Oak Leaf Church is brand new church in Cartersville. Our services will take place at the Carmike Cinemas on Tennessee Street every Sunday morning at 10 AM. Small groups, the other vital part of the Oak Leaf experience will meet in homes throughout the week. Our two sponsoring churches are Westridge Church in Dallas, Georgia and Mountain Lake Church in Cumming, Georgia. [OUR CORE VALUES] Relevance // We seek to utilize modern music, the arts, and various forms of technology to communicate the timeless message of Jesus. Relevance is speaking the Word of God in the language of the culture. In other words, it's using what is cultural to communicate what is timeless. Excellence // We want to do things well, not just do things. With a passionate commitment to making church excellent, everything we do will be carried out with quality. Community // We will be a church of small groups, believing that life change happens best through small groups. In the New Testament, believers met together in homes for fellowship, because for the Christian, fellowship is not optional. The Christian life was not meant to be lived alone, and we were created to be a part of God’s family. Authenticity // We want to point people towards an intimate relationship with God, not a religious tradition. Besides, people know how to recognize the counterfeit. We want to be a real church for real people. Truth // We understand that programsdon’t change people; God changes people. By teaching people to become more like Christ in their thoughts, feelings and actions, we will help lead them on a spiritual journey. Love // Jesus summed up all the commandments with the word love. Christianity is based on a love relationship with God, and ministry is grounded in a love for other people. Our members are shaped for serving others out of love. Truth must be communicated from a foundation of love. Teamwork // Together, we can accomplish more. Planting a church and growing a ministry is best accomplished by a team. Our staff will model the concept of a team, and teamwork will be crucial to our volunteers. Statement of Beliefs About the Bible: The Holy Spirit inspired human authors to write the books of the Bible. God himself chose every word of Scripture. The Bible is God’s love letter to all of humanity and is the final authority in every issue it communicates. It is complete Truth, and we can trust it for all matters in this life and eternity. About God: Scripture teaches that God created everything we can see (and even everything we can’t see) out of nothing. Although it might be difficult for the human mind to comprehend, the Bible teaches that He is one, yet has existed since the beginning of time as three distinct and equal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. About Jesus: Jesus Christ is God’s Son and an equal of the Father. He has existed from the beginning of time, yet lived on earth during the first century A.D. Throughout His earthly life, he was completely God and completely human at the same time. After living a perfect, sinless life, Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for every human being who has ever lived by dying on a Roman cross. After three days in the grave, he defeated sin and death by rising from the grave. He then ascended to Heaven and will return to earth one day to reign as King. About the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is a full and equal part of the Trinity. He works in the world to make all people understand their need for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit lives inside every follower of Jesus from the moment they decide to follow Him. The Spirit is our power source for life, ministry and spiritual growth. To tap into that power, we must continually yield to the Holy Spirit. About Salvation: Our disobedient nature has eternally separated us from our Creator. No matter how hard we try, we can never earn our way back into God’s presence. Our only hope is to trust Jesus as God’s provision for our disobedience. Whenever you make that decision, you step into the eternal and abundant life Jesus promises for all believers. About Eternal Security: Your salvation is through the most trustworthy being in the universe – Jesus Christ! You didn’t do anything to earn your salvation, and you can’t do anything to lose it. Your salvation is maintained by God’s trustworthiness and love not by what you do. About Eternity: God made you to exist forever. Heaven is a perfect place, and since none of us is perfect, we are all headed for an eternity of separation from God. That’s why God sent Jesus: to pay the price for our sins so that we can spend eternity with Him. What you decide about Jesus Christ in this life will determine where you will spend eternity. If you reject Him, you’ll be eternally separated from God in Hell. If you accept Him, you’ll spend it eternally connected with Him in Heaven. About the Church: The Bible tells us that the church is the body of Christ in the world today. The New Testament tells us the church is a local body of baptized believers. The head of the church is Jesus Christ. The biblical purposes of the church are worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship and ministry to others. About Christ’s Return: God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth, the dead will be raised and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. To learn more about us, sign up for the next Newcomers Dinner. You'll meet the staff, learn about our vision and strrategy, and have the opportunity to ask questions.