Worship Leader

These are some of the goals we share in inviting others to check out this church:

1. WE’RE ALL ABOUT JESUS AND WE FOCUS ON HIS PRIORITIES

For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. (2Cor 4:5)

Jesus’ priorities:

Love God

And He (Jesus) said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.” (Matt 22:37-38)

Our greatest desire is to grow in love for God by knowing, trusting, and obeying Him.

Love One Another

39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matt 22:39-40)

Our second greatest desire is to grow in love for each other by befriending, honoring, and serving each other.

Live the Mission

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20)

Our third greatest desire is to live the mission by loving, serving, and sharing the good news and training disciples with everyone throughout our community and the world.

2. ENGAGING, PRACTICAL, BIBLE-FILLED, EXPOSITORY TEACHING

Our focus is to know God through His word. Every verse matters to God and is, therefore, important to us. Therefore, we use a verse by verse expository style with an emphasis on practical application for daily life. We get to the relevant points quickly. We don't waste time with boring trivia or religious, feel-good mumbo jumbo.  

3. A BIBLICALLY BALANCED WORSHIP EXPERIENCE

We worship with deep reverence and joyful celebration. Our time of singing is led by the music team. The music is often contemporary, but you’ll hear hymns too. We desire to sing songs that are biblically sound, understandable, engaging and have some theological depth.

4. A CARING, CHRIST-CENTERED NURSERY AND PRESCHOOL

Nursery and preschool are provided during all worship services and Sunday morning Life Groups. It is an honor to help you teach and model a biblical relationship with God to your child during their most formative years. We strive to provide a safe, joyous interactive learning environment with age appropriate Bible stories, music, art and games. We want the Bible to come alive for our children who are just getting to know who God is.

5. THE KIDS LOVE THIS PLACE

We love children and have engineered an age appropriate curriculum just for them! Awesome Adventure, our children’s church during the worship service, is a high energy, interactive program where the Bible comes alive every Sunday morning. We believe in teaching children the Word of God in a fun and exciting way that stimulates participation and growth.

We also provide Life Groups for children on Sunday mornings following Awesome Adventure. Children learn to love God, love one another and live the mission through the use of age appropriate and interactive Bible stories, drama, music, memory verses, art and games. Wednesday night BLAST features boys and girls clubs and Anchored Youth.

6. YOUTH WITH ROCK SOLID TRUST IN JESUS AND HIS WORD

We help equip our youth so they can make the most important choices of their lives:

1. Education and career choices,

2. friendship choices,

3. dating and marriage choices and, most importantly,

4. the choice to love and trust God and his word even in challenging environments like the secular college campus. We believe in our youth and their call by God to impact the world and eternity. We will do all within our power to help them do so.

7. A PLACE WHERE LADIES FIND IT EASY TO CONNECT

At CPF ladies discover the quality of acceptance and love that results in lasting relationships. Singleness, marriage, divorce, widowed, family issues, childcare issues, employment issues, too much housework, body image issues, disease, chronic pain, abuse, addictions, grief, bitterness, loneliness – no matter what you’re going through or what season of life you’re in, there are ladies here who want to connect with you and journey with you through life. We spend time together, share life together, laugh together, cry together and we want you to join us.

8. A PLACE FOR MEN

We get stuff like thinking no way God could ever use a guy like me; feeling like a failure as a dad and husband; inner rage; financial stress; the frustration of not getting enough sex or sleep; awkwardness in social settings; the fear of being put on the spot (which will not happen here).

We engineer stuff with you in mind. The teachings are relevant and quickly get to the point. We use language you’ll understand. And we do stuff like boating, fishing, softball, golf, skeet shooting, diving, and community sports.

Jesus was God in a body. He was no wuss as some would portray him. Jesus wasn’t nice, passive, effeminate, or politically correct and He is not calling CPF or you to be nice, passive, effeminate, or politically correct. Jesus was courageous, confrontational, powerful in every way, sacrificial in lifestyle, morally and spiritually rock solid, focused on the welfare of others, full of grace and humility. He is calling CPF and you to follow Him.

9. THE OFFER OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE WITH WHICH TO DO LIFE

We call these Life Groups. We have Life Groups for all ages. The purpose of each group is to live our three priorities together. They meet weekly on Sunday mornings in the church buildings and in homes and at CPF throughout the week.

10. THE OFFER OF A FRIEND YOU CAN TRUST TO MENTOR YOU IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

If you desire individualized help in the Christian life we have volunteers, singles and couples, that you can choose from who are trained to help you grow.

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy2:2)

11. CLASSES, SEMINARS AND INDIVIDUAL TRAINING IN BIBLICAL STUDIES

Current and planned topics include: marriage, parenting, finance, ministry, hermeneutics (how to interpret the Bible), Old and New Testament surveys, book studies, biblical theology, systematic theology, Ministry A to Z, how to share the Gospel, apologetics (evidence for the faith), international missions and ministry, persecution and poverty studies, church history, spiritual disciplines, and ethics.

12. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

If you feel God may be calling you into leadership such as a Life Group leader, deacon, pastor, missionary, etc., we would love to mentor you in your journey no matter your history or education.

13. WE LOVE AND SERVE OUR COMMUNITY

We value the people, organizations and businesses of Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, Bradenton and Sarasota and we will do anything in our power for their good and welfare.

14. WE LOVE, AND SERVE THE PERSECUTED AND IMPOVERISHED AROUND THE WORLD.

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. (Heb 13:3)

15. OUR INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS FOCUS IS ON THE UNREACHED AND UNENGAGED PEOPLE GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20)

16. UNITY IN DIVERSITY

We are from many different backgrounds and find the input from different biblical perspectives healthy. We unify over the essentials the Bible emphasizes. We refuse to divide over the non-emphasized or harder to interpret portions of God’s Word.

We are a Romans 14 style church.

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. (Rom 14:1-5)

17. THE FOOD AROUND HERE IS REALLY GOOD; THE FELLOWSHIP EVEN BETTER