Our mission consists of both receiving Jesus work in our lives and joining Him as He seeks to bring God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. We're a community of “in-process” people who continually discover ways we fall short, yet pursue and follow a God who, by His grace, changes and transforms us from the inside out. Because of His unconditional love for us, in the midst of our failures and sin, we're passionate to participate with Jesus as He seeks to lavish His heart bending love on a lost world.
We don't see church as a place to go, but a people to be. God rescues people, restores people and then releases people into the world to be agents of hope, life and love. Our vision is to see the westside as it is in heaven.
We long to see our community and city rescued from the things that wound and destroy us; things like our pride, jealousy, contempt for others, unforgiveness and anger. God ultimately wants to rescue us from ourselves and show us He has something much much better.
We also long to see our community and city restored to how God designed us to flourish and thrive. We, our community and city, are broken, and God, through the power of His Spirit, is able to heal, bind and restore us. We as a church are a group of imperfect people God is slowly putting back together.
Lastly, we see ourselves as a multiplying movement. We believe we've been sent by God into our community and city to showcase the goodness of Jesus and His ability to change people's lives. God loves West Seattle and so do we! We long to see people come to faith in Jesus, grow deeply with Him and share that same hope and joy with those around them.
Come and be a part of what God is doing through AHCC on the westside!
One of the main ways we live out this vision is through our UP, IN and OUT strategy. This strategy is not only for the whole church, but each individual follower of Jesus.
UP – Our growth as a disciple of Jesus begins, develops and ends with staying connected to Him. Out of our relationship and intimacy with Jesus flows all life and ministry. We do this through spiritual disciplines such as prayer, worship, Bible study, solitude and silence. (John 15:1-5)
IN – God did not create us to do life alone (Gen. 2:18). The New Testament includes 92 commands to “one-another”, such as forgiving, loving, carrying burdens and encouraging. We need brothers and sisters in Christ who can love us, encourage us, challenge us and sharpen us to continue our pursuit of Jesus. We do this primarily through our community groups, serve teams and shared events.
OUT – God created us for a purpose and mission (Eph. 2:10). We've been called and commanded by God to go into the world to incarnate Christ wherever He's put us (Acts 17:26). We believe that true discipleship always flows into mission to a lost and thirsty world. We do this by training each follower of Jesus to live on mission in five main places; their family, neighborhood, work, school and social circles.
Being Over Doing
We place a greater emphasis on being with God, resting in His presence and staying connected to Him over hurry, productivity and achievement. We believe our doing flows out of our being so we prioritize intimacy with God over everything else. (Luke 5:15-16; John 15:1-5)
Spirit Empowered
We desire to live beautiful and attractive lives powered not by our talents, charisma or personality, but God’s Spirit. We die daily to our agendas and personal ambitions to be used by God. (John 14:16-27; 16:5-14)
Prayer Saturated
We desire to passionately join God in what He’s doing on the westside. It’s through a lifestyle and culture of prayer we stay connected to Him, hear His voice and join His mission. (John 15:5, Matthew 6:5-15)
Belong Before Believe
God invites all people to Himself not as they ought to be, but as they are. It’s in our honesty and authenticity that Jesus does His greatest work. We’re a church where you don’t have to pretend or act religious. (Ephesians 2:1-5, 4:20-32, Romans 8:15-17)
All In
We desire to see every follower of Jesus sold out for Him. All Christians are called to be on the field, using their gifts for God's glory, not watching from the sidelines. We're contributors, not consumers. (1st Peter 4:10, Ephesians 4:11-13)
Disciple Making
We believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s mission for the church is to go make followers of Jesus who make other followers. We desire each person to be deeply formed in the ways of Jesus and help others do the same. (Matthew 28:18-20)
Missional Living
As we grow closer to We see every follower of Jesus as a missionary sent by God into their home, neighborhood, work, play and school. We’re not simply a gathered church, but a scattered church. We live as full-time followers of Jesus wherever He's placed us. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, 1st Cor. 12:27)
We believe God is a God of order, purpose and intentionality so we should be a church of order, purpose and intentionality. Therefore, we utilize the below Philosophy of Ministry to help shape and architect our church culture and DNA. Check it out to learn more about who we are and what makes AHCC unique.