At Valley we long to see people so captivated by God’s saving love for sinners as revealed in the Gospel, that the lost are found and lives are continually transformed. We desire to develop passionate disciples of God in Christ, who live to know and serve Him and who will work to reach greater Baltimore and indeed the world with His gospel. We do all this because we exist to glorify and to enjoy our God, to know and to serve Him, from Whom and through Whom and to Whom are all things (Romans 11:36).
We seek to carry out our ministries in obedience to Christ’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). This means that we present God’s good news for sinners, bring believers and their children into the fellowship of Christ’s Church, and grow together in knowing and serving God.
Through our ministries, we work and pray to become a congregation of Christ’s Church that is united, discerning, and equipped. United in that we devote ourselves to attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God (Ephesians 4:13-16). Discerning as we keep growing to distinguish truth from error, right from wrong, good from evil (Hebrews 5:11-14). Equipped (2 Timothy 3:16-17) because we have been trained for the work of ministry, for building Christ’s temple-body (Ephesians 4:12, 16).
Ministry according to God’s written Word The preaching and teaching of the Scriptures were ordained by God for the salvation of sinners (2 Timothy 3:15-17). Customarily, we practice the model of consecutive, verse-by-verse exposition, and we also present topical sermons as the needs of ministry might require. In all our preaching and teaching, we seek to explain, defend, and apply the meaning of a passage in light of the system of doctrine taught in Scripture. We believe that Bible exposition is done best when we present God’s law and gospel, His promises and warnings, and His Christ in His sufferings and glory.
Ministry by Christ’s Spirit, His gifts, and the means of grace At Valley we’re confident that God gives growth by His appointed means of grace, so our ministry emphasizes the ministries of the Word, prayer, and the sacraments. We’re confident too that each believer is gifted by the Spirit of Christ to serve the common good, so Valley focuses on equipping believers. Taken together, our hope is that we, as a church, will be more and more faithful applying our gifts and graces in all our callings and relationships (Ephesians 4:1-6:20).
Ministry for the fame of God’s name Empowered by Christ’s Spirit and grounded in His gospel and His commandments to love God and neighbor, we seek to be fruitful as well as faithful (Colossians 1:9-14) for God’s glory and His people’s good. Through our ministries of public worship, prayer, and music, we reach up to our God. Through our ministries of fellowship and discipleship, we reach in to God’s people. Through our ministries of evangelism training, missions, service, and mercy, we reach out to greater Baltimore and the world.