People shopping for a church often ask, "What kind of church is this?" We are never quite sure how to answer that question because any answer we give may be technically correct, but still not accurately reflect who we are.
There's a long list of labels and pigeon-holes that often get thrown around… Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Protestant, Wesleyan, Holiness… and we can claim elements of some/all of those and still not tell the whole story. We are evangelical in our proclamation of the Word of God and emphasis upon the good news of salvation by faith alone, in Christ alone. We are pentecostal in our belief that the miraculous empowerment of the Holy Spirit is given still today to make us witnesses to all the world. Some have jokingly referred to us as "semi-costal" because we are not usually as emotionally demonstrative as many of our classic Pentecostal friends. We are charismatic in our understanding that the charisma, or gifts, are available and necessary for the church today… but we don't follow every fad of charismania that sweeps through the contemporary church. We are protestant if the three choices are "Protestant, Catholic or Jewish" -- though we would prefer "none of the above." We have our roots deep in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, yet we have rejected the legalism often embodied in that tradition. We are wonderfully blessed to be part of the worldwide fellowship of the Church of God of Prophecy, while recognizing that we are not cut from the typical COGOP mold. Emerging? Emergent? Seeker-sensitive? Seeker-friendly? New movements -- and new labels -- keep arising, and yet none of them precisely defines us.
Our congregation is mostly young, and our music is loud and contemporary. Our gatherings are pretty casual, come-as-you-are affairs. You'll see lots of people with coffee or Jamba Juice in hand, and a few dogs now and then. (We take God very seriously; we don't take ourselves very seriously at all.)
The best answer we can give you when you ask "What kind of church is this?" is, "It's a GOOD church!"
So here's the challenge we issue to those who ask: come worship with us next week. Come early and have a cup of coffee on us. Dress comfortably and be prepared to be greeted with open arms and open hearts. If Windward Worship Center is not what you are looking for, you will have spent a couple of hours with some great people, praised the Lord with Christ-exalting contemporary music, heard some encouraging praise reports from people a lot like you, and allowed the Lord to speak to your heart during an expository sermon from the scriptures. Not a bad way to spend a morning!