About
Our Values
Intentionally Redemptive
Since Jesus Christ will not cast out those whom the Father has given him, we will live to affirm the mercy and forgiveness of God in Christ and the promise of newness of life.
Distinctively Local
Since ministry begins in one’s own household, we will live to serve those in our midst; in our church, in our community, and in our world wherever we are called out to minister.
Purposefully Independent
Since we are stewards of grace we assume full responsibility for our choices, positions, decisions, and actions, even while affirming our unity, accountability, and common mission with the whole church.
Thoroughly Accepting
Since God so loved the world so do we, and we therefore endeavor to be characterized by warmth in our relationships, humor in our disagreements, winsomeness in our welcomings, and openness in our biblical, doctrinal, and practical inquiries.
Our Beliefs
We believe in the centrality of Christ
God the Father – the majesty and sovereignty of our creator and redeemer. God the Son, Jesus Christ – Lord of all and Head of the Church. God the Spirit – bearing witness to the presence and power of Christ. The Bible is the word of God, the only rule of Christian faith and life. We live to worship, glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. The need for personal conversion is universal. Evangelism and discipleship are our common vocation. The church is called to live out its mission as a redemptive community; to be salt and light in our community and world.
We affirm the centrality of Christ as the Word of God Incarnate, the Bible as the word of God written.
Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. In him we find our center, our beginning and our end. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments bear unique witness to Christ and we believe the Bible is the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. The dynamic, transforming power of the word of God directs the church and the life of each Christian. This reliance on the Bible leads us to affirm both men and women as ordained ministers and at every level of leadership. It is the reason we pursue diversity in our church and is the inspiration for every act of compassion, mercy, and justice.
We affirm the necessity
of the new birth.
New birth in Christ means committing ourselves to him and receiving forgiveness, acceptance, and eternal life. It means being alive in Christ, and this life has the qualities of love and righteousness, joy and peace. New birth is only the beginning. Growing to maturity in Christ is a lifelong process for both individuals and communities of believers. God forms and transforms us—and it is through people transformed by Christ that God transforms the world.
We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the Church.
Mission includes evangelism, Christian formation, and ministries of compassion, mercy, and justice. We follow Christ’s two central calls. The Great Commission sends us out into all the world to make disciples. The Great Commandment calls us to love the Lord our God and our neighbors as ourselves.
We affirm the church as a fellowship of believers.
All who confess personal faith in Jesus Christ are members of his church. We observe baptism and Holy Communion as sacraments commanded by Jesus. We practice both infant and believer baptism. We believe in the priesthood of all believers—that is, we all share in the ministry of the church. We also affirm that God calls some men and women into professional, full-time ministry. The church is not an institution, organization, or building. It is a grace-filled fellowship of believers who participate in the life and mission of Jesus Christ. It is a family of equals: as the New Testament teaches that within Christian community there is to be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus.
We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit.
We affirm the Trinitarian understanding of one God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The New Testament tells us that the Holy Spirit works both within individuals and among them. We believe it is the Holy Spirit who instills in our hearts a desire to turn to Christ, and who assures us that Christ dwells within us. It is the Holy Spirit who enables our obedience to Christ and conforms us to his image, and it is the Spirit in us who enables us to continue Christ’s mission in the world. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to us as individuals and binds us together as Christ’s body.
We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ.
This freedom is a gift of God in Christ, and it manifests itself in a right relationship with God and others. It is not a private gift to be used selfishly, but is given to serve the community and the world. This freedom means that we are set free from the power of those things that on their own tend to divide. United in Christ, we offer freedom to one another to differ on issues of belief or practice where the biblical and historical record seems to allow for a variety of interpretations of the will and purposes of God. We seek to focus on what unites us as followers of Christ, rather than on what divides us.
“Until Christ comes, we worship, serve, and witness so that the whole earth may hear God’s voice, learn of God’s love, and experience God’s joy.”
(While we remain independent and unaffiliated to a denomination, the pastor is ordained in, and this statement has been adapted from the Covenant Affirmations of the Evangelical Covenant Church.)
Our History
We started as an uncommon people
Naples Community Church started in a cauldron of divine challenge. It is a people that deeply desires life in the freedom of responsible discipleship—a people called to be a redemptive church exploring authentic fellowship while creating a safe haven for all who are humbled by the many ways real life unfolds. Therefore, Naples Community Church is a fellowship of loving people striving to live God’s love in Christ.
We started in a home, just to meet and support one another, enjoy the fellowship of Sunday afternoons and to gather in the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. This fellowship then moved to a Sunday morning in a community room at a local bank, then to Naples Community Hospital, then to Naples High. They asked the Rev. Dr. Kirt Anderson to serve as their founding pastor. He asked Dr. Samuel Southard, Professor Emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary to serve as a resident theologian, then Wendy DaPrato to serve as music director and church administrator. Rev. Dr. Daniel Lamey offered his talents as a worship leader and we enjoyed a succession of children’s ministry workers.
After a few years one of our trustees spotted our current location for lease, and we moved in on Easter of 2009. We purchased the entire facility in 2012 and continue to build a church of people challenged to embody the love of Christ to the world.
The Board of Trustees is comprised of deeply dedicated, talented and committed leaders. They bring exceptional gifts and deep personal commitments to Christ, and are committed to make Naples Community Church a truly great church. Naples Community Church is to be a people and a place where we experience a sense that somehow heaven itself is breaking in, that the love of Jesus Christ is embracing us, and that all this stuff about God is maybe worth thinking about and actually worth living for.
Don’t Miss Out! Subscribe to get our weekly newsletter!
Contact Us
Leave us a message