PRCC Core Values & Beliefs

For a more in-depth explanation of these values, listen to The Core Series from the Summer of 2019.

Core Values

God’s Story

The Bible tells the story of how God overcomes sin, death, and the forces of evil through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We regularly immerse ourselves in this story through Bible study, worship, and communion. We believe the key to a meaningful life, both now and forever, is to learn to see God’s story as our story.

Personal Transformation

Jesus’ first disciples were often selfish, immature, and slow to learn. In other words, they were just like us. Yet over time, the Holy Spirit transformed them into faithful, wise, imitators of Christ. Our hope is that as we yield to Scripture and the Spirit’s work within and among us, we too will be transformed.

Every Member a Minister

Every single Christian has a role to play in God’s story, but because God gives each of us unique gifts, talents, and resources, no two Christians play the same role in the same way. Whether it’s volunteering on Sunday mornings, doing our jobs with excellence during the week, serving our neighbors when they’re in need or a combination thereof; we’re all empowered by the Holy Spirit to be ministers of the gospel.

Accepting Others as God Accepts Us

There are no perfect people at Preston Road. We’re all broken and relying on God’s grace to keep us moving forward. Because God has accepted us, we accept one another. We seek to extend and receive forgiveness. We strive to treat others the way we desire to be treated. Our goal is to love each other as Christ loves us.

Unity of Believers

We welcome people from a variety of racial, economic, and geographic backgrounds. Our diversity makes for interesting faith-related discussions, enhances our ability to solve complex problems, and stimulates our growth by challenging our assumptions. We embrace the inevitable tension between welcoming diversity and maintaining unity because we believe the power of the gospel can be seen in the mix of those it unifies.

Service

Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve others. Likewise, we are always looking for ways to use the resources God has entrusted to us to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors in Dallas and beyond. Our hope is that the good we do will draw attention to Jesus and invite others to join us in following him.

Community

Scattered throughout the New Testament are numerous “one another” commands (love one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens, etc.). The frequency of these commands illustrates the difficulty, if not impossibility, of following Christ in isolation. We are committed to walking this path together.

Core Beliefs

• God: There is one God, eternally existing in the presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 8, Ephesians 1:13-14)
• Bible: The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and therefore the final authority in our understanding of God and life.  (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:19-21)
• Humanity: God created human beings in His image for the purpose of living in an intimate relationship with Him. Through our sin, though, we are separated from an intimate relationship with God. (Acts 17:24-28, Isaiah 59:1-2)
• Salvation: God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile us through His life, death upon the cross, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a free gift of God received through faith and expressed through confession, repentance, and baptism.  (1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Romans 1:16-17; 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9, John 3:16, Acts 2:38)
• Transformation: God not only wants to save us, He wants to transform us into His image as revealed in Jesus Christ. We become more Christ-like by dedicating ourselves to living and doing the things that bring glory to God.  (Philippians 2:12, Romans 12:1-2, Colossians 3:1-17)
• The Church: The church is the body of Christ on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit to reach those separated from God and encourage and strengthen those who have been reconciled to God through Christ. (Ephesians 4:1-16)
• Eternity: We trust that Christ will one day return, the final judgment will be rendered, the image of God will be completely restored within us, and we will live with God forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 John 3:2)

The above statements are not our creed. We represent the above to be a summary of our core beliefs, not an exhaustive list of the Bible’s teachings or our beliefs.