Our Distinctives

Our identity and beliefs.

We embrace the Bible as the Word of God. Further, we hold to the theology, standards, commitments, and accountability structures of ECO. While no church or denomination is perfect, nevertheless we are committed to ECO's ideals as an expression of what our Lord Jesus desires in his congregations today. We are Reformed in our theology, including holding a strong intellectual basis for our faith while expressing it in warm-hearted outreach to all. We look for opportunities rather than focus on barriers. We are flexible, not bureaucratic. We are team-oriented. We are welcoming.

From the ECO website:

Based in Chesapeake, VA, plus an online community

We are physically situated in a rapidly growing area of Virginia--south central Chesapeake--and we also embrace an online community. Our online worshipers are not merely eavesdroppers; we seek to include all who choose to worship with us, through our Remote Connections ministry.

Our culture.

Gracious - Kind and compassionate

We strive to be a place where people feel welcomed and valued no matter who they are. Jesus welcomed tax collectors, a Roman soldier, a Samaritan woman-- all kinds of people. That's who we are. A gracious culture for us means kindness and compassion. We are here to affirm all who join us. We want to hear your story.

Our mission.

Offer engaging preaching and meaningful worship

Preaching that holds the Word of God as central to our congregational life is a priority for us. So is thoughtful, meaningful worship--worship that glorifies God and exalts Jesus Christ while speaking to hearts, minds, and souls. We strive for worship gatherings that are culturally relevant to our community of faith while also strong in biblical teaching. Many people today see the Christian faith as boring and irrelevant. Many see it as unkind. We intentionally strive to counter those views.

Strive to reach people often on the edges

America has been changing in the last few decades, with greater diversity among its people than ever before. We take to heart the practice of our Lord Jesus, who reached out to people on the edge of his community. Jesus (and later, his disciples) reached out to the marginalized woman at the well, the lame man lowered through the house roof by his friends, an African eunuch asking Philip to explain the Scriptures, and many more. We strive to be welcoming and open to all and to serve with warmth and friendship those traditionally on the edges. Everyone fits in here.

Use technology to advance our mission and vision

Because of our desire to include folks often on the edges and those who, for whatever reason, cannot join us in person every week--or ever--we're committed to use technology to bridge the gap. Live-streaming our worship is not an afterthought or a "have-to" because everyone else is doing it. It's part of who we are. Likewise, we strive to include our remote participants in the breadth of our church life as much as they would like. This takes creativity and is aspirational for us. Using technology to serve others remains a priority.