Mission & Beliefs of Summit Church
What We Believe
Our Mission
Summit Church exists to glorify God by making disciples who represent the Gospel to every man, woman, and child.
When Summit officially launched on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University in September of 2003, we knew that God was calling us to make disciples of Jesus that would represent the gospel to every man, woman and child in Southwest Florida. Now, over 20 years later, with congregations in Gateway, Fort Myers and Naples, we continue to have a growing burden for the lost, not only in SWFL but also throughout our state, nation and world.
We are a God-glorifying, gospel-centered, missionally-driven, disciple-making family, seeking to reproduce people who demonstrate the outcomes of biblical discipleship. And as we pursue intimacy with God, allow the Spirit to produce fruit in us, steward our lives well, engage in the mission and share our grace story with others, our community will have repeated opportunities to hear, see and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ. All for His sake and His glory.
Our Distinctive Values
We fulfill our mission as we seek to become a….
God Glorifying
We are committed to knowing God, worshiping God, and being led by God.
Gospel Centered
We are committed to embracing the gospel, applying the gospel and proclaiming the gospel.
Missionally Driven
We are committed to embracing God’s mission, understanding what the mission demands of us and living as missional ambassadors.
Disciple Making
We are committed to seeing people trust Christ, obey Christ and imitate Christ.
Family
We are committed to resting in our identity as adopted children of God, caring for one another, and living in biblical community.
Our Discipleship Outcomes.
As we embrace our five distinctive values, the following 5 practices become the outcomes of our maturing faith:
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A detailed knowledge and understanding of God's heart and activity that
comes from pursuing Him as our greatest treasure. -
The acting presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church that demonstrates the character of God and distinguishes His people from an unbelieving world.
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Embracing the fullness of the gospel and being transformed by it in such a way that we desire to live out and share God's message with others.
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Understanding the mission of God and discovering how He has uniquely gifted me to love and serve His church and the places where I live, work, and play.
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Faithfully using everything God has entrusted to us to reflect His glory.
Our Beliefs
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There is one God who eternally exists in three equally divine persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is the beginning and end of all things. He is the Creator of the universe and author of all life. All history moves toward Him and finds its culmination in His sovereign plan.
(Genesis 1; John 1:1; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15-23; Revelation 19:6)
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Jesus, the Son, was born of a virgin and came to earth because of God’s love for humanity. In living a fully human/fully divine life He is both our example and victorious King. He inaugurated God’s kingdom on earth and died for the sins of His people. He conquered death and rose from the grave before ascending to the Father where He reigns with Him. He will return one day in power and glory. He is our Savior and Lord. He is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life.
(Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-18; Matthew 27:54; John 14:6-7; Colossians 1:15-23; 1 Timothy 1:15) -
The Holy Spirit is the fully active power of God at work in the world today. He was sent to comfort and to reveal Truth. He equips, enables, and empowers believers to live out the ordained purposes for their lives.
(John 14:15-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16)
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Salvation is God’s gift of redemption for His Church. It is the free gift of grace received by faith alone in Jesus Christ to all who would repent of their sins and believe in his finished work on the cross. Salvation cannot be found outside of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
(John 1:12; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9)
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Humanity is God’s crowning work in creation and has the primary purpose of glorifying God by representing him on earth and living in relationship with him and others. All persons are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image and possess equal value and dignity regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender. In the beginning God made humans uniquely male and female, and continues to determine and distinguish gender at the moment of conception. God has given the covenant of marriage to humanity and has ordained it as a spiritual and physical union between one man and one woman, with sex beautifully and exclusively occurring within that union. All human beings are sinful at birth, but hope and restoration for humanity is found in the finished work of Jesus.
(Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:3)
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The gospel is the good news that God, our righteous King, because of his great love for us, sent Jesus, the Son, to live, die, and be raised in our place for the punishment of our sins, so that, through faith, we are reconciled to God in order that, by the Spirit, we might live as kingdom citizens in relationship with and in representation of Him.
(Luke 2:10-11; Luke 4:14-21; John 3:16-17; Romans 1:16-17)
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The Bible is wholly authentic, inspired, fully trustworthy, and without error in the original writings. There is nothing that can be added to it or taken from it. The Bible is the revealed word of God and is useful for teaching, encouraging, and correcting.
(Psalm 19:7-14; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
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The Church is God’s chosen instrument to bring His Gospel to every man, woman and child. There is one Church of which Jesus Christ is the head. The Church is made up of every person who places their trust in the finished work of Jesus.
(Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; Ephesians 3; Ephesians 4:1-13)