• Baptism is a public declaration of a commitment to Christ. It is an outward symbol of an inward commitment. Baptism is for somebody who wants to accept, or has accepted, the teachings and call of Jesus. It is one step in a journey of following Christ, not the only step or the last step.

    You need not understand everything there is to know about God. You need not “clean up your life” first. You need simply to understand the purpose of your baptism and commit to following Christ.

    Learn more about our position on baptism

    If you’d like to be baptized or talk more about baptism, contact Dan Pence

  • DISCOVERY ELDER BOARD

    The Discovery Elder Board serves in an elder capacity, overseeing the spiritual health of the church and ensuring that the vision of Discovery is vibrant and Biblically consistent. Specifically, the Elder Board:

    • Establishes and oversees the general direction of Discovery in accordance with our purpose, values, and beliefs.

    • Shepherds people at Discovery in their spiritual health.

    • Approves and tracks the annual budget.

    • Serves as the legal representation for Discovery in matters of contractual responsibility.

    • Provides oversight, accountability, and selection (when necessary) of the Lead Pastor.

    The Board includes up to ten volunteer leaders and our Lead Pastor. A key objective of this board is to empower leadership at all levels of congregational life, rather than to consolidate power and authority in a single governing body.

    QUALIFICATIONS FOR BEING A MEMBER OF THE BOARD

    Servant leadership remains the key qualification of someone who leads. Each member has demonstrated ongoing service and servant leadership before being invited to serve on this board.

    Secondly, a member of this board exhibits a dedication to the orthodox belief and practice as taught by basic historical Christianity for 2,000 years, as well as Discovery’s stated purpose, values and beliefs and is adhering to the Discovery Membership Covenant.

    A member cannot have a member of their household as a staff member. Nor can members of the same family serve on the Elder Board in direct succession or at the same time.

    Last, but certainly not least, a member of this board exhibits the character traits as described in 1 Peter 5:1-3:

    To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (NIV)

    A person on this board also exhibits the “fruit of the spirit” as described in Galatians 5:22-23:

    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (NIV)

    See also 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 for qualifications for a person to serve as an elder.

    LENGTH OF TENURE

    Each member serves a three-year term, with an optional additional year of service if requested by the board. To ensure consistency, members terms are staggered so that in general two to four members will be added each year, corresponding with two or four members completing their three year term and rolling off.

    ELDER BOARD POSITIONS

    Chair: works directly with the Lead Pastor to set and lead a broad annual agenda and is responsible for setting the tone and direction of the Elder Board’s business meetings as well as shepherding members.

    Vice Chair: assists the chairman by running meetings when the chairman is absent, meets with the chairman and the Lead Pastor prior to board meetings to set the upcoming meeting.

    Secretary: documents the Elder Board’s meeting minutes and records the Boards motions and votes.

    Lead Pastor: is automatically a member of the Elder Board. Leads the Team in setting and implementing vision, while the Elder Board provides a safety net of accountability for the Lead Pastor’s actions and character. The Lead Pastor is ultimately responsible to implement the vision and the Elder Board has the power to dismiss or correct the Lead Pastor when necessary. This model allows for a strong flow of ministry and high accountability to the congregation. is automatically a member of the Elder Board. Leads the Team in setting and implementing vision, while the Elder Board provides a safety net of accountability for the Lead Pastor’s actions and character. The Lead Pastor is ultimately responsible to implement the vision and the Elder Board has the power to dismiss or correct the Lead Pastor when necessary. This model allows for a strong flow of ministry and high accountability to the congregation.

    ELDER BOARD ALUMNI

    Once members complete their terms, they become Elder Board Alumni. Alumni who still are active Discovery members have an open invitation to participate in prayer and study meetings scheduled by the current Elder Board. Alumni are members of the Sunday Prayer Response Team and may serve as mentors for new Elder Board members.

    ELDER BOARD MEETINGS

    The Elder Board typically meets on a monthly basis to pray together and discuss agenda items. Additional meetings may be called when necessary. The Chair may invite alumni, Discovery staff or Discovery Group Leaders to various meetings during the year for prayer and study and to hear from staff and leaders regarding Discovery’s ministries.

    TEAMWORK PRINCIPLES FOR THE ELDER BOARD

    • We, as much as possible, serve in community, not in isolation.

    • We worship God by bringing our best effort and attitude, including our participation on Thursday evenings or Sunday mornings.

    • We believe the best about each other, resolve conflict biblically, and overtly encourage one another.

    • We recognize the power of mentoring and invitation and find ways to invite others into leadership alongside us.

    • We recognize that we are all a work in progress and that God delights in working through broken, imperfect people like us to accomplish His will.

    • We lead by example in matters of church engagement, service to the community, personal spiritual practices and financial generosity.

  • Jesus clearly declared our priorities when he said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Matthew 6:33.

    Discovery encourages every citizen to be civic-minded and engaged in community, national, and global affairs, to research candidates and vote your convictions, but to always remember his or her first allegiance is to God’s Kingdom.

    Jesus teaches a radical ethic of love in his Kingdom that transcends any issue – a Kingdom that is larger than any political party or even national culture. God’s Kingdom is global, pervasive, and expanding through the sacrificial love of its followers. Jesus leads his followers by caring for and loving those who did not agree with him, as well as giving up his life for the people who wanted to kill him and for people trapped in their own sin. Such a model of radical love motivates Jesus’ followers to die to ourselves and sacrificially love our friends, people we disagree with, opponents, enemies and global neighbors we’ve not even met.

