Discover Fort

Why Fort?

Located on the city's south side, we are a multi-generational, Christ-centered church with a heart for our community, our city, and our world. We are known for our welcoming hospitality, generosity, and genuine love for people. 

We also believe in the role of the local church.

It's a place of gathering and also sending. Giving and also receiving. Drawing out and pouring in. Restoring (our brokenness) and breaking (our own agendas and pride). It's a place of discovery and heart transformation. Community and family. It's where we gain a better understanding of how God has uniquely shaped us to serve the world around us with the hope and light of Christ. It's also where we are reminded that we are part of something much bigger than any one person or any one church. The Church is mighty and it's mobile. It can't be contained inside of buildings. The Church is us!

Maybe it's been awhile since you've stepped inside a church, or maybe you've never stepped foot inside a church, either way, we'd encourage you to find a local, Bible-centered church to come alongside of you on your journey. We'd love to be that church! Check out our ministries and meet our leaders.

We are better together.


OUR MISSION

Pursuing Jesus. Cultivating Community. Building Bridges to Culture.

Central to our mission are these three principles:

  • Helping people develop a personal, growing, and thriving relationship with Jesus that leads to genuine heart transformation
  • Cultivating community and connection within the body – we are a family and we are stronger together
  • Empowering people to reach out into their circles of influence by building bridges and bringing Jesus to a broken world

Jesus truly changes everything, and He left us with the commission in Matthew 28:18-20 to “Go and make disciples,” promising to be with us until the very end. Our desire is to live out this commission with excellence, love, and purpose, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our steps. 

At the center of our mission is the reality that our relationships matter – starting with our personal relationship with Christ (which is foundational) and then expanding outward to our relationships with our fellow believers, as well as to those within our circles of influence who are still searching. 

As a church, we want to steward all of our relationships in a way that both glorifies God and points people to Jesus.


Our CORE VALUES

We are a loving and generous family committed to making disciples, serving our community and city, developing leaders, restoring the broken, and equipping the next generation to know and serve God. These core values shape everything we do and help us to fulfill our ultimate mission of reaching the harvest (Matthew 9:35-38).


what we believe: Our Statement of Faith

The Bible

We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the only infallible guide and rule of our faith and practice.

God

We believe there is one God. In the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and attribute, fulfilling distinct but complementary roles in the great work of redemption.

The Plan of Redemption

We believe Jesus Christ was the sacrifice God planned from the foundation of the world for the sin of the human race. By shedding His blood and dying on the cross, Jesus made provision for the salvation of all people.

Salvation

We believe, because of our total inability to save ourselves, salvation is by God's grace alone. It is received by faith with repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as personal Savior.

Water Baptism

We believe water baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an outward sign of an inward work and is commanded by God following conversion.

Communion

We believe in partaking of the bread and the cup of communion in remembrance of the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection. We celebrate an open communion for all believers regardless of church affiliation.

Spirit-Filled Life

We believe every Christian should walk and abide in daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit and experience continual renewing of God's power to live a Spirit-filled life in attitudes, thoughts, speech, and conduct. In order to build up and equip both individual believers and the Church of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts that are to be earnestly desired and exercised in the spirit of love. The fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in the life of every believer is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Church Relationship

We believe Christians should assemble regularly for edification, worship, fellowship, and proclamation of the gospel. All believers should do the work of the ministry according to their spiritual gifts and should tithe and otherwise contribute financially to their church.

Evangelism & Missions

We believe the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ commands us to carry the gospel message to the entire world - to every nation, ethnicity, culture, and language. The growth and strength of the Church depend on its wholehearted sacrifice and support for world evangelization.

Second Coming of Christ

We believe the second coming of Christ will be personal, visible, and triumphant.

The Fort is a part of Open Bible Churches. Open Bible Churches is an association of churches and ministers with a mission to globally make disciples, develop leaders, and plant churches. Click here to read Open Bible's full Statement of Faith.