We have four main core values at Charter Oak Church, and we remember them by taking a glance at the four main parts of our mascot the oak. Our core values are:
- To be rooted in God’s Word
- To grow together through fellowship and service
- To branch out with the Gospel, and
- To leave sin behind
To Be Rooted in God’s Word
"Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work."
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Tree roots serve many purposes, but two of them are the most important. First, they keep the tree straight and stable. Eighty percent of all roots occur in the top 1-3 feet of soil, but there are two kinds of trees that develop what is called a taproot, and the oak tree, our mascot, is one of those. These taproots can dive down into the earth more than 12 feet, and are designed to anchor the tree into the ground. This makes the oak tree one of the most stable trees that exist! The second important reason roots exist is to pull water and nutrients from the soil and use them to provide sustenance to help the tree grow.
This is what we strive for at Charter Oak. We strive to drive our roots deep down into God’s Word for these two reasons: to create stability and to enable growth in our relationship with God. When we are rooted in the soil of God’s Word, it becomes an anchor for our theology and our practice. It leads to the right belief and to right living. We aren’t blown around by this idea or that. Instead, we find firm ground in principles of truth. We root ourselves in God’s Word so that we believe what God wants us to believe and behave the way that God wants us to behave. When we are rooted in the soil of God’s Word, we we are fed and sustained. The church is not an organization, but an organism. We here at Charter Oak strive to grow, and we do that by feasting on God’s Word. It teaches us what is right and empowers us to live truth.
How Can We Root Ourselves in God’s Word?
We seek to accomplish this task in many different ways. Our preaching ministry is not centered around our pastor’s hobby horses or political ideology, but on an exposition of Scripture. Not a dry or irrelevant lecture, but a relevant conversation with an aim to distill a Biblical principle and apply it to modern life.
We also try to root ourselves in God’s Word through our Sunday school programs. The children learn about a Bible story through creative object lessons, and the Biblical principle is applied to their lives right where they are. Our adult Sunday school goes verse by verse through Scripture. It also provides an opportunity for give-and-take. It is discussion-based, not lecture-based, though you can remain quiet if you like. Our Wednesday evening small group is designed in a similar way. Through discussion of a topic, we search out what the Bible has to say on a given subject, so that we can grow in our knowledge and practice of Biblical truth.
To Grow Together Through Fellowship and Service
"They were devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. All who believed were together and held everything in common and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved."
Acts 2:42-47
For a tree, growth is very important. It is no different with a church. When you think about the trunk of the tree growing thicker year after year, we think about how the church should be growing closer together year after year. We see from this Acts passage that this happens through fellowship.
What is Fellowship?
Gossiping over a cup of coffee? Going on vacation with someone? Shaking someone’s hand after church? No. We believe that fellowship is different than that. Fellowship is, at its essence, sharing your life with each other. In other words: give and take. We give what we have, and we receive what we need. This is how Christ’s body was meant to work. Spiritual gifts are a great example of the growing together we are talking about. God has given each of us unique gifts, not to use to benefit ourselves but to benefit each other. What good is a teacher without someone to teach? What good is a giver with no one to give to? The community, the body of Christ, provides us an avenue to use our unique abilities to enable growth.
This type of growth also requires proximity. Just as the bee delivers fruit-producing pollen to the flowers and trees close to its hive, we must be near to each other to grow together. This is shown in physical and spiritual dependence on one another. This is not just sitting in a pew listening to the same sermon and singing the same song, but is sharing our money, homes, love, prayers, encouragement, successes, sorrows, and ministry.
Fellowship at Charter Oak
We feel like we have an advantage in this area because we are a smaller congregation. Big congregations struggle to create a family atmosphere because it is difficult logistically to get to know that many people. Here at Charter Oak we know each other well, and in that environment the give-and-take fellowship occurs naturally. We foster this growth by encouraging people to use their gifts in various ministries at the church: the children’s ministry, Willing Workers, music ministry and choir, technical ministry, and Sunday school services to name a few. Our Sunday school programs and Wednesday evening services are designed around not only learning, but also sharing. We send out cards every month to those in need of encouragement and to show God’s love. We have family movie nights to get together and learn about each other further.
In isolation we can grow cold and cynical. But together, giving and taking, and serving, we can grow together to be more like Christ.
To Branch Out With the Gospel
"He told them, 'You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth'."
Acts 1:7-8
Have you ever seen a tree without branches? If you have, it was most likely dead! Just like a tree needs roots to bring water and nutrients from the soil, branches are necessary to stretch out toward the sky and bring in the sunlight. Gathering in the rays of the sun is another needed component for a healthy tree. It is no different with a church. A healthy church is one that is branching out with the Gospel to those around it.
