There are a number of values that we hold as important and foundational to the ministry that God has given to us as a local church. Some of these are listed below:

Our History
God's Word (the Bible)
Prayer
Worship
Holiness
Children and Youth
Community
Giving

Committment
Church Leadership 
Service and Ministry
Men, Women, and Ministry
Ministry and Missions
Church Affiliation
City Church

Our History

COTRM started in 1962 as a church plant from a local Baptist church. Today we are a charismatic church in pursuit of knowing God personally, experiencing the work and power of the Holy Spirit, and learning how to effectively help others experience the life of God. We are one church among the community of churches in Brevard County who desire to honor and glorify God.

Psalm 61:5
For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name. NASU

 
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God's Word (the Bible)

God’s Word is the foundation on which we build our lives. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the “living word of God.” Our ultimate goal is to become like Jesus Christ, who is the very life of God. The Bible contains the principles of truth on which we build our lives and govern how we respond to the world around us.

John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. NASU

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Prayer

God has asked His people to pray. He challenged His disciples, “could you not keep watch with Me for one hour.” Prayer is part of the spiritual armor God has given to us. Jesus told us to pray so that we would not fall into temptation. Prayer is communicating with God. We are encouraged to ask, seek, and knock on the doors of heaven. The church must learn to pray if we are going to experience the power of God in our lives and in our community. (Ephesians 6:18)

Matthew 26:40
And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? NASU

Luke 22:46
and said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation." NASU

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Worship

Worship is not just an event, it is a life style that we are called to as Christians. As with the spoken word of God, we want to hear what God is saying today through song, dance, bannering, etc. Our worship includes both celebratory and contemplative sounds to enable people to experience the full realm of God’s presence in worship. We also want our worship to be contemporary and appeal to the widest range of people.

John 4:23-24
"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." NASU

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Holiness

One of our goals as a church is to develop people who are pursuing holiness in their personal lives. To be holy is to set our lives apart so they are available for the purposes of God. It is bringing our lives into alignment with God’s Word in our thoughts, affections, attitudes, and actions. Holiness will only happen if we take ownership of our response to life and develop a humility that leads to a heart of repentance.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. NASU

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Children and  Youth

Children and Youth are very important to the advancement of God’s Kingdom. We live in the context of generations that have come before and those which will follow after. Every generation is significant and has been brought into existence “for just such a time as this.” Each generation must humbly learn from the previous generation and sacrificially teach the next generation. Our children and youth ministries are a combination of program and presence. Our objective is to train our young people in an understanding of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and the basic doctrines of the Bible. Our programs also have a strong focus on bringing them into the presence of God. We want young people to experience God, not just know about God. We actively work towards helping them to step into their God-given calling and spiritual gifting. We encourage and train our young people to be involved in the various ministries of the church.

Esther 4:14
… And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?" NASU

2 Timothy 1:5
For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. NASU

Psalm 145:4
One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. NASU

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Community

Church is meant to be a way of living, not a meeting that is attended once a week. God created men and women, not to live alone, but to be involved in committed relationships. Children are born into families, families gather together to make communities. The church is a community of believing men, women, young people, and children, who are growing in their love for God and their love for one another. Church is a spiritual family of fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters, laboring together to reflect God’s life in the earth today. In addition to our Sunday morning gathering, we offer House Churches as a place where people can experience true community.

Psalm 133:1
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! NASU

Matthew 22:37-39
And He said to him, " 'A 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. "The second is like it, 'A YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' NASU

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Giving

Giving is one of the most important principles in the Bible. How we handle our finances is a picture of our spiritual values. God calls His people to give joyfully and sacrificially. God is the source of all that we have and He asks us to give back to Him a portion of what He has given to us. Abraham and Jacob gave 10% to the Lord. Later the tithe is introduced and we again see the giving of 10% to the Lord. In the New Testament we understand that everything we have comes from God and we are to be good stewards of what He has given to us. As members of the Kingdom of God we are asked to support the work of God’s Kingdom with our finances. Jesus Christ gave His life for us and has asked us to live sacrificially for Him. In light of the various references to giving we see in the Bible, we encourage people to give 10% to support the ministries and missions of COTRM. Additionally we encourage people to give offerings to help the poor or give to ministries or missions that God has placed on their heart. As we give, God will give us seed both for bread to eat and to sow in the building of His Kingdom.

