1.) God’s Word
We believe the Bible presents itself as the inspired Word of God that speaks to every area of personal and church life with absolute authority (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, we are committed to looking to the Bible to guide all we believe and do and to the faithful expositional preaching and teaching biblical truth in all areas of our ministry.

2.) Prayer
We believe God has commanded the local church to be engaged in fervent and persistent prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 18:1-8). We believe that, as a loving Father, He desires us to answer the prayers of His children (Matthew 7:7-11). Therefore, we are committed to regular times of corporate prayer (Acts 1:14; 2:42; 4:23-31; 13:1-3), to caring intercession for fellow believers (Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 1:9-11; 4:6), and to praying for the advancement of the Gospel and salvation of the lost (2 Thessalonians 3:1; Romans 10:1).

3.) Excellence
We believe that God’s glory deserves to be honored by the determined effort to reflect that glory clearly. This is accomplished by striving for excellence in all we do. We recognize that excellence is not simply being the best or doing our best, but that genuine excellence is using our God-given resources effectively to accomplish the right mission (Matthew 25:14-30). Therefore, we are committed to purpose driven ministry which sets clear standards and seeks to achieve them by utilizing our resources effectively.

4.) Spirit-gifted Service
We believe every believer has been equipped by God with the abilities needed for fruitful ministry within the local church (1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 4:10). The gifts are given for building up the church (1 Corinthians 14:12) and to serve others (1 Peter 4:10). Therefore, we offer regular and systematic teaching about gift-based ministry and seek to place believers into areas of ministry according to their God-given gifts and abilities.

5.) Spirit-motivated Ministry
We believe the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of believers to move them into ministry for God’s pleasure (Philippians 2:13; Psalms 37:4; Nehemiah 2:12). Therefore, we are committed to placing the priority on people, not programs. We also encourage freedom in ministry with responsibility, and the bottom-up development of ministries.

6.) Equipping Ministry
We believe the ministry of the local church belongs to every member, not only those members who engage in vocational ministry (Ephesians 4:12). The purpose of vocational ministers is to equip and empower church members for effective ministry so the body of Christ may be edified (Ephesians 4:11-16). Therefore, we strive to place the ministries of NTBC into the hands of non-vocational ministers.

7.) Servant Leadership
We believe that God establishes clear positions of leadership within the local church (1 Timothy 3:1, 10), but we affirm that genuine spiritual leadership is service which seeks the good and development of those who are served (Matthew 20:20-34; 1 Peter 5:1-4). Therefore, we honor Christ-like leadership and strive to forge unity among God’s people through diligently teaching biblical principles.

8.) Mentoring Spiritual Leaders
We believe God calls on present spiritual leaders to intentionally cultivate future spiritual leaders (2 Timothy 2:2). Therefore, we honor the ministry of the Word, call believers to serious ministry commitment, and invest our lives into the mentoring of spiritual leaders who can rise to fulfill God’s plan for ministry.

9.) Loving Relationships
We believe God’s people are called on to encourage and exhort one another toward faithful obedience to Christ (Romans 15:14; Hebrews 3:13). This encouragement and exhortation is best fostered inside the warmth of loving relationships where there is a common interest in the welfare of others (John 13:34-35; Philippians 2:3-4). Therefore, we structure opportunities for believers to develop loving relationships which cultivate openness and mutual accountability.

10.) Relational Evangelism
We believe God has placed every believer within a relational network which is to be his/her primary evangelistic focus. We believe Christ’s commission to His disciples is to develop redemptive relationships (John 17:18; 20:21) so they may give a clear verbal witness about Christ and the Gospel (Romans 10:9-15) and live out the Christian life so non-believers may see it (Matthew 5:16; John 13:34-35). Therefore, we encourage intentional interaction with, not imitation of, the world. We also seek to train believers to communicate the gospel and provide opportunities to introduce non-believers to the fellowship of our church.