ABOUT

Our Mission:

Life Church exists so that people who are near and far from God can experience true life in Christ. We are committed to making a difference in the Athens community, and we want you to partner with us on this exciting journey! Join us for strong Biblical teaching, fresh and inspiring worship, and an atmosphere of true community. Regardless of your background or your view of religion…you are welcome at Life Church of Athens!

Our Purpose:

What we do as a church is based on Acts 2:42-47.

  1. WORSHIP: Celebrating God’s Presence
    “They devoted themselves to…breaking bread and prayers and praising God.”
  2. FELLOWSHIP: Incorporating God’s Presence
    “They were devoted to the fellowship. All the believers were together. They ate together.”
  3. DISCIPLESHIP: Educating God’s People
    “They devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching.”
  4. MINISTRY: Demonstrating God’s Love
    “They gave to anyone who had need.”
  5. OUTREACH: Communicating God’s Word
    “They added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Jesus gave these instructions to the church – Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus’ ministry emphasized all five of these – John 17:1-26

The first church did these things – Acts 2:1-47

Paul explained these – Ephesians 4:1-16

Life Church of Athens Worship Covenant

Objective: We desire for musical worship at Life Church to be Christ centered, Christ honoring, characterized by songs that are theologically robust, doctrinally sound, and rooted in the gospel.

With respect to worship: We believe worship is showing, displaying, celebrating, and declaring the worth of God. It is treasuring, enjoying, and being satisfied with God above all things (Ps. 95:6, Deut. 6:13, Matt. 4:10, Lk. 16:13).

With respect to who we worship: We believe we worship God and God alone. We worship God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Eph. 6:18, Matt. 28:19, John 14:16-17). We worship God the Father as our Creator and Redeemer (Col. 1:13-14; Rev. 4:11; Jn. 1:1-3). We worship Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God and the only one through whom we can be saved (Jn. 14:16; Rom. 10:9-11; Acts 4:9). We worship God the Holy Spirit as the one who helps us grow in faith, obey God, and worship the Father through our faith in Jesus (2 Cor. 3: 14, 18; 1 Cor. 2:12).

With respect to why we worship: We believe we worship God as a response to who He is and what He has done (Rev. 15:4; 4:8; Isa. 6:1-3; Ps. 115:3,6; 1 Jn. 4:19; James 1:17). It is through the person and work of Jesus that we have access, and the ability, to worship God (Jn. 14:6; Heb. 12:24).

With respect to the purpose of worship: We believe that the purpose of worship is to lift our gaze from created things to the Uncreated One (Jn. 1:3). In many ways, worship is a reorienting of our hearts and minds back on God (Col. 3:2; Matt. 22:37; Jer. 29:13). While we gather to sing to God, we also sing to teach and admonish one another (Col. 3:16-17).

With respect to how we worship: We believe we are commanded to worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). We worship unashamedly (Rom. 1:16-17) and from hearts which are thankful (1 Thess. 5:18; Eph. 5:18-20; Ps. 136:26). Our worship should be orderly so that the church can be edified without distraction (1 Cor. 14:26-40).

With respect to song selection: Life Church seeks to sing songs that are theologically robust, doctrinally sound, and rooted in the gospel. We want to approach musical selections with intentionality and with an aim to edify the church (1 Cor. 14:26; 1 Thess. 5:21; Eph. 4:29; Col. 3:16). As the songs we sing are an extension of the teaching we proclaim, it is imperative that our songs be rooted in Truth. We take seriously the call to equip our people theologically through the songs we sing (Prov. 15:22). We do not
sing songs just because people love them; we sing them because they’re true and point our people to places where they can find more of God’s truth.

Further, we take seriously the pastoral role of protecting our people from singing wrong theology and false doctrine. God commands us in Scripture to judge rightly, distinguish between those who should hear our message and who shouldn’t, be able to discern who a fool is, avoid people who cause divisions, and know the difference between sheep and wolves in sheep’s clothing (Jn. 7:24; Mt. 7:6; Prov. 13:20; Rom. 16:17; Mt. 7:15). As we look at whether to sing a song at Life Church or not, we consider its origin.
Singing songs written or produced by organizations that do not share our theology is detrimental to the mission of Life Church in that it creates the potential for false assumptions that we agree with the teachings of these organizations and can be confusing for visitors or young believers.

Finally, we seek to sing songs that enhance congregational participation. This means that we intentionally choose songs that do not have complicated rhythms or structures that are difficult to follow. It also means that we sing songs in keys that are attainable for all voices. Further, we will sing songs that have stood the test of time and are known more for their content than their composers. While we will teach and sing new songs, we do so with great intentionality and with appropriate consideration given to origin, musicality, composition, and lyrics.