Our Story

Opening its doors in an elementary school in Powhatan on September 1, 2002, PCC started with almost no planning, no money and only a handful of people. The church’s focus was on the thousands of people who did not go to church in Powhatan and Cumberland.

Since that first Sunday, thousands of people have become a part of PCC and over a thousand people have been baptized. Today, Passion Community Church stretches far beyond Powhatan and Cumberland, reaching into many communities through five physical campuses and an Online campus. We exist to reach people who don’t go to church so that we can all experience the fullest lives possible through Jesus Christ.

Mission

We exist to reach people who don’t go to church so that we can all experience the fullest lives possible through Jesus Christ.

Everything we do is designed to accomplish this mission.
Our Core Values reflect this.
We are:

Focused on One Mission
Authentic in All Relationships
Accepting of All People
Excellent in Every Effort
Generous with Our Lives

Core Values

We are focused on one mission.

We are willing to say ‘no’ to many things in order to say ‘yes’ to the things that keep a laser-like, unified focus on our mission. This includes being:

Accessible – removing physical, emotional, spiritual, and personal barriers to the church and God.
Spiritually Healthy – modeling for one another and our community our foundational pursuit of corporate worship, personal Bible study, prayer, serving, authentic relationships, and giving.
Unified – setting aside personal preferences to wholeheartedly support the final decision of the team.

We are authentic in all relationships.

We are honest about who we are. We are willing to be genuine, transparent, open and honest in our relationships with God and with one another. This includes being:

Honest – relating to God and one another with truth-telling, trust, and no withholds (last 10%).
Honorable – acting with integrity and moral courage, controlling impulses and appetites so that we may do what is right, even if the cost is high; ultimately bringing honor to God and the church.

We are accepting of all people.

We are accepting of all people who are investigating the claims of Christ, regardless of their spiritual, emotional, physical, or relational condition. This includes being:

Welcoming – greeting and interacting with people is the responsibility of every member of PCC, regardless of role or position.
Gracious – recognizing that everyone is broken and in need of grace from God and others.
Aware – noticing who is present and reading their body language to gauge appropriate interaction, so that they feel safe and accepted.

We are excellent in every effort.

We bring our best! We are excellent in every effort, believing that bringing our best honors God and inspires people. This includes being:

Creative – willing to innovate, see possibility, and try new things in everything that we do.
Relevant – committed to helping people see how following Christ can change their lives for the better.

We are generous with our whole lives.

We are generous because God has graciously given us what we need and even more than we deserve–life, talents, relationships, experiences, skills, and money. We graciously offer all of that to God, His church, and His people. This includes being:

Committed – regularly volunteering within PCC and regularly giving financially to the budget.
Sacrificial – following Jesus’ example of sacrifice and occasionally giving of time and/or money in a way that stretches us (capital campaigns, special appeals and helping others ).
Helpful – meeting tangible needs in our communities, country, and world.
Available – being open to invitations from God to give of ourselves for the good of others at any time.

Core Beliefs

Around our Core Beliefs, we have unity; in non-core beliefs, we have liberty. In all of our beliefs, we demonstrate grace and love.

Passion Community Church believes in creating a church community that is accepting of all people. We stand firmly against bigotry, violence, prejudice, slander, or harassment of any group or individual. All are welcome to connect with God and others at PCC.

God

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

Genesis 1:1, 26-27 | Psalm 90:2 | 2 Corinthians 13:14

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by willingly accepting crucifixion. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate his power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven, and will return again someday to earth to reign as King and Lord of all.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God, an active supernatural presence that provides believers with power for living, understanding spiritual truth, discernment, and guidance in doing what is right.

John 14:16-17 | John 16:7-15 | Acts 1:8 | 1 Corinthians 2:12 | Ephesians 1:13-14

The Bible

The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the source of truth for Christian beliefs and living.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 | Psalm 119:105 | Matthew 5:17-18

Human Beings

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. Every person has tremendous potential for good, but all of us marred by an attitude of disobedience towards God called “sin.”

Genesis 1:27 | Psalm 8:3-8 | Isaiah 53:6 | Romans 3:23-24

Salvation

When we surrender our will and turn from our self-ruled life to follow Jesus, we are saved. Salvation gives each person abundant life now, and eternal life with God.

Eternal Security

If a person has truly surrendered their life to Jesus, salvation cannot be “lost”. Salvation is maintained by the power and grace of God, not by our self-effort.

John 10:29-30 | 2 Timothy 1:9-12 | Hebrews 10:10-14 | 1 Peter 1:3-5

Eternity

There is life beyond this present existence. To be separated from God is hell; to be eternally with Him is heaven. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence.

John 3:16 | Romans 6:22-23 | Romans 8:17-18 | Revelation 20:11-15 | 1 Corinthians 2:7-10

Priesthood of Every Believer

Every believer has direct access to God through prayer, the Bible, and a daily dependence on the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches that every Christian plays an important, essential role in the corporate body. Every believer is a minister of the Gospel, and should discover a place of service and ministry.

Revelation 1:5-6 | 1 Peter 2:9 | John 15:5 | Philippians 2:12-13

Women in Leadership

Followers of Jesus are used by God in diverse ways based on skills, talents and spiritual gifts – regardless of gender. We find ample Biblical evidence of women in leadership in the early church. At Passion, there is no restriction on any position a person can hold based on gender.

Galatians 3:26-29 | Romans 16:1-2

Marriage and Sexuality

We believe that God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman, and sexual intimacy to be expressed within that covenant. While sexual sin is a serious issue, we reject the shaming of people who live a lifestyle outside of our understanding of the Biblical covenant. We affirm and encourage sexual intimacy strictly within the bounds of marriage, as defined above. We encourage healthy marriages through our teaching, pastoral care, counseling and marriage retreats.

Genesis 2:23-25 | Leviticus 6:22 | Matthew 19:4-6 | 1 Corinthians 6:9-7:9

Tithing

Generosity is an essential part of spiritual growth and practice. We recognize that giving 10% of our income to the local church is a Biblical standard and is a matter of obedience to God. All members are expected to work towards this minimum standard for the good of their spiritual lives and for the benefit of the community.

Leviticus 27:30

Church Autonomy

While we associate and cooperate with other groups of Christians and other churches, we believe every local church should be self-governing. Christ is the recognized head of our church – not any person, group, denomination, or religious organization.

Colossians 1:18

Sharing Your Story

Every person who has encountered Jesus has a story to tell! We believe it is our responsibility to share the “good news” about how Jesus has transformed our lives by telling our personal stories and by inviting others to church.