Portico Church

Portico started with a vision to connect with people in our emerging culture characterized by relativism, misconceptions about Christianity, disinterest/dislike for church, yet spiritually open. We also had a passion to move away from the American institutionalized church often characterized by individualism and consumerism.

This led us to embracing a new paradigm and philosophy for church. We knew God was calling us to be a missional community living in the ways of Jesus so people & culture are redeemed with Him and transformed in His ways. We believe this will fulfill God’s mission, the vision he has placed in our hearts, & honor His name.

Portico is not about a place or an event but a people. We are living out what it means to be the hands, feet & voice of Jesus. Like any people, we are filled with brokenness & beauty, with joys & struggles, with successes & failures. We know we are a part of the story God is writing at this time and praise Him for what He is doing in our community and through us.

We are really about one thing -the gospel. The gospel defines us as a community and sends us on mission together. So...we live in gospel community and on gospel mission. That's life in and for the kingdom of heaven here on earth as we understand it and we are thrilled to live it.

The following 5 values capture the essence of our vision & mission and guide us as a church.

CHRIST-CENTERED IN FAITH 
Our faith is in Jesus as our redeemer & God. As a gospel community we seek after the truth God has revealed in Scripture (John 17:17) and person of Jesus (John 14:6) learning to live more in his ways. Through prayer [& other spiritual disciplines] we live dependent on Him and worship him as a lifestyle (Romans 12:1). We desire to grow continually in our love for God and express our worship together in various creative ways. 

MISSIONAL IN PHILOSOPHY
The church is God’s sent people, his vehicle in reaching all people (Matt. 5:13-16; 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). The church then, doesn’t have a mission; it is God’s mission. Therefore, every believer is a missionary. However, it is only when we live this way collectively that the gospel is fully expressed. And there has never been a greater need in America (as well as other places) for missionaries than in the 21century.

As missionaries we know we can’t wait for people to come to us, nor should we expect it. We must go and be the church to others (Matt. 9:9-13; Acts 17:28-29). This philosophy shapes our strategy as a church. We believe that now (a work in progress) and in the end (a finished work) the whole person: mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually (Luke 4:18-19; I Thess. 5:23; Acts 3:1ff) will be fully redeemed & transformed (Rev. 21:1-7).

RELATIONAL IN APPROACH
We believe God’s heart, beats for humanities hearts. God exists in perfect community and no other act in history showed the value of relationship like when Jesus befriended us (John 1:14). Scripture plainly says love is the greatest of all gifts (I Cor. 13) and the context for all mission. Jesus said the second greatest commandment was to love others as much as we love ourselves (Matthew 21:39).  Being relational in approach keeps people at the center of everything we do. We have no magic formulas, programs or models (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35; John 3:22). Our desire is to journey in community “face-to-face” and live love in the way of Jesus (John 17:18).

HOLISTIC IN NATURE
In our society we have mastered the art of compartmentalizing our lives. This fragmented way of living has crept in and become normative in the church as well. Holistic in nature addresses many things including: how we integrate our faith and lives, the community being an intergenerational family and ministering to the whole person (I Cor. 12:12-26; Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 12:4-8).
   
SIMPLE IN STRUCTURE
Church structures can be very confusing for people today. There are many different types of models along with various ways the church has been highly influenced by western organizations/structures. We do see the need for structure but desire a simple structure consistent with what we believe Scripture describes for the church (Phil. 1:1-2). In this structure, Jesus is the head pastor (Col. 1:18) and the church practices a shared ministry (Acts 6:1-7; I Pt. 2:5) with a team of shepherding leaders (I Pt 5:1-5; John 10; Acts 20:28). At Portico there is a team of both paid and unpaid people providing shepherding leadership in various ways for the community, which shares the ministry.