When you think about someone who has witnessed a car accident, what becomes their job? Aren’t they supposed to testify to what they have seen and experienced? “I saw that car round the corner and hit the telephone pole.” It is the same for us as Christians. We have witnessed the saving power of Jesus in our lives, and we are meant to share that saving power with those around us.
The above passage from Acts tells us that we need to be sharing God’s Word with those in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and those in the farthest regions of the world. This becomes a model for us, sharing Christ with those both in our circle of influence, and those outside of it. Evangelism and missions are the third reason we exist as a church.
What Does “Branching Out” Look Like?
At Charter Oak we believe that evangelism is not just for the trained professionals or those with degrees, but for every Christian. This idea that only professionals can do a job is pervasive. That, only teachers can teach, only MBA’s can administer, only lawyers can argue, only pastors and missionaries can share their faith. But that misses the Biblical call for all of us to share the gospel! It is not something difficult; it is merely sharing with others the power of God that we have experienced in our lives. God wants people to be saved, He uses us to open doors, and He empowers our words and actions with His Spirit. Sharing the gospel is more than coercing people to pray a sinner’s prayer. It is calling them to repentance and belief in Jesus. It is helping them to believe what Jesus believed, to love as Jesus loved, to live as Jesus lived, and to serve as Jesus served.
Evangelism at Charter Oak
Here at Charter Oak we try to foster this branching out in two different directions. First, with church-wide events designed to share the Gospel. We have regular movie nights where we invite the community, and a Vacation Bible School in the summer. Second, we branch out through individual witness. Often in our church we talk about witnessing and motivate each other to share Christ with our Jerusalem, the people we come in contact with on a daily basis. We also support and pray for missionaries both at home and abroad.
Charter Oak supports four separate missionaries through financial giving and prayers. These include: Nate and Deb Dunlevy (Church-planting missionaries in La Planta, Argentina), Tim and Kay Meadows (Missionaries who work for Missionary Tech designing software for others in the field), Spanish World Gospel (A mission designed to reach Latin and South America), and Midwest Church Extension (A local mission’s agency who plants churches in Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois). We also are on our knees praying for many more every week. In this way, we try to follow Jesus’ pattern of reaching out to Judea, Samaria, and the outermost parts of the world.
To Leave Sin Behind
"Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice--alive, holy, and pleasing to God--which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God--what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2
Tools can be used for a variety of purposes, but most tools were created for specific reasons. The church was also created for specific reasons. It can be doing many different things–but the question is, “What should the church be doing?” Let’s focus on the leaves of a tree here for our fourth purpose: leaving sin behind. We encourage one another to not conform to the pattern of the world, but instead to transform ourselves into the image of Christ. Or, more accurately, to let God transform us from the inside out. We exist to become like Christ, and the church exists so that we can help each other along that journey.
When you think of worship, what comes to mind? Is it your lifestyle? Or do you normally think about a Sunday morning worship service, or singing choruses and hymns? We see from this Romans passage that our reasonable act of worship is Godly conduct, sacrificing our own sinful desires, and letting God transform us into the image of His son. The first eleven chapters of Romans deal mainly with the doctrine of salvation; God offering His free gift of salvation to those of us who don’t deserve it. In chapter twelve we have a big transition. Paul says, “Therefore, in view of God’s mercies…”. He is telling us that because of all the great things that God has done for us, things that we hardly deserve, we should respond by leaving this world system behind–a world system that is characterized by lust, pride, and the desire for “number one”. These desires are the exact opposite of what it means to be living sacrifice.
How Can We Leave Sin Behind?
Paul gives us two ways that we can leave sin behind in this passage. First, we become a living sacrifice by refusing to be conformed to this world. In a sense, worldliness is like the tides of an ocean. Lust and pride are always pulling at us. If we don’t actively resist the tides of the ocean, they will slowly pull us in. Soon we will be drifting off to sea without even knowing how it happened. It is the same with sin. It can–and does–pull at us, slowly deadening our spiritual senses. And after a while, we don’t even feel it anymore. We have become just like the world.
Second, we become a living sacrifice by transforming into the image of Christ, clothing ourselves with His humility and self-sacrifice. Here at Charter Oak, we try to help each other leave sin behind. The main focus of our preaching is to motivate us to leave sin behind, and our Wednesday evening small group centers around discussing how best to live the Christian life day to day. Leaving sin behind is our fourth core value at Charter Oak Church.