipleship process
As a church, we basically do three things. We gather people together, we equip them for the work of the ministry, and we send them out to bless their families, communities, and nations.
Pathway to growth
04
become the trophy of god
leading
teaching
replicating
03
belong to the family of god
emersed
engaged
cultivating
02
believe the word of god
faith & repentance
baptism
growing
01
behold the glory of god
attending
observing
considering
Partnerships
Connecting Church Abingdon
Connecting Church Abingdon is our sending church. We are grateful for their desire to send us out as a church plant for the growth of the kingdom of God and their continuing support and encouragement. For more information about Connecting Church click here.
SEND NETWORK
We are an endorsed church plant by the North American Mission Board. We are grateful for their continued support and partnership. For more information about Send Network click here.
