Who We Are/Core Values
These “Core Values” are things that speak of our CALLING and our CONVICTIONS here at Central Christian Church-Portales!
Central Christian Church has been a beacon for Portales since 1910. Central is COMPLETELY Autonomous-we do not have a “head office” anywhere. Every decision regarding dollars, programs, personnel, and formats are made right here. We are led by a Pastoral Board-meaning we have chosen Godly men as Elders and Deacons that handle the overall VISION and MISSION of the Church. Elders are focused on Prayer and Ministry where Deacons are tasked with Physical Ministry Needs. We see both offices as necessary and equal-neither office is higher or lower. Our Pastoral Staff deals with the Day-to-Day ministry matters and meet continually to make sure our weekly assemblies go smoothly and meet our Godly responsibilities.
MAIN FOCUS AREAS: Children, Young Adults, Young Families
We will put the largest parts of our resources into these three areas! It doesn’t mean that other areas (Senior Saints, Singles, etc.) are NOT important, but rather that we CHOSE these three areas as our focus to impact future generations.
KIDZONE-Ministry to 5 year olds through 5th Graders!
KidZone happens at our Saturday Service and at Sunday 2nd Service. This is a fully staffed energetic time of worship, laughter, movement, and focus on God’s Word. Kids will receive a Bible Story via a fantastic Video Based lesson, followed by a personal hands-on lesson that will include handouts to reinforce the lesson. There are often craft times, snack times, outside play areas…all in a controlled and safe environment. All KidZone workers are background checked and SafeZone certified!
AMP-Ministry to 6th Graders through 12th Graders!
AMP is our Youth Ministry focused on Young People and empowering them to KNOW the Word of God and USE the Word of God in their daily lives. AMP meets at the Christian Campus House (223 South Avenue K). We spend time in Small groups with adult leaders, in order to develop trust, relationships and build teamwork…all that is based on Holy Scripture. Our purpose is to create confident and active disciples for the Kingdom!
THE SPECTRUM-Ministry to College Aged Students
The Christian Campus House is adjacent to the campus of Eastern New Mexico University and is our Outreach Ministry to students there. The flagship event is called “The Spectrum” and is an open format Bible Study. We have coffee, discussions, and fellowship…all focused on God’s Word. The Spectrum is NOT limited to students at ENMU, but mostly focused on that age group. Our hope is that students will connect at Spectrum and continue their walk with Christ at Central Christian.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT IF YOU VISIT CENTRAL CHRISTIAN?
~WORSHIP: We believe in the power of Worship to surrender ourselves to our Great God! With multiple services, we have different styles of worship. If you like Traditional Hymns with organ and piano, our Sunday FIRST Service is for you! If you like a more upbeat worship, that includes drums, guitars and modern music, both our Saturday Night and Sunday Second Service are Contemporary! We invite you to sing if you want, to raise hands, to clap…or to sit and listen. We want you to FEEL comfortable and at ease as you Worship our God!
~COMMUNION: We choose to practice corporate communion every Sunday! We invite believers to join in with us…if you wish! You do NOT have to be a member at Central to participate. Each service might have a little different format, but the purpose is to draw us together around the foot of the Cross and to contemplate the Empty Tomb. The sacrifice that was made by our brother, Jesus, should impact us each and every week.
~BIBLE BASED TEACHING: We frequently say, “We are a Bible BELIEVING Church, and a Bible USING Church!” We want to be IN the Scriptures each week! We want to see God’s Word as our Lamp and our Guide…and true growth comes from looking at Scripture IN CONTEXT and seeing how it applies to our daily lives in the 21st Century! We encourage you to use the Version of the Bible that YOU choose. We often use New Living Translation, NIV, or even ESV…but the one that you will USE is the one we want you to have! You can even get a free digital Bible using our Central Christian Church App!
~BAPTISM: We encourage public baptism by immersion as a statement of our faith in Jesus Christ! We will happily study and discuss this with you at any time.
~PARTICIPATION: If you are GETTING something from Central, we encourage you to GET INVOLVED with Central! We have many different ministries from Kids to Media to Coffee to Greeter that could use your talents. We want you to be working in YOUR God-given skill area so that you are excited to show Jesus to others!
~GOD IN FIRST POSITION: We have a time each week for Tithes & Offerings. Tithes are our regular commitment to put God first in our Finances. Offerings are special needs OVER AND ABOVE our regular weekly commitments. We have online giving available, giving boxes and regular offering trays. All monies are handled in a Godly fashion and we have many checks and balances so as to avoid any mismanagement of funds. We strive to live transparently as a church in dealing with our finances.
~”CONNECT GROUPS”-Our Small Group ministry is called “CONNECT” and it is thriving! These groups meet once per month, and meet in member’s homes, or at a place of meeting that all agree upon, like a restaurant. There is usually a meal together, then a family-style study time based around a Video Presentation that utilizes the teach of either Don or Franklin. All our videos are created in-house, and are meant to be discussion starters. We finish with a time of personal prayer and connecting with each group member.
~COFFEE, CONVERSATION, & COMFORT: Come on in, make yourself comfortable, get a cup of coffee or a bottle of water…and let’s Connect with one another! Sit…stand…we want YOU to be comfortable. Open your Bible and let’s study together! We are Central…& we’re in this together!
