Whenever we mention "the gospel," we're simply talking about what the Bible has to say about the good news of Jesus. And we believe that this good news both saves people and shapes them. We believe that it gives life to the world around it. We believe that regardless of your background (unchurched, churched, believer, skeptic, etc.) and regardless of the circumstances in which you find yourself, what all of us need is more of the grace found in the good news of Jesus. 

"Gospel" is a word that simply means, "good news." Specifically, it's the good news about Jesus. And while this good news comes with many implications and brings real transformation in all of life, at the core of this message is God, broken into human history to rescue us. We were created by a good and loving God who desired for us to love and enjoy him forever as our King (Genesis 1:1-2:25). But there was a problem. The problem was us. We decided that we knew better than God about how to be God, so we tried to dethrone him and put ourselves and other things on the throne of our lives (Genesis 3:1-13; Romans 1:21-23). This selfishness destroyed us and made us deserving of God's just wrath against us (Genesis 3:16-24; Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-20). But God loved us too much to watch us continue to destroy ourselves. This is what makes the good news so good. God broke into human history in the person of Jesus Christ, the promised messianic King and divine Son of God come to earth in human form, in order to save us (Mark 1:1; Romans 1:3-4; Phil. 2:5-11). By his death and resurrection, though he was innocent and had lived the life we should have lived, Jesus took our place, taking God's punishment for our sin upon himself, and declaring us innocent before the Father by sheer grace, through faith in what Jesus accomplished alone, not by anything we do (Mark 10:45; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 9-10). On the cross, Jesus broke the power of sin and evil over us (Mark 1:14-2:10; Colossians 2:13-15), and at his return he will complete what he began by the renewal of the entire material creation and the resurrection of our bodies (Matthew 19:28).*

*Adapted from the writings of Simon Gathercole ("The Gospel of Paul and the Gospel of the Kingdom") and Tim Keller ("The Gospel In All Its Forms").

Because of our belief that the good news shapes and transforms the world around us, we also believe that our churches should be places where skeptics can find both support in the form of community and challenge in the form of teaching, discussion, and relationships. We want to be a place where skeptics feel loved and supported by a genuine group of friends while also feeling the freedom to seek answers to their most difficult questions.

We'd love to have you just come and hang out with us. We meet at RiverTree School (3733 Vera Cruz Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55422). Whether we're gathering to talk more about our vision, meet new neighbors, or worship together, we would love for you to join us as we seek to love and serve Minneapolis together. As you continue to get connected with us, the next step would be to join a Community Group, providing you with another level of support and care as you apply the good news of Jesus together.