Our Mission, Vision, and Values

Q: What does 'a faith family on mission' mean?

It means we are a family of believers who actually know each other, walk through life together, and are sent together into the city of Miami to make Jesus known across every neighborhood and every generation.

Christchurch Miami is a faith family on mission. The mission, the vision, and the values below are not slogans on a website. They are the convictions that shape how we worship, how we serve, how we lead, and how we live as a church family in Kendall, Florida.

Mission

Christchurch Miami exists to glorify God
by helping people know, love, and serve Jesus.

Every part of who we are flows out of that mission. Glorifying God is the end. Helping people know, love, and serve Jesus is the means. We pursue both with everything we have.

Vision

A faith family on mission,
to love God and make Him known.

We believe the local church is meant to function as a family - people who actually know each other, eat together, pray for each other, and walk through real life together - not a weekly event that strangers attend. And we believe that family is sent into the city of Miami to make the love of Jesus known across every neighborhood, every generation, and every kitchen table.

Values

Four convictions shape how we live as a faith family.

Jesus is Our Message - we preach Christ as LORD.

Every sermon, every song, every conversation about faith at Christchurch starts and ends with Jesus. He is not one of many topics. He is the message.

People Are Our Priority - we're a faith family where you can belong before you believe.

You don't have to have your theology figured out to find a seat at our table. Doubt, questions, and the long walk back to faith are all welcome here. Belong first. Believe on the way.

Worship Is Our Lifestyle - we glorify God in ALL we do.

Worship is not just what happens at 11 AM on Sunday. It is what happens at the office on Tuesday, in the carpool line on Thursday, across the dinner table on Friday. All of life, lived for the glory of God.

Mission Is Our Mindset - we equip everyone to impact their world for Christ.

Mission isn't a department of the church reserved for the professionals. It is the calling of every Christian - every neighborhood, every workplace, every conversation. Christchurch exists to send people into that calling, not to keep them inside the building.

Our Strategy: WIN, BUILD, SEND

Three verbs translate the mission and vision into how we operate as a church.

WIN the lost. Sundays gather us. The doors are open. The gospel is preached without apology and without shame.
BUILD the believer. Groups, classes, mentoring, and the everyday relationships of a faith family that grows people in their walk with Jesus.
SEND out everyone to live on mission. No spectators. Every person at Christchurch is sent - into a neighborhood, a workplace, a school, a family - to live as Christ's ambassador wherever they already are.

What We Believe

Christchurch Miami is a Bible-believing, Reformed church that stands in the historic stream of Christian orthodoxy. We confess the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Westminster Confession of Faith. We hold Scripture as the inspired and authoritative Word of God.

→ Read our full Statement of Faith

About Christchurch Miami

Christchurch Miami is a gospel-centered church in Kendall, Florida, passionate about helping people know, love, and serve Jesus. We're part of a Bible-believing fellowship of churches united by a shared mission to proclaim the good news of grace. Whether you're new to faith or have followed Jesus for years, you'll find a welcoming community where you can grow spiritually, build meaningful relationships, and make a difference in our city and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the mission of Christchurch Miami?

Christchurch Miami exists to glorify God by helping people know, love, and serve Jesus. That mission shapes everything we do - Sunday worship, kids ministry, youth, groups, and how we engage the city of Miami beyond our walls.

What does "a faith family on mission" mean?

It means we are not a weekly event for strangers - we are a family of believers who actually know each other, walk through life together, and are sent together into the city of Miami to make Jesus known across every neighborhood and every generation.

What does Christchurch Miami value?

Four core values: Jesus is our message; people are our priority; worship is our lifestyle; mission is our mindset. These are not slogans - they shape how we preach, how we welcome, how we serve, and how we send people out into their everyday lives.

Is Christchurch Miami part of a denomination?

Yes. Christchurch Miami is part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a Reformed Bible-believing denomination, and belongs to the South Florida Presbytery. We hold to historic Christian theology while remaining contemporary in style and welcoming to people exploring faith for the first time.

Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? | Road to Emmaus Explained

April 5th, 2026
by Jeff Reed

On Easter Sunday, one question continues to echo through history:
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

For many people who are exploring faith, asking questions about God, or unsure what to believe, the story of the Road to Emmaus offers one of the most compelling accounts in the Bible.

This is not just a religious story.
It is a deeply human story about grief, doubt, evidence, and unexpected hope.

In Luke 24, two followers of Jesus are walking the seven-mile road from Jerusalem to Emmaus just hours after reports began spreading that Jesus’ tomb was empty.
What happened next changed everything.

What Happened on the Road to Emmaus?

On the same day Jesus rose from the dead, two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem.

They were confused.
Heartbroken.
Disappointed.

They had watched Jesus be crucified just days earlier.
They had hoped He would change everything.
Instead, He died.

Then came the shocking reports from women who claimed the tomb was empty and that angels said Jesus was alive.

As they walked, a stranger joined them on the road.

What they did not realize was this:
the stranger was Jesus Himself.
Yet Luke tells us they did not recognize Him.

This detail is powerful because it mirrors what many people experience spiritually today.
Sometimes God may be closer than we realize, even in moments of doubt and pain.

Why Didn’t They Recognize Jesus?

This is one of the most searched questions around this passage.
The disciples were overwhelmed by grief and confusion.
Their expectations had been shattered.
They expected a political savior.
Instead, Jesus died on a cross.

Many people today wrestle with similar questions:

Why does God allow suffering?
Why doesn’t life go the way we hoped?
If Jesus is real, why does faith sometimes feel unclear?

The Emmaus story speaks directly to people who are searching for meaning in the middle of disappointment.

Did Jesus Give Evidence?

This is where the story becomes especially compelling for skeptics and seekers.
Jesus did not begin by demanding blind faith.

Instead, He pointed them to evidence.

Luke says:

“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

In other words, Jesus pointed to prophecy.

Hundreds of years before His birth, the Hebrew Scriptures described details of His life, death, and resurrection.

Some of the strongest examples include:

Isaiah 53 → suffering and crucifixion
Micah 5:2 → birth in Bethlehem
Psalm 22 → pierced hands and feet
Zechariah 9:9 → entering Jerusalem on a donkey
Psalm 16 → resurrection / no decay

These prophecies were written centuries before Jesus lived.

For someone exploring Christianity, this matters because faith is not presented as wishful thinking.

It is presented as history connected to prophecy.

Could This Have Happened by Coincidence?

This question matters for non-Christians.

According to apologetic research referenced in the sermon, the mathematical odds of one person fulfilling just eight major messianic prophecies are astronomically small.

The odds are often compared to covering the state of Texas in silver dollars two feet deep and picking one marked coin blindfolded.

For all major prophecies, the probability becomes virtually impossible by chance.
For many seekers, this is where the resurrection moves from myth to something worth investigating.

When Did They Finally Recognize Jesus?

The turning point came at dinner.
When Jesus broke the bread, suddenly everything became clear.

Luke says:

“Their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”

This moment is powerful because recognition came after the journey.
After the questions.
After the conversation.
After the evidence.

This is often how spiritual discovery works.
People rarely move from doubt to certainty instantly.
Sometimes it happens through a journey.

Why This Matters If You’re Not Religious

The Road to Emmaus matters because it speaks directly to people who are:

searching for God
questioning faith
exploring whether Jesus was real
dealing with grief or disappointment
wondering if there is hope after pain

The message is simple:
Jesus meets people on the road.
Not after they have all the answers.
Not after they become perfect.
But in the middle of their questions.

That is why this story remains one of the most powerful Easter accounts for people who are not Christians.

Photo by Peter Robbins on Unsplash