Bet you haven't bought a car without taking a look under the hood. We want you to take a look under our hood to see what our vision, culture, and beliefs are.

Our Vision:

Our vision is to help people find and follow Jesus.

What that means for you is that we exist to help you grow spiritually, no matter where you are on the spectrum of spirituality.

If you're brand new to Christianity—if you're just checking it out, or you're taking your first steps as a follower of Christ—we are committed to helping you get off to a great start.

In fact, we believe that we have a special calling to make Sunridge "a place to begin"—a place where both pre-Christians and new Christians can begin to investigate and then follow Jesus without going through a culture shock. And yet we are equally committed to helping Christians at all maturity levels to achieve their full potential.

If you have been a Christian for awhile, Sunridge is a place to keep growing personally and to use what God has taught you to help others in their spiritual journey. We want to help you follow Jesus so closely that you become an attractive advertisement for Christianity.

Our Culture:

Every church has a unique culture—a set of unwritten but deeply-held values that shape the "feel" of the church. We have identified 14 distinctives that make Sunridge unlike any other church.

• We major on Jesus. What matters most to us is that everyone who comes to Sunridge gets to know Jesus Christ intimately.
• We are equally passionate about reaching seekers and building believers. What makes our hearts beat faster? Helping people find Jesus or helping people follow Jesus? Both!
• We teach the Bible to Christians primarily, but not exclusively. Our church is a family, but we want our guests to feel like family. We believe God's truth in the Bible is practical for all people, regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey.
• We take special care of beginners. Just as an elementary school takes special care of kindergartners, we believe we have a special calling to nurture those who are new to Christianity.
• We work within the culture rather than creating an alternative one. Walking into some churches is like venturing into a foreign culture. Our goal is to translate God's truth into your language, not to make you learn ours.
• We minimize options in order to maximize quality. Sunridge is more like In-n-Out® than a buffet—we offer fewer choices so that your growth opportunities are of the highest quality.
• We offer the best care through our smallest groups. We are a large church comprised of small groups because, when you're in need, nothing beats a network of close friends.
• We believe spiritual growth requires both balance and depth. That's why we help Christians at all maturity levels to connect, share, grow and serve in new and deeper ways.
• We prioritize ministry to minors. Nobody mattered more to Jesus than young people, so at Sunridge we put kids and teens first.
• We hold tightly to Scripture and lightly to traditions. We are spiritually conservative but culturally relevant. As our community changes, so will our church—but the Bible's truth is unchanging.
• We rely on the synergy of God's word and God's people to change lives. God uses many tools to change our lives, but none more powerfully than the Bible and Christian friends. These are the two main ingredients of our ministry mix.
• We use our facility to support our vision. We want everything that happens in our facility to help people find and follow Jesus.
• We expect people to exercise their gifts with excellence. God deserves our best effort in using what He has given us to honor Him.
• We avoid politics to reduce obstacles to outreach. We care too much about people's eternal well-being to limit our ministry to either Democrats or Republicans. Both are welcome at Sunridge!

What We Believe:

While we are an independent, non-denominational church with our own distinctives, when it comes to our core beliefs, we stand united with all other evangelical churches. Here are some specific core beliefs that serve as our foundation:

• We believe that The Bible is inspired by God and that it is both trustworthy and authoritative. We believe that it is our responsibility to study the whole Bible and submit to all its teachings. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• We believe in one eternal, infinite and unchanging God who reveals Himself to us in three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19)
• We believe that Jesus Christ is both 100% God and 100% human. We believe that He was born of a virgin, that He lived a perfect life, that He died on a cross for the sins of all people, and that He rose from the dead physically and ascended into heaven. We believe that one day He will return to earth and will reign over it (Matthew 1:23; John 8:58; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 3:18; Revelation 11:15)
• We believe that all people were created in the image of God but have a sinful nature, resulting in wrong actions. We believe that all of us deserve eternal separation from God and that none of us is able to save ourselves from this fate through our own efforts. (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:10-12, 23,6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-9).
• We believe that we can be rescued from death and given the gift of an eternal relationship with God only by believing in Jesus Christ—that is, by trusting in His death as full payment for all our sins and in His resurrection as proof that He is the Lord of all. Eternal life is a free and irrevocable gift. (John 3:16; Romans 8:29-30; 10:9; Ephesians 2:1-3,8-9).
• We believe that all Christians are baptized and indwelt with the Holy Spirit at the moment they believe in Christ, and that they are empowered, guided and instructed by the Spirit as they yield their lives to Him. (Acts 2:38; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18)
• We believe that Jesus instituted baptism as the means of publicly professing faith in Him, and that, although baptism has no power to save, it is the first step of obedience expected of all believers in Christ. We believe that Jesus instituted the practice of communion (or the Lord's Supper) to help us vividly remember His death for us, and that the Church should participate in this memorial regularly. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:38; 16:30-33; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
• We believe that followers of Jesus are called to a life of Spirit-empowered obedience, and that, when we disobey, we will experience God's loving discipline (which may be carried out through the Church). We also believe that God gives all Christians spiritual gifts as He wills, which they are to use to help others in the Church grow. (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 18; Galatians 5:16-25; Hebrews 12:7-11)
• We believe that the Church is Christ's "body" in today's world and that it is comprised of all true Christians. Each local church is to be shepherded by Jesus Himself through a group of spiritually qualified male elders. We believe that every Christian is called to become involved in a local church. (John 10:11; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Peter 5:4).
• We believe that both heaven and hell are real, and that every person will spend eternity either in joyful fellowship with God or agonizing separation from God, based on their response to Christ. (Luke 12:5; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Philippians 3:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:4)

 

Our By-Laws:
l. Name
The name of this organization is Sunridge Community Church (a registered dba for the California corporation Sunridge Community Church of Temecula, California).