    Peter teaches that tone is as important as content for people sharing their convictions. He teaches, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience...” 1Pet. 3:16. To coin a phrase from Martin Marty, we embrace passionate civility. We do not expect a follower of Christ to reduce their conviction about an ethical or political issue but we do encourage Kingdom behavior and language in the way that issue is discussed.

    God’s Kingdom transcends both political party and political agenda. Therefore Republicans, Democrats, Tea Party, Green Party and people of other political persuasions are welcome at Discovery. Discovery encourages Christians to develop strong convictions on ethical and political matters, to vote intelligently, and most of all, to lead the way in serving people and loving God regardless of political persuasion.

  • Click here for our current bylaws document.

  • WHAT WE BELIEVE

    The absolute best way to learn about any community of faith is to experience it relationally. Statements of faith can summarize some essential beliefs, but they can’t tell you who a community really is, how they reflect God’s character, or how God’s power and love is lived out among them. Statements of faith can also be problematic since they are by definition a “reduction to the essentials” rather than a detailed description of God’s grand story. Even so, we state our own beliefs here, and embrace the Nicene Creed to proclaim that we stand in the stream of historic, orthodox, simple Christianity.

    DISCOVERY CHRISTIAN CHURCH STATEMENT OF FAITH

    There is one God, eternally existing and expressed in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Equal in power and glory this triune God is creator, redeemer and preserver.

    Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Through His life, death and resurrection salvation is fully experienced.

    The Holy Spirit works to convict, encourage, equip, create, empower and tutor, and seal the believer in a saving, eternal relationship.

    The Bible is the Word of God and the all-sufficient guide for our faith. It provides the revelation for faithfulness.

    Salvation is by the grace of God, apart from personal effort or achievement. The work of Christ is what saves us.

    The thankful life response to the grace of God is through the conversion experiences of belief, repentance, confession, baptism and faithfulness as modeled and defined in the Bible.

    The local and global church exists for His glory and purpose, so God’s followers worship, learn, serve, honor and love with all our resources as we await His return.

    NICENE CREED

    We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

    We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

    We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.

    We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, !and the life of the world to come. Amen.

  • MONEY THOUGHTS

    At Discovery, we do our best to honor God in our use and approach to money. Our vision is to reflect our gratitude to God by becoming uncommonly generous people in all aspects of our lives.

    The Bible speaks more about money than any other topic, including prayer and faith. Money is the chief competitor for the human heart and a person’s relationship with money can be a tangible measure of the heart. Below are a handful of passages that inform a Christian’s relationship with money:

    Proverbs 3:9, Malachi 3:8-10, Matthew 6:1-4, Acts 4:36-37, Romans 13:8, 1 Corinthians 16:2, 2 Corinthians 8:1-8, 2 Corinthians 9:1-5, 1 Timothy 6:10.

    The Bible’s three recurring themes around money are: ownership, generosity and debt. Below, we attempt to scratch the surface of the Bible’s teachings on these subjects.

    OWNERSHIP & STEWARDSHIP

    The concept of stewardship is similar to the concept of management. The Bible teaches that we are not the true owner of material possessions but, rather we’re caretakers or stewards. By accepting this idea of stewardship, we acknowledge the need to handle, use and care for these God-given possessions according to God’s wisdom and will. This shapes how we choose to spend, save, lend, borrow, invest and give the tangible resources God has given to us.

    GIVING & GENEROSITY

    The ideas of giving and generosity reflect God’s own generosity and grace towards us. When we give, we do so without expectation of anything in return. We give from our hearts, as God has led and guided us by His spirit. Giving is not done to “earn” any special privileges from God (or others) but as a response of gratitude for what God has done for us. Giving is not to be done for reasons of guilt or obligation. A truly giving and generous heart is one that recognizes and acknowledges God’s ownership over everything and His personal grace to each of us individually.

    In the Old Testament, regular giving to the church was talked about in terms of a “tithe” (a tenth) of a person’s wealth. The New Testament does not speak of the tithe but does speak about sacrificial giving. This kind of giving goes beyond a tithe. Giving God’s way is also a primary act, not an after thought. We give from our “first fruits”, which is the first of our income or wealth, not the “leftovers” at the end of the bills.

    DEBT & LENDING

    Attitudes towards debt and, inversely, lending in our culture today can be quite different from God’s view of the subject. In today’s culture we often hold a careless attitude toward debt and lending. However, God is clear in His caution to us about becoming indebted (as well as lending with a generous and gracious heart). Borrowers become enslaved to lenders. Slavery is not a condition that God desires for our lives. Enslaving others through lending is also not an action that God desires.

    To the greatest extent possible, God would like to see us living free of debt and enslaved by no one. Carrying a great amount of debt and, in particular, consumer debt is also an example of unwise stewardship.

    While God clearly appears to caution us against becoming (or remaining) in debt to others financially, God also commands that we honor our vows and commitments. This includes commitments to repay those who have lent to us. As lenders, on the other side of the equation, God commands us to conduct such transactions with grace and love.