Visiting a new church can be an intimidating experience. In fact, there are books written to help newcomers navigate these difficult waters. We're not going to make you read a book, but here are some expectations as you consider attending New Hope:

What kind of church are you?

We are a non-denominational church that is independent and autonomous. Although we have no official church body to which we belong, we make many efforts to connect ourselves to the historic Christian Church. For example, our basic doctrinal statement is a reflection of the Apostle's Creed, which we quote in our morning worship service. Our extended doctrinal statement and bylaws are a reflection of the beliefs and philosophy of ministry of many conservative evangelical churches that lean toward a reformed view of salvation within a dispensational framework. It is our desire to establish interdependent relationships with likeminded congregations.

What is a "Bible" church?

When we chose to use the word "Bible"; in our name we wanted to convey the centrality of God's written revelation in the life of our church. Though we recognize that creation declares the glory of God, and Christ as the revelation of God par excellence, God's word provides the only infallible rule of faith and practice for the believer and the church. The Word also plays a vital role in forming and informing our congregational worship.

What does a typical Sunday morning look like?

We have two services on Sunday mornings: the first is our weekly congregational worship service, and the second is a church-wide teaching hour with graded classes for children and teens. No doubt you will be greeted by someone at the door and shown the welcome center, where you can learn more about our church. At 9:15 music will begin to play in the sanctuary, and you can go in and find a seat. If you have infants or toddlers, you will walk right by the nursery on your way to the sanctuary. We encourage our congregation to arrive a few minutes early and sit quietly in the sanctuary to prepare their hearts and minds for worship. The church bulletin provides a detailed order of service, and will aid you greatly in participating in our congregational worship. On most Sundays we offer a Children's Church that children may attend unless the family chooses to worship together. The children are typically dismissed right before the sermon. Between services, we have a coffee break and fellowship time. The second hour is much more informal for the adults, while the kids head off to their classes.

What kind of preaching will I hear?

Our pastor typically delivers expository sermons, and enjoys going through a book of the Bible in a systematic manner. However, we try not to stay in a series overlong, as the goal is to provide a balanced diet that produces a well-rounded congregation over the long haul. Occasionally, we'll focus on a doctrine or another topical issue if that is deemed appropriate. We do follow the church calendar during a couple key times of the year: Advent and Holy Week. On the fourth Sunday of each month we focus on the Gospel and observe the Lord's Table together. Finally, during the month of January we'll give our attention to basic spiritual disciplines in light of the upcoming year'Bible reading, prayer, and church life.

How would you characterize your worship?

It is our desire to be God-centered in all we say and do; we want to give others the right opinion of the character of our God by the manner in which we worship. We adhere closely, though not exclusively, to the regulative principle of worship; that is, we want to practice those forms of worship that God sanctions in His Word, and that build godly character in our people. We also focus on being congregational, in that we encourage broad participation as opposed to spectatorship. Therefore, our worship service includes a call to worship from the Psalms, confession of sins, the announcement of forgiveness to those that are truly repentant, a time for meditation, the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, scripture reading, congregational prayer, reciting the Apostle's Creed, a focus on wisdom from Proverbs, an expository sermon, and an offering for those that are members or regular adherents of our church. Occasionally, a small choir, ensemble, or individual musician will join the congregation at an appropriate time in the service.

What version of the Bible do you use?

We use the updated New American Standard Bible (NASB). Many scholars regard the NASB as the most literal translation of the Scriptures. This is in keeping with our hermeneutic, as it is our desire to use a text that is as close to the original documents as possible. We also encourage our congregation to read from a wide variety of translations to broaden their personal Bible study. On any given Sunday, one can probably find these translations among the congregants: NASB, KJV, NKJV, ESV, NIV, and NLT.