II. Vision
The vision of this church is to Help People Find And Follow Jesus—that is, to fulfill the mission of seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10) by making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

III. Doctrinal Statement
A. We believe that every word in the Bible is inspired by God and that it is both trustworthy and authoritative. We believe that it is our responsibility to study the whole Bible and submit to all its teachings. (2 Timothy 3:l5-l7; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

B. We believe in one eternal, infinite and unchanging God who reveals Himself to us in three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30-33; Acts 5:3-5)

C. We believe that Jesus Christ is both 100% God and 100% human. We believe that He was born of a virgin, that He lived a perfect life, that He died on a cross for our sins and that He rose from the dead physically and ascended into heaven. We believe that one day He will return to earth to reign over all creation forever. (Matthew 1:23; Acts 1:11; Romans 9:5; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 3:18; Revelation 11:15)

D. We believe that all people were created in the image of God but have a sinful nature, resulting in wrong thoughts, speech and actions. We believe that all of us deserve eternal punishment and separation from God because of our sins, and that none of us is able to save ourselves from this fate through our own efforts. (Genesis l:27; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-9)

E. We believe that we can be forgiven of our sins, rescued from death and given the gift of an eternal relationship with God only by believing in Jesus Christ—that is, by trusting in His death as full payment for all our sins and in His resurrection as proof that He is the Lord of all. Eternal life is a free and irrevocable gift. (John 3:16; Romans 1:4; 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:8-9)

F. We believe that Jesus instituted baptism as a means of publicly professing faith in Him, and that, although baptism has no power to save, it is the first step of obedience expected of all believers in Christ. We believe that Jesus instituted the practice of communion (or the Lord's Supper) to help us vividly remember His death for us, and that the Church should participate in this memorial regularly. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:38; 16:30-33; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

G. We believe that all Christians are baptized and indwelt with the Holy Spirit at the moment they believe in Christ, and that they are empowered, guided and instructed by the Spirit as they yield their lives to Him. (Acts 1:8; 2:38; John 14:25-26; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13)

H. We believe that followers of Jesus are called to a life of Spirit-empowered obedience, and that, when we disobey, we will experience God's loving discipline (which may be carried out through the church). We also believe that God gives all Christians spiritual gifts as He wills, which they are to use to help others in the church grow. (Matthew 12:5-11; Galatians 5:16-25; Hebrews 12:5-11)

I. We believe that the church is Christ's "body" in today's world and that it is comprised of all true Christians. Each local church is to be shepherded by Jesus Himself through a group of spiritually-qualified male elders. We believe that every Christian is called to become involved in a local church. (John 10:11, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Peter 5:1-4)

J. We believe that both heaven and hell are real, and that every person will spend eternity either in joyful fellowship with God or agonizing separation from God, based on their response to Jesus Christ. (Matthew 25:46; Luke 12:5; John 11:25-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:4)

IV. Authority
A. The head of the church is Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; 2:19).

B. The expressed will of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Bible; thus it is the church's final authority (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

C. The elders are responsible to oversee and shepherd the church, using the Bible as their blueprint. Collectively, they constitute the highest human authority in the church (Acts 16:4; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; Hebrews 13:17).

1. Qualifications of Elders
   • An elder must meet the biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).
   • An elder must be in agreement with the vision and doctrinal statement of the church.
2. Selection of Elders
   • Elder candidates are to be appointed by current elders (Acts 14:23; Titus I:5).
   • It is the responsibility of the current elders to seek congregational input before appointing a new elder (Acts 6:2-3).
3. Term of office
   • Elders will serve one-year terms. At the end of each year the Board of Elders will appoint elders to serve for the following year.
   • Before appointing elders each year, the Board of Elders will seek congregational input on every elder.
4. Responsibilities
   • The elders are responsible to shepherd the members of the church.
   • The elders are responsible to oversee the finances, administration and ministries of the church.
   • The elders are responsible for all decisions concerning the hiring, compensation and termination of church employees. Church employees who serve as elders will relinquish these responsibilities when the Board of Elders recognizes the possibility of a conflict of interest.
   • The lay elders are singularly responsible for the accountability of the senior pastor. The senior pastor will be evaluated annually based upon feedback provided by all staff, which will also include staff elders. Additionally, the lay elders reserve the right to table an issue for a decision exclusively made by the lay elders. The right would be reserved for items of "special significance" and would not be used lightly or often.

V. Regular Attendees
A. Those in the church who choose to put their faith in Jesus are taught to be baptized and are encouraged to attend church services regularly.

B. Beyond regular church attendance, attendees are encouraged to participate in a Life Group, to exercise their spiritual gifts in the church, and to share their faith with lost people.

C. Regular attendees of the church who persist in sinful behavior are subject to church discipline, according to Matthew 18:15-18. This may involve public disclosure of sin and removal from the church.

VI. Licensing and Ordination
A. All pastoral staff members will be licensed by the church as Ministers of the Gospel upon hiring. This licensing shall continue until termination of employment.

VII. Officers
The officers and directors of the church are the elders.

VIII. Dissolution
Upon dissolution of the organization, all assets will be donated to a not-for-profit organization with like purposes.

IX. Amendments
A. Amendments to the by-laws will be by a consensus of the elders.