Mission & Values
Cornerstone Church’s mission is to cultivate a community shaped by the gospel for the renewal of all things. Together we are slowly and patiently pursuing the way of Jesus through the following cultural distinctives:
Culture of Abiding: Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). We don’t want to be fruit-fixated, but always aspiring to abide in the Lord Jesus as a community.
Culture of Adventure: Because Jesus rules as Lord and King over all creation, we don’t have to be worried or afraid. We can try things that may be difficult or not work, explore challenging topics and navigate our wild world in a calm and non-anxious posture.
Culture of Generosity: We are determined to withstand the delusion of riches that chokes the Word and to anchor our hearts in God’s Kingdom and not the systems of this world. Accordingly, we give generously to missional causes in Tulsa and around the world. We also strive to maintain a generous relational posture toward others, giving the benefit of the doubt and allowing people to be ‘in process.’
Culture of Multiplication: Healthy things grow. As our church grows, we aspire to multiply outposts for the Kingdom of God through church planting. We also want to help multiply Apprentice Groups, leaders, pastors and ministry teams.
Culture of Health: We want to avoid doing “the work of God at a pace that destroys the work of God in [us].” How we work matters as much as what we work on. We want to do the right things in the right ways for the right reasons at the right pace.
Culture of Simplicity: Worship gatherings are not variety shows or high-production experiences. We don’t aspire to have a Cheesecake Factory-like menu of ministry programs. We want to focus on what’s most important, cultivate a “quiet and godly life in all holiness” as a community and resist unnecessary complexity.
Culture of Community: We reject the idea that church is a building, a worship service, a pastor, or content on the internet. The church is a network of friendships under the lordship of Christ, following the Spirit. We want to ever keep before us the “us-ness” of the church. So, we aim to keep our language precise, saying “church building” to refer to where we meet on Sundays and “worship gathering” to refer to our services. The Church is the community of people following Jesus.
THREE STREAMS
Within Cornerstone, we reflect a “three streams” approach to corporate worship. We believe this helps us capture the best of different Christian traditions and aids in cultivating humble, mature and Spirit-reliant followers of Jesus.
The Evangelical Stream: When we say that we are “evangelical” we mean that we are serious about building our lives around the person of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. We preach and teach from the Bible because we believe it is the inspired word of God and our desire is for all people to enter into a saving relationship with Jesus.
The Charismatic Stream: When we say that we are “charismatic” we mean that we want to know and honor all three Persons of the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All Christians affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, but many churches practically emphasize one member of the Godhead over the others. With gratitude and confidence we recognize that we come TO the Father, THROUGH the Son, BY the Holy Spirit. As a church, we are open to and anticipate the work of the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin, to remind us of the words of Jesus, and to empower us for ministry to all the world, to the glory of God the Father.
The Liturgical Stream: When we say that we are “liturgical” we mean that we value the longevity of historic Christian belief and practices. Consequently, we share weekly communion (Eucharist), regularly use corporate liturgies, pray the Lord’s prayer, and systematically read and teach through the Bible.