Real Life, Real People
Mission
with Jesus.
What to Expect
Positive and practical messages from the Bible that speak to real life issues
A relaxed, casual environment where you can check out Christianity at your own pace without being put on the spot
Upbeat music performed by a live band on stage
Attention-grabbing multimedia and video presentations
Quality teenage and children's programs and a clean, safe nursery
Real people like you who have found meaningful relationships and fulfilling lives
Our Values
People - Because all people matter to God, they matter to us. Like Jesus, we desire to show the unconditional love of God to everyone we meet. Valuing people also means that we are relationship based, rather than rules based.
Authenticity - As Christians we believe a genuine and transparent faith should permeate every aspect of our personal and church life. It means we strive to relate to each other as Christ would relate to us: lovingly, openly, honestly, and forgivingly.
Grace - At Ni River we realize we aren't perfect... so we don't expect others to be either! We believe the unconditional love, compassion, and forgiveness of God must be extended to a hurting world so that they might see firsthand through us the person of Christ in action. In this way we become walking testimonies to God's unlimited grace.
Truth - We believe that Biblical truth is culturally relevant to our lives today. We affirm and stand fast on God's revealed truth, the Bible, as our moral standard and guide for every day living.
Servanthood - The Bible tells us that Jesus came "not to be served, but to serve others". Every member is a minister at Ni River, and the leadership is called to equip and to mobilize the membership into service and ministry.
Excellence - We believe only our very best honors God, reflects His character, and inspires people. Excellence demands a devotion that brings our very best to God in every aspect of our church and lives.
Relevance - We use a variety of modern artistic expressions to demonstrate how Biblical truth can apply to our lives today. In valuing relevance we realize that we must also be risk-takers in contemporary, creative, and credible ways in order to impact today's ever-changing culture.
What others are saying
"I think I found the right church for me... I feel right at home!" - Michelle
"I love it here! Coming here has made me a better person towards myself, my husband, and my kids." - Jeannie
"We have tried many other churches in the area, but this is the first church our son has asked to come back to!" - Randy
"Thank you so much for this ministry... I rejoice in the innovation, authenticity, freshness, and humor of this church. The service yesterday 'wowed' me! I was touched, as was my friend - she's not been in church for many years and she has never laughed in church before... until now!" - Tracy
"My experience with church has always been negative - I just couldn't deal with the shame-based messages. But I love this church! The band is awesome!" - Patsy
Just what kind of church is this? - Our Statement of Faith
Beliefs to Die For (Or At Least Live Life By!) - Ni River Community Church Statement of Faith
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe God created the world and all that is in it. We believe that God is the sovereign ruler of the universe.
We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible, authoritative Word of God. We believe that the Bible is the authority for our faith and as Christians we need to know and study it.
We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God; in His Virgin Birth, in His sinless human life, in His miracles. We believe He willingly presented Himself as a sacrifice for our salvation through His shed blood and death. We believe in His bodily resurrection. We believe in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful humanity repentance from sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the only way to come into a relationship with God. We believe that the Holy Spirit is present in our lives and is essential to us in our efforts to live a Godly life.
We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after His.
We believe it is important to uphold the scriptural practices of the early church. Therefore, we hold to the practice of water baptism and the regular taking of Communion as a demonstration of our living faith in Christ.
We believe that the true basis of Christian fellowship is His Love, which is greater than any differences we possess and that all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to be fully human.
We believe worship of God should be a spiritual experience and be both intelligent and fruitful. Therefore, we remain flexible and yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship, and a prominent place is given to music and various media.
The History of Ni River Community Church
Ni River desired to be a place where it was safe to bring your family and friends, rather than a weird frightening place that made one feel left out and the only one not in the know. It was designed to be a place where Real World meets Real God with Sunday feeling very much like Monday or Thursday or Saturday!
With that hope in mind, 60 friends opened the doors of Courtland High School and invited many to the first service of Ni River Community Church. Since then, Ni River has stayed true to its roots – non-traditional in its approach toward communicating the claims of Jesus Christ, loving people right where they are in that journey toward God, and striving to present the Bible and God as relevant to people’s lives in the 21st Century!
Today, many people who had “given up on church” have found Ni River Community Church a secure place to experience God and test the waters of “real relationship” with God and others, and also to experience real life change!
Come Grow With Us
You can follow us in our adventure on Our Future page.