F.A.Q.

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WHO IS NORTHSTAR?

We are a people.

The church is not a building, nor is it a large group gathering. Rather, the church is a group of people who call upon Jesus Christ as their Lord and God who have agreed to join together for the purpose of following the teachings of Jesus in their homes and local context.

We are on a mission.

At Northstar, you’ll often hear us remind each other, “Don’t Go to Church; BE the church.” It’s our way of encouraging one another to remember that being a Christian is not about being comfortable. We seek to humbly apply the teachings of Jesus to our lives and tell everyone who will listen that they too may have real life in Jesus Christ.

We are intentional.

Northstar may be called “contemporary” by some, but that is not our goal as a people of God. Rather, we implement purposeful structures and strategies in order to:

  • bring all people to a knowledge of God through Christ Jesus
  • help them mature in their faith as a disciple
  • equip them to proclaim the truth and joy of life in Christ to others

We are hopeful.

We are not perfect. – but we’re hopeful.

2 Thessalonians 2.16-17 says, “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

We understand that the world we all live in is broken and that we are too. We all stand in need of “fixing.” We truly believe, in faith, that Jesus Christ has come to restore anyone who will believe upon Him. He is the hope of the world.

OUR BELIEFS

At Northstar Church, our theology is based solely on the Word of God, the Bible. We seek to model a lifestyle of obedience to the teachings revealed in Scripture and resist a “head-knowledge” only form of Christianity which only leads to pride and stagnation.

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8.1b-3)

We hope to be like the Bereans in Acts 17.11:

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

In essential beliefs, we ask agreement. In non-essential beliefs (matters relating to such issues as the timing of end-time events, how often to celebrate communion, and other debatable matters) we allow liberty. Toward those who differ with us we show love and respect.

“In Essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity,” – Peter Meiderlin, 1627.

For a more complete description of our beliefs, you can view them here. You can also view the Baptist Faith & Message statement of beliefs here.

OUR AFFILIATIONS/PARTNERS

partnershipsNorthstar Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, and our theological beliefs are in harmony with those of most other Baptist churches. We appreciate and love people of other traditions and denominations.

We also partner with other agencies, churches and ministries. The work of the kingdom is too big for any one church to accomplish. We are a church that is “on-purpose” about strengthening ministry and reaching our world with the life-affirming message of Jesus Christ.

Here are a few of the organizations and individuals that we partner with:

Collegiate Ministry
We work closely with several ministries on the campus of Virginia Tech and Radford University.

Other Ministries