Luke 16:10-11
"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? NASU

Acts 20:35
… 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" NASU

2 Corinthians 9:6
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. NASU

2 Corinthians 9:10
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; NASU

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Committment

The church is a community of people who have gathered together around their commitment to God and to one another. Members of COTRM are asked to commit themselves to the vision, values, mission, and ministry philosophy that God has called this church to. This includes being involved in the corporate life of the church, joining one of our House Churches, giving of their time and energy by serving in a ministry, actively developing their walk with God through personal prayer and Bible study, and giving financially to the ministries and missions of COTRM.

Psalm 133:1-3   
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!It is like the precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron's beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing- life forever. NASU

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Church Leadership

God raises up men and women to serve Him in various capacities. Specifically the Bible talks about God raising up and giving apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These ministry functions are to provide overall vision and leadership to the local church. They are called to serve and not Lord over, to be an example by their life style and heart, and to be humble and teachable.

1 Peter 5:1-3
Therefore, I exhort the elders among you… shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and  not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;  nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. NASU

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Service and Ministry

A crucial ingredient in staying healthy spiritually is serving and working together. We must first “be Christians” in the sense of taking on the character of Christ, forsaking sin, and establishing a living relationship with God. However, that is not the end for a Christian. God created us and placed us on this earth with an eternal destiny to fulfill. That is going to involve serving God and serving others. God has called each of us to minister to one another and to the world around us. We are called to be Kingdom builders.

1 Peter 4:10
"As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. NASU

1 Corinthians 12:4-6
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. NASU

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Men, Women, and Ministry

Our desire is for the “many-membered” Body of Christ to participate in the work of ministry. God has richly deposited His Spirit in every believer. We believe that men and women have been created equal before God. However we also believe that God makes a distinction between men and women in function. Men and women are encouraged to minister in many functions at COTRM. The only roles that we do not place women in are a pastoring role over men and we do not allow women to function as governing Elders in the church. We believe the Bible has reserved these positions for men. We recognize that this topic is very controversial and we respect and honor ministries that handle this area differently.

1 Corinthians 11:8-9 For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake. NASU

1 Timothy 3:2-3
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. NASU

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Ministry and Missions

We believe that God has called us to be involved in mission work overseas as well as ministries here at home. A large portion of our mission budget goes towards our own mission work in Guatemala. We currently own several buildings in Guatemala in which we host a children’s program, a church, and a school. We are also involved with Fishers of Men’s Ministry in Haiti. At home we support local ministries such as Pregnancy Resources, Hope Ministries and Love INC.

Matthew 28:19-20 
" 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." NASU

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Church Affiliation

Our pastors have always been very involved relationally with other local pastors. In April 2002 we became part of a network of churches called Church on the Rock, International out of Dallas, Texas. COTRI provides spiritual resources and accountability. COTRI is an international organization that is prayer based and missions oriented and believes in the autonomy of the local church and the importance of relationships.

City Church

The Elders of COTRM recognize that we are one of many churches in the area that are seeking the heart of God for our county and our communities. We believe it is important for local churches to learn to worship and work together toward the common goal of seeing that every person in our county is exposed to the message of Jesus Christ and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. We recognize that God expresses Himself through each local church in His own unique way. Though we may differ in outward forms of worship, and may view certain areas of the Bible differently, we can fellowship together around the fundamental doctrines of Christianity on which we all agree. At COTRM we are committed to working together with other local pastors and their churches to bring God’s Kingdom to our county.