Welcome
Welcome to our family. We are delighted you have chosen to share this time with us. Southlands is simply a group of friends who have found each other through our love for Christ. As a church, we willingly share our lives, uphold common values, embrace a common vision and seek to let the world know of this Christ who has forever changed our lives.
What do we hold dear?
Some of our values include:
Allowing theology to fashion our behavior;
Encouraging a culture of family at every level;
Looking to the Bible - plus nothing, minus nothing - as the ultimate authority for what we believe;
Seeing relationship as the glue that holds us together;
Understanding the power of team;
Tolerating no gaps of generation, race, culture or economics;
Living in a way that reflects that every person is valuable;
Embracing worship, prayer and fellowship as privileges from God.
Do the Basics well:
The true foundation of every team - be it family, sports, business or community life - is the ability to simply do the basics well. The Bible sets forth some clear, basic responsibilities for every believer. These are not optional extras. Here at Southlands we believe they include: [Acts 2:42 - 47]
The community gathering regularly for worship, for prayer, for studying the Scriptures and for friendship;
Telling others about Christ as often as we can.
Our ability to do these well will determine the heights that we can reach.
The Family Extended…
God places "the lonely into families." [Psalm 68:6] Strong family life is the essence of our community. Both the biological family as well as our church family is held together by our "dining room table" culture. Simply put, we share our lives together.
As it becomes clear that this church is to be home, we encourage folks to attend our four-part study. This practical, hands-on course includes:
Finding Foundations,
Finding Family,
Finding Faith,
Finding your Future.
No true family would be so without the home. The church meeting in homes has been one of the most powerful sources of friendship, laughter and honest tears throughout church history. We believe it is God's instrument of affection to help transform us into His sons and daughters. Throughout the week, Lifegroups meet throughout the LA basin, in San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange counties. We would love to connect you with friends in your local area.
(click here for more information)
A Thinking Person's Faith:
We believe God applauds and delights in one's quest for study. It is our conviction that our faith withstands intellectual scrutiny and debate. The Bible is the inerrant Word of God. We believe its study brings both freedom and wisdom. Therefore we use multiple avenues of study to enhance our knowledge of our maker and His world. From Bible College-styled classes to seminars and study groups, many opportunities are afforded to those who want to deepen their understanding of the Word.
In the beginning God created…
Our first introduction in the Bible to our personal and intimate God is in His role as Creator. God's amazing artistic design in fashioning the Earth, with all its intricacies and beauty, ought to inspire us, His sons and daughters, to return to the forefront of the arts as pioneers in the art world. God's artists are not limited to pictures of the cross or other biblical imagery. God has placed a world of creativity within us to explore and enjoy. Within the safety of Christian community, the artist can grow, develop and display their artistry - be it visually, verbally, in written form, or through performance arts. Throughout the year, Southlands offers events allowing artists to showcase their work. Watch for announcements.
From Neighborhoods to Nations…
It is still one of the most honored moments when one is privileged to share one's faith with someone else. To "preach Christ and him crucified" is the centrality of our message. Every believer has been charged with sharing this wonderful story of salvation with friend and stranger alike. In fact, we long to see this be a spontaneous and integrated part of our every day.
Our charge has an added edge. Our Heavenly Father longs to see this gospel taken to all nations of the world. We know that heaven will be filled with people "from every nation, tribe and tongue." As a church that longs to please our Father, we accept and embrace this mandate eagerly. Using everything at our disposal, we seek to take this gospel to the farthest reaches of the world - be it through church planting, business, education, medicine or the arts. We want to see Jesus' eminent return accelerated by our due diligence with this privileged mandate. We partner with many thousands of churches under the banner of New Covenant Ministries (NCMI), with whom we are reaching into 80-plus countries around the world. We host an annual event, known as Leadership Training Time (LTT), to train, equip and encourage pastors from across North America and beyond.
As for me and my household…
Family is an incredibly important part of our faith's "out-working." We believe that family is the fuel of a nation. In fact, it can be said that the true strength of a nation is felt through the hidden strength of its families. Throughout the year, we seek to train and equip believers on full biblical life so as to see marriages and families flourish. Our ongoing ministries include:
Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers events are times set aside for men to be men together. From fishing, shooting, golfing and other sports, to tight-knit accountability groups, to larger breakfasts and an annual time away, men are encouraged to pursue the joy of their manhood within honest relationships and a thorough study of the Scriptures.
(click here for more information)
Women's Ministry
Like times of old, when women met at the well to catch up on each other's lives, our ministry to ladies is based upon the delight of informal times together. Whether this is a lunch at a favorite cafe, a visit over coffee or a couple of hours at the mall, these valuable times cannot be overemphasized. Our annual weekend away has proven to be a wonderful time to discover the uniqueness of our womanhood in an atmosphere of God's overwhelming love. These times are enhanced with mid-week teachings designed to explore the wide array of biblical teachings on what it means to be a daughter of the King.
(click here for more information)
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Our group for high-schoolers and junior-highers gets its name from 1 Timothy 4:12, which encourages young people to be models of Christian character regardless of their age. Because we recognize their importance to our church body, we do not separate the youth from the rest of our community at our Sunday gathering. However we do recognize they need some times to discover the wonder of their world. Their weekly meetings are complemented with work into the high schools, mission trips abroad, the annual "liveAlive" North American young leaders training times and just a HUGE dose of fun!
(click here for more information)
The Impact Zone
Children are our blessings from the Lord. Within a safe and secure environment, we desire to partner with you, the parents, in raising children in the ways of the Lord. From our weekend meetings to summer camp to father/daughter dances and the like, we seek to facilitate this partnership in any way we can. It is a great gift that we want to honor, this gift of bringing children to a deep love for the Lord.
(click here for more information)
Do not forget the poor…
Our God is always nudging and probing us to involve ourselves in the shadowlands of our society. Wherever there is pain, heartache and disappointment, we the church are to be found offering love, support, resources and family. From working with single moms to orphans to the people living on the streets, our hands are to be colored by the stain of Christ's affection. This is a true yardstick of our faith when we convert our faith into deeds of love and service.
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