Our Values

The Kingdom of God is our Message

Jesus taught us to pray to the Father, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” This is the simplest definition of the kingdom of God…God’s will being done on earth.

Covenant Community is Our Context

When Jesus prayed, He asked the Father to make us one. We are earnest to live in real relationships with one another, based on our commitment to the Lord and not our personal preferences.

Discipleship is Our Methodology

Our goal is to become followers (disciples) of Jesus Christ. It has been said that to be a disciple is to be a disciplined learner. Spiritual transformation is relational with God and with one another.

Our Mission

Finding God’s Lost Children

We believe that every woman, man and child on this planet is loved by God, though there are many who do not yet know that. We are eager to introduce God’s children who don’t yet know Him to be their creator Father.

Grounding Them and Us in God’s Love

God identified Himself as love. Martin Luther put it this way; “The essence of faith is not believing that we are acceptable, rather the essence of faith is believing that God accepts (loves) us though we remain unacceptable.” God’s love for us is the foundation of our self-identity.

Being Trained in His Ways

Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Not only do we want to know His truth, experience and His life but we want to live and do as He lived on earth and did. Living life God’s way brings wholeness into the world around us in practical ways.

Engaged in His Work

We believe that God has created every human being with purpose. One of our great privileges and joys is to discover that purpose and join in our partnership with God, bringing righteousness, peace and joy to the whole earth and everyone who lives on it.

Our Vision

...is to be a community of fully deployed disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ; fully aligned with God’s intent for each of us when He created us; knowing who we are in Him, what we are created to do and who we are created to serve.

Stated another way:

We want to see every child, woman and man living the good life in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In Celebration of Worship

We gather as a worshipping community every Sunday morning at 10 AM. We call this a celebration meeting for it’s here that we celebrate what God has done in and through us during the week. As you’ve heard, we believe in a personal relationship with God and that He speaks to us when we’re gathered in community. It’s our desire to be in an active and dynamic conversation with Him. Our music is lively and contemporary. We encourage all to participate and expect that some will share what they are hearing from God during our gatherings. The Bible is central to our faith and it will be a part of all our gatherings. All are welcome.

Target Teams

Since community is our context, getting together in small groups is an essential part of our life together. We would love for you to visit one of our teams to see if this is a way for you to connect on a more intimate basis with the CCNB spiritual family. There are four types of teams, each with a slightly different emphasis. They are:

Devotion Team – The devotion team focuses on a dynamic relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Religion can be pretty demanding apart from a love-filled relationship with God. At its very core, Christianity is about loving God as we are loved by Him.

Discipleship Team – This team focuses on being trained in the ways of the Lord. If you would like to grow in the basic components of the Christian faith common to us all, this is the team for you.

Discovery Team – We believe that everyone was created with purpose by God. The focus of this team is to help people discover their God given purpose and to encourage one another in pursuit of destiny and contribution.

Deployment Team – The fourth part of our mission is sending people into their partnership with God. The focus on this team is working with specific personal life and work goals in a way that sharpens our effectiveness and strengthens and encourages each team member.

Serving Others

Jesus said that the one who seeks to save his life will lose it but the one who loses his life for Jesus’ sake will find it. Fulfillment and healing flow through our service to others. We’re always looking for more partners in our efforts in the community. Some of our current projects are:

1. • North Bay Christian Academy—a K-12 biblical worldview school for the children of CCNB and the community around us.
   

2. • “English as a Second Language” classes
   

3. • Partnership with the local homeless shelter in Novato
   

4. • Partnership with the crisis pregnancy center in Novato
   

5. • Overseas and domestic mission outreach
   

6. • Children’s ministry
   

Giving

Giving is an important part of our relationship with God. First and foremost, we are to give of ourselves in honest relationship with others. When you get right down to it, that’s what life is all about. We believe that every single person is important and that each member adds to any community. All other giving should flow from our relationships and never be a substitute.

The operation of the CCNB community is supported by the tithes and offerings of its members. Tithing is modeled in the Old Testament as a tenth of one’s income. Though not commanded, we believe the model of the Old Testament is valid as a guideline for today. It is our practice to give toward that which gives life to us. The tithes and offerings of the CCNB spiritual family pay for the pastoral staff salaries, the facility and its upkeep, and the day to day operations of the church. Financial statements are available upon request.

Special Investment Opportunities

Through the church, we invest in a number of projects here and abroad. Below are some brief descriptions:

North Bay Christian Academy

Increasingly, our enrollment is coming from single parent homes and immigrant homes. The cost for educating one child is around $8,000 per year and our scholarship fund helps to make NBCA a possibility for many who could not afford to send their children without it.

