Who Is OSBC

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OSBC is a community of imperfect people, who have encountered the saving Grace that Jesus freely offers. Together, we are on a journey to discover what it means to follow Jesus, live out those values and help others do the same. We desire to become the kind of church described in the Bible, where there’s relevant teaching, heartfelt worship, honest friendships, constant prayer, and compassionate care for those in need.

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1. BIBLICAL AUTHORITY

The Bible is our foundation and Jesus is our King.

This is our first core value because it provides the foundation and framework for everything else we do and believe. We don’t claim to have all the answers about the Bible, but we believe it from cover-to-cover and trust that it is God’s perfect, infallible word to us.

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2. BIG FAITH

We start small, think big, and go all in for a big God.

We want to do what God leads us to do whether it seems to make sense or not. This means giving big to the community and to missions, and it means always considering our next step before it’s time to take it.

 

3. WHATEVER IT TAKES

We will do whatever it takes, short of sin, to bring more people to Jesus.

We will get creative when it comes to communicating our message to the community, and we will work hard to find ways to speak the language of our culture and be a safe place for people who are far from God to connect with us.

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4. EVERYBODY DESERVES A CHURCH HOME

We mean everybody – people of every color, shape, personality, and story.

We believe the church ought to be a home for people of every age, ethnicity, and socio-economic background. We ought to be able to befriend and do life with people who are unique and different than we are.

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5. MESSY MINISTRY

We are crazy about broken people, so we embrace messy ministry.

We highly value counseling, coaching, and recovery ministry knowing in advance that it’s messy, requires time and involvement, and creates inconvenience. We love people who are hurting and want to do whatever we can to help.

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6. PASSIONATE WORSHIP

Jesus is worthy of our passionate, whole-hearted worship.

We want our weekend worship experiences to allow freedom for believers who praise God by singing, raising their hands, and expressing worship in various ways, while also being sensitive to those who are still spiritual seekers.

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7. SIMPLE STRUCTURES

We fight for simplicity and keep the pathway to growth clear.

We avoid adding programs and focus on living out our purposes instead. We try to stay un-busy and uncluttered. We provide clear “next steps” for every person to take. And we trust our Pastors to lead us forward without red tape, committees, and business meetings. We vote as a church on only a few things, like buying land or building buildings.

 

8. EMPOWERING AND RELEASING

Saved people serve people, so we grow from consumers into contributors.

When someone becomes part of the The Olney Southern Baptist Church, we’re careful to never ask what we can get from them but instead to ask what we can get for them. How can we help them discover their God-given skills, talents and gifts and empower each one serve his purposes in the most fulfilling way?

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9. FLEXIBILITY IN OUR APPROACH

We stay fast, fluid, and flexible and embrace change. There are no sacred cows.

We try to avoid doing “annual” events and establishing traditions that may lose their meaning or effectiveness. Instead, we stay creative and cultivate a willingness to do things in a new way.

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10. KINGDOM GROWTH THROUGH MULTIPLICATION

Because the local church is the hope of the world, we multiply for the Kingdom’s sake.

To fulfill the Great Commission, we want to help believers share their faith stories and share Jesus with their friends and family. We want to start new services, open new venues, expand to multiple sites, and plant daughter churches. And we want to dare people to host small groups that multiply into more small groups. And we will invest in and resource other like-minded church planters in our community and beyond.