WHO WE ARE

Expressing gratitude and hope as a unified people through worship of God. There is something special about gathering with others to worship our God. It’s a high value and catalytic for our growth as individuals and corporately - whether online or in person, we want our people to worship God in community, not isolation.

Growing daily in relationship with Jesus and others here at Bent Tree. An innate need we all have is to be known. To be known is an invitation to initiate being discipled, knowing others, and disicipling others as well. We believe that groups will cultivate life-changing relationships at Bent Tree.

Sharing the Love of Jesus in our church, community, and around the world. As we experience the transforming love of Jesus, he leads us to live, available for him to share his love with everyone around us so that they may experience him as well. This includes serving, giving, missions, and regularly having spiritual conversations with those in our community.

We believe that the Scriptures are inspired by God, inerrant and authoritative, without error in the original writing, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

We believe in one God, creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 28:19

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary; we believe that Christ shed his blood on the cross, dying for our sins as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that he arose bodily from the grave and ascended into heaven; we believe that individuals find salvation only through faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We believe Jesus will return.

John 1:1-14, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Acts 1:9-11

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, equal with God the Father and God the Son; he indwells every believer from the moment of salvation and empowers the Christian for a life that is honoring to God.

John 14:15-17, Acts 1:8

We believe that all true believers are members of the universal church regardless of organizational affiliation.

Ephesians 2:19-22, Colossians 1:18

Christ lives in every believer. This is not a new concept, but it is often a reality we lose sight of. However, the core truth of our spiritual union with Christ — and our new identity in him as a result — has implication for every aspect of our daily lives. At Bent Tree, this is a primary filter for teaching, for ministry, for daily living.

Because Christ lives in us as a gift of grace, we seek to reflect his grace in the ways we interact with each other. Grace is not the end; rather, it is the means by which we receive Christ's love and give it — even when life gets messy.

Christ is the centerpiece of the biblical witness, and as we exposit the Scriptures, we will see him on every page. This is about more than a weekly moral pep rally — it is about discovering what Christ is inviting us into and stepping out in faith as he works powerfully in and through us.

We believe all believers are equipped with spiritual gifts that are given by the Lord for the express purpose of building up the church. These gifts are given irrespective of age, gender, race, background, or experience, and it is our conviction that these gifts be used fully for leadership and ministry. In some traditions, the roles of leadership and teaching have been reserved for men. This is not the case at Bent Tree. Here, women are encouraged to exercise their gifts freely for the edification of the church.

Our Shared Leadership Statement

We affirm that it is only in Jesus that a person finds forgiveness and reconciliation with God — and this is true of every person on the planet. Since its beginning, Bent Tree has been committed to reaching as many possible with this message of hope, so that people everywhere can experience the Life of Christ.

• As a church, we welcome anyone seeking a relationship with Jesus and will provide biblical guidance concerning holy living for all who call Bent Tree home. As we evaluate all matters of faith and conduct with Scripture, we believe the Bible speaks to the nature of human beings and their sexuality. We desire to help everyone firmly root their core identity in their relationship with Jesus, as opposed to anywhere else, including gender or sexuality.
• The Elders of Bent Tree affirm the biblical understanding of marriage as a sacred covenant between one man (created by God and born as a man) and one woman (created by God and born as a woman). We recognize where we are, culturally, and the challenges facing any conversation around marriage, gender, and sexuality. Celibacy, marriage, sexual immorality, sexual identity, sexual orientation, and sexual redemption are all addressed in Scripture.
• Our approach is led by love, grace, truth, hope, and a desire for all to know they are fully loved by Jesus.
• Resources
  • Jesus in Scriptures Sermon
  • Bent Tree Stance on Sexuality Video

• Bent Tree affirms racial equality and justice. This belief is rooted in Scripture and the nature of God. All humans are created in God's image, reflecting their intrinsic worth. Sinful choices have led to division and death. God's story of redemption, culminating in Jesus, aims to restore unity among all people. While this ideal exists, it often falls short in culture, society, and even the Church. Bent Tree is committed to valuing people above politics, love above division, and God's truth above opinions. This requires carrying burdens, listening, learning, mourning, and working for justice and equality.
• Resources
  • We Are One
  • Statement on Racial Equality
  • Cross Cultural Ministry

• We don’t believe it is appropriate, nor biblical, to tell anyone how to vote, but we do believe it is a part of the role of the Church to help and remind us how to think in times like this. It is an incredible privilege and responsibility to participate in our democracy. Most have a political party that they feel more aligned, yet oftentimes we decide to turn a blind eye to the things within that party that are against the way of Jesus and contrary to his Kingdom. We reject political idolatry but encourage political engagement. When Christians on all sides of the political spectrum are committed to this, then we will see reformation and transformation in the political sphere in our country.
• Resources
  • Jesus and Politics Sermon Series
  • Our Hope in Jesus, Not Politics