Jump Start Ministries

This is the local outreach arm of the church. JSM provides food boxes during the holiday season, runs the ESL program, does chaplaincy for the city and has outreaches to the homeless shelter and other areas within the community.

Hogar de Ninos

For a number of years we have supported the orphanage and school of one of our sister churches in Juarez, Mexico. In addition to financial support, one of our members serves on their board and we regularly send small teams to help in building projects.

India

We are privileged to have Pastor CP Titus serving on the CCNB staff. CP and his wife Esther came to the USA a number of years ago but maintain extensive contacts throughout India, providing us a wonderful avenue for partnership with that rapidly emerging nation.

China

Pastor Livingston has been involved in ministry to China for a number of years and is currently involved in several projects in China.

Indonesia

We have been partnering with David Chako in his outreach to Indonesia and other nations following the tragic tsunami several years ago. We have helped them set up training centers and purchase facilities as well as fund microenterprise among these Islamic populations.

CCNB Building

Many of our members have contributed to a special building fund which provides for long term maintenance and enhancements to the property. Special gifts can also be made toward the retirement of the bond debt on the building.

Benevolence

These funds are used to help those in need both within and outside the CCNB spiritual family.

These are only the briefest of descriptions of the investment opportunities in each of these areas. Please feel free to ask any of the elders or others involved for more details.

Membership means different things to different people. All are welcome to fellowship with us and share in our community life together. For us, membership has two components. The first is God’s assignment. There are many wonderful churches in Marin County. They are our friends and we support them. We believe that God puts His children in spiritual families and ultimately the choice of a faith community is His. In addition, to us membership means you’re committed to being a working part of the team. Again, all are welcome and we recognize that many will worship with us and grow with us without joining the team.

For those who believe the Lord has spoken to them about becoming a part of the team, we have a membership covenant which outlines our understanding of what that means. We ask all prospective members to meet with one of the elders and then sign the covenant agreement as a demonstration of their conviction about the Lord’s assignment for them in this season of their lives.

The CCNB Membership Covenant

Having received Christ as my Lord and Savior, and being in agreement with CCNB’s Statement of Faith and its Statement of Standards and Values, I believe God has placed me in the CCNB spiritual family. By God’s grace, I am committed to loving the brothers and sisters and honoring the leaders of this spiritual family. In doing so, I commit myself to the Lord, understanding that to include the following:

It is my intention to follow the ways of Christ by:

1. •Living a disciplined life of learning and applying Jesus’ teachings.
   

2. •Walking in the Spirit, being spiritually minded, and being filled with the Spirit of God. Serving the other members of the   body as unto Christ.
   

3. •Discovering my calling and pursuing its fulfillment
   

4. •Caring about social justice and righteousness.
   

Whatever happens, make sure that your every day life is worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Philippians 1:27 Phillips)

Serve one another with the particular gifts God has given each of you. (1 Peter 4:10 Phillips)

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who…[took on] the very nature of a servant. (Philippians 2:3,4,7)

And He Himself (Christ) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. (Ephesians 4:11, 12)

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)

It is my intention to help fulfill the destiny (work) of Christ Church North Bay by:

1. •Praying for fellow believers, leaders and identified needs of the CCNB community
   

2. •Helping the next generation and youth build faith and guard hope
   

3. •Serving in a ministry of Christ Church North Bay
   

4. •Attending planned meetings and assembling regularly
   

5. •Following the pattern of tithing from my income and participating in offerings
   

6. •Stewarding the resources and ministries of CCNB and NBCA by respecting and caring for the buildings and property God has given us
   

Let us not give up meeting together…but let us encourage one another. (Hebrews 10:25)

Each one of you, on the first day of the week, should set aside a specific sum of money in proportion to what you have earned and use it for the offering. (1 Corinthians 16:2)

A tenth of all your produce…is the Lord’s, and is holy. (Leviticus 27:30)

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

To the church…We always thank God for you and pray for you constantly. (1 Thessalonians 1:1 & 2)

It is my intention to guard the life of our church community by:

1. •Pursuing relationships with other members of the CCNB family
   

2. •Following a course of love toward others in the church
   

3. •Speaking the truth in love and avoiding gossip, slander and evil speech
   

4. •Forgiving complaints and offenses against others
   

5. •Bearing one another’s burdens and bearing with weaker believers
   

6. •Resolving conflicts through Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 18:15-20, and in the spirit of Galatians 6:1 & 2.
   

7. •Refusing to bring relational disputes within the CCNB family into civil courts (1 Corinthians 6:1-11)
   

So let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony, and on the growth of our fellowship together. (Romans 12:9)

Love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:9)

Have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. (1 Peter 1:22)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. (Ephesians 4:29)