About - Summitview Community Church of Greeley/Evans, Colorado

Welcome!

What brings you here? Are you looking to find out what God is all about or for a place to deepen your relationship with Him? Are you looking for friends and companions to walk along with you as live life and seek to follow God? Are you looking for a community to be involved in, accepted as a part of, and challenged by? We hope to be all of those things!

Jesus was once asked what were the most important things God asks us to do. He answered that there were two closely related things that summarize all God wants. First, we should love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Second we should love those around us, looking out for each other in the same way we would look out for ourselves. These are the things we want to do at Summitview.

Our desire to love God with all our being is expressed through our worship, our teaching, and our ministries. If you join us on a Sunday morning, we think you will enjoy the music as our band leads us in contemporary songs that are wonderful reminders of who God is and what He has done for us. Our teachings are centered around sharing what God has revealed about ourselves and the world around us through the Bible. While solidly based on God's word, each message is practical and applicable to our day to day lives. Around these central parts of our Sunday service are other ministries that support our mission as a church. Among these is our Sunday School program which provides activities and teaching for kids from birth up through junior high.

Our desire to love one another is lived out in many ways. One of the most important is our small group ministry. We have a variety of small groups where people can gather together and have a chance to interact, to share what is going on in their life, and to see how a life of following Jesus Christ is lived out. We have groups for college students, for young singles and newly married couples, and for families with children. No matter what stage you are at in your life, you can find a small group home and see what it means for God's church to be like a family.

We haven't even talked about our youth group, men's and women's ministries, parenting classes, and the countless other opportunities we provide, but we hope we have given you an idea what we are all about! Please join us the coming Sunday and find out first hand, or contact us if you have questions! Take a look at the rest of the site for more information.

Who We Are

In the summer of 1997 a few families came to the Greeley/Evans area to start a new church. Coming from Summitview Community Church in Fort Collins, those families wanted to add Summitview's style of ministry to the work that other local Christ-centered churches were doing in Greeley in the hope that our church might reach some that had not yet found a church home in the area.

We started our Sunday meetings in hotels and schools in Greeley and have since moved to our current home, a former furniture store in Evans. From that small group of people, we have been blessed to have many hundreds of people come through our doors, and we are excited about the future as the area continues to grow and as we have more and more opportunities to reach out to the community of which we are now a part.

We are affiliated with Great Commission Churches, all of which share a vision to reach the entire world with the message of God's love and unconditional forgiveness as demonstrated through Jesus Christ.

Perry Paulding and Doug Dale are our pastors. Here is an introduction to them and their families:

Perry Paulding

Greetings! Allow me to introduce our family. My wife, Katie, and I have lived in Greeley since 1999. Originally from Iowa, both of us attended Iowa State University where we became Christians through our sister church there. We have three teenage children—Nathan, Aaron, and Abby, and a golden retriever—“Belle”. I’ve been on staff full-time with Great Commission Ministries since 1989, doing campus ministry in Ames, Iowa and Fort Collins, Colorado, and am now in Greeley serving the community element. My interests include men’s ministry, hiking & camping, reading, Celtic music, and travel. But my real passion is theology! Not just head knowledge, but a passion for the ability of God’s Word to transform and inspire people’s lives through a true understanding of the character of God. Katie enjoys women’s ministry, gardening, book studies, cooking for and coordinating events, and sports. We hope you can visit Summitview and experience the warmth and enduring friendships that can so enrich our lives along the Christian journey.

Doug Dale

My wife Amy and I are both native Coloradoans. We met while we were both attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and we began attending the Fort Collins Summitview about that same time. In 1997 we joined a group of people that moved from Fort Collins to start Summitview Community Church in Greeley and in 2007 I became a pastor here at Summitview. We have three boys - Joshua, James, and Joseph. My interests include music, reading, and just about any high-tech gadget! But what I really love is getting to know more about my God and deepening my relationship with Him. What I appreciate about our church is that it is filled with people who desire the same thing. I'd love to have you come visit us at Summitview!

Statement of Faith

A summary of what we believe

Summitview Community Church is a part of Great Commission Churches, a movement that began in the early 1970's on college campuses. Our purpose is to carry out Christ's commission to share His Good News with the whole world. We are a non-denominational, non-charismatic community Bible church.

The Scripture

The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. It was uniquely, verbally and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and was written without error in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in faith and in every age.

God

There is but one God, infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love, the Creator of the universe, eternally existing in three persons —Father, Son, and Holy Spirit— each of whom possess all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.

