Cornerstone Church was founded in 1983 under the leadership of Pastors Gene and Linda Saunders with two other families in Chillicothe, Missouri as an independent, non-denominational church.
In 2014, Cornerstone started planting new locations in cooperation with the Church Multiplication Network, with a vision to continue planting where the light of the Gospel is diminished or where new population growth is outpacing the local church growth.
Our Vision
We see a loving church family where everyone is welcomed and encouraged to pursue a growing relationship with God and to demonstrate His love for others.
Our Foundational Principles
• Gospel
The gospel is the good news of the kingdom of God coming to reign with us through the work of Jesus Christ. It is the announcement of the good news of God’s victory over sin, Satan, death, and hell, and that God is renewing all things in and through the work of Jesus Christ. This good news (gospel) is substitutionary (Jesus taking our place), it is holistic (redeeming all of creation), and it moves through God’s people as the Holy Spirit works in us.
This gospel is not something we deserve, earn, or produce. It is good news because we were lost, completely unable and incapable of making a way in our own efforts, and God, who is rich in mercy, rescued us from sin and death. As the gospel is continually revealed to our hearts through the work of the Spirit it begins to overflow in our lives in gratitude, thankfulness, and a life devoted to the King and kingdom living.
The gospel is also the pinnacle of God’s plan for redemption. It is first and foremost about the heart of God, a God who desires to experience renewed relationship with His creation. God created us for intimate fellowship with Him (Genesis 1) and our rebellion and sin fractured the intimacy we were designed to experience with Him (Genesis 3). In God’s desire to redeem us (His creation), he established a covenant (Abraham), a people (Israel), and a law in order to dwell among His people. The law was temporary and unable to truly transform the hearts of people and deal with the effects of sin and death. As a result, God sent his son to earth (the incarnation) to become the ultimate sacrifice for our sin and to reverse the curse of sin and death placed upon us by our rebellion to Him.
The Holy Spirit is now poured out on His people as we seek to reestablish God’s kingdom earth wherever we are present. God is renewing all things through the work of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit - renewing individual people, creating a new redeemed people, and establishing His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. As we join God in His kingdom redemption, we eagerly await the re-creation and restoration of all things in the second coming of Christ (new heavens and new earth).
GOSPEL STUDY: JOHN 3:1-21; ROMANS 1:15-17, 10:8-17
• Community
We are committed to living out the mission of God from the foundation of community and mutual commitment to each other as the people of God. Our commitment to Christ is not just a personal decision but a communal commitment to one another as the body of Christ.
In a consumer-driven, convenience-based society, people too often pursue a local church based on our needs, preferences and desires. As a result, we often fail to experience longevity in our relationships and the protection that comes from trust, intimacy, forgiveness and growth over time. Rather than work through to processes of understanding and forgiveness, too often conflict and disagreement results in broken fellowship.
The foundation of commitment to the Gospel is a willingness to love, serve and sacrifice our selfish desires for the good of the whole and each other. It is only through people empowered by the Holy Spirit, living selflessly and sacrificially, that we become the kingdom community who are pointing the world to the abundant life that Jesus promised.
Although imperfect, the church should be a model of restored community that is diverse yet united in the Gospel and our identity in Christ. We make this commitment to each other not based on our preferences but upon our mutual need for the Gospel. Holy Communion becomes the focal point of unique and different people who display their commitment to one another through the body and blood of Christ.
We become the people of God through the work of the Gospel and our shared mission to bring the kingdom of God to our community and to the world. It is the Holy Spirit at work in us collectively that brings us to unity.
As we pursue community, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us recognize our own need for a Savior and to see others as Christ sees them. In community, we commit ourselves to missional living and building the kingdom of God by living closely with one another in shared practices that grow us into the image of Christ.
COMMUNITY STUDY: ACTS 2:42-47,4:32-35; ROMANS 12:3-21; EPHESIANS 4:11-16
• Mission
As people who have been transformed by the gospel and find identity in Christ, we now join God in His Kingdom mission to redeem all of creation. Missional living begins when we embrace God’s love for all of creation and His desire to restore what has been broken by sin. As image-bearers of God, we bring His Kingdom—love, peace, justice, mercy, goodness, and compassion—to each and every place we go. Thus, we go intentionally.
It is God’s stated mission that all hear the gospel of His Kingdom and experience new birth through the renewing work of the Holy Spirit. As redeemed people we join Jesus in His ministry of reconciliation. We go into all of the world to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Teaching them in the ways of Jesus. We rely on the Holy Spirit within us to empower us to live on mission.
We believe every Christ follower is a missionary with a ministry to fulfill. As we imitate Christ and proclaim the gospel, we push back darkness and bring the light of God’s Kingdom to our community and world. We believe that our lives belong to God and every day we live to go and make disciples, bring His Kingdom to earth through His people, the church.
MISSION STUDY: MATTHEW 28:16-2; MARK 1:16-20; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-21
Our Values
- Love God and People
- Live Generously
- Make a Difference
Our Ideal Church
Our ideal church is one filled with people who love God passionately and love one another genuinely. Church is the place where heaven meets earth. We gather together often to remember, celebrate and surrender to our Lord. Together we dedicate ourselves to Christ’s teaching, to fellowship and to prayer.
No one should have to go through life alone. We are doing life together with people who love us just the way we are, but exhort us to get better. At church we want every person to find good friends who are a delight and who provide comfort and stability during difficult times. We provide a safe place where people laugh freely and often. We prefer and promote one another. Church is not about our personal preferences. We will do what is best for the family.
We want every Sunday to be a family reunion. We want to make Sunday into the best day of the week. We love kids. In making decisions we lean young. Our children will grow up loving God and his church. We desire a church where people stay for years, grow old together, and watch their children grow up, get married, and have children of their own.
We always make room for and reach out to our next family members. Our mission is to connect people with God and to his family, the church. We go to the ends of the earth and next door to tell others “what great things the Lord has done for us.” Through our vocations we serve the church and humanity through our professions, families, church and civic commitments.
Cornerstone Church is a Gospel-centered community growing together living on mission.
• In a time of loneliness and isolation, we choose community
• In a time of deception, we need accountability.
• In a time of division, we unite around the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• In a time of self-centeredness, we live generously.