Jesus Christ

God the Father, by His own choice and out of love for sinful men and women, sent Jesus Christ into the world to reconcile sinners to Himself. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He is God in the flesh, both true God and true man. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and voluntarily suffered and died as our substitute to pay the penalty for our sins, thus satisfying God’s justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He arose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He bodily ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, makes intercession for His own. He will return to earth —personally, visibly, and bodily— to judge all men and establish His kingdom.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ, to convict men and women of their sins, and to impart new life to all who place their faith in Christ. He indwells believers from the moment of spiritual birth, seals them until the day of redemption and empowers them to live a life pleasing to God.

Man

God created man in His own image, and man, as he was originally created, was innocent before God. But man chose to sin by disobeying God, and therefore was alienated from his Creator and came under divine condemnation. Thus all human beings are born with a corrupted nature and without spiritual life, and are totally incapable of pleasing God in and of themselves.

Salvation

Men and women are freed from the penalty for their sins not as a result, in whole or in part, of their own works, goodness or religious ceremony, but by the undeserved favor of God alone. God declares righteous all who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation.

Assurance

All who are born again of the Spirit can be fully assured of eternal life from the very moment they put their faith in Christ. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit, but upon the fact of God’s election, upon Christ’s complete payment for sins and upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who is the deposit guaranteeing their inheritance.

The Resurrection of the Dead

At physical death, the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his or her body to everlasting glory and blessing. At physical death, the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his or her body to everlasting suffering, judgment and condemnation.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Jesus Christ has instructed those who believe in Him to be baptized in water as a symbol of their new birth in Christ. Baptism would be by immersion and is only for those who have personally believed in Christ. The Lord also instituted the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of His suffering, death and resurrection. Neither baptism nor the Lord’s Supper have any merit in helping a person obtain eternal life.

The Church

All true believers make up the church worldwide and should assemble together in local churches —for worship, prayer, fellowship and teaching— to become conformed to the image of Christ and to become equipped to carry out the “Great Commission” that Christ gave His followers in Matthew 28:19-20.

Core Values

What Really Makes Us Different

Our Mission

We believe that God has commanded us to spread His message across the world. We are actively starting churches (like this one) and plan to start 60 churches in 20 years in both the States and internationally. Five are already in the works! Many people in our churches have willingly made sacrifices in their lives (like moving to Greeley :-)) to help spread God's kingdom. We've also been involved with mission trips to international and domestic locations for both evangelistic and relief efforts. Because we are convinced this is the mission God has left the church with, we're always striving to find effective ways of doing it, whether locally or globally. We've passed out flyers, built parade floats, run ads in the paper, advertised on T.V., and even preached on campus! We consider this a privilege and will continue to try everything we can to tell other people the great message of Jesus Christ! (Mark 15:16; Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 1:8)

Small Groups

Small groups are a vital part of our church. We believe they foster the deepest relationships and provide the best atmosphere for people to grow. They are not add-ons, but are central to our ministry.

Unity

We believe that love and unity are more significant biblical doctrines than many of the minor doctrines that often divide churches. Because of this, division in the church and petty arguments over the carpet color are unheard of. Or maybe it's just because we can't afford new carpet. Well, either way, it sure helps us get along really well.

Leadership

We believe that leaders are servants, as best demonstrated by Jesus. We also believe that pastors are responsible for the church in God's eyes. Therefore our pastors are accountable to each other and to God, rather than to a board. Although this is different from how many churches do things, we believe this most closely follows the examples given us in the New Testament. In addition, we believe the Word of God is thoroughly adequate to equip pastors for the task as taught in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, and although we think seminary is a fine thing, we don't view it as necessary. Instead, our pastors are evaluated by the standards of character set forth in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Because these character areas can only be accurately evaluated when you really know a person, our leaders and pastors are developed from within the church rather than brought in from seminaries and other churches.

The Local Church

We believe the local church is God's chosen instrument to reach the world. There are many, many great Christian organizations, but we believe that the local church is where our energies and efforts should be focused to best advance the work of God.

Strong Marriages and Families

Because God impacts lives all week long and not just on Sundays, we've found that our families have been dramatically changed by our relationships with God. Of course, we aren't perfect yet, but you'll find many role models of good parenting at Summitview, and you'll find lots of kids that are actually fun to be around!! Of course great marriages are central to great families, and we've got lots of those as well!

Ministry

We believe that ministry in the church is accomplished by everyone in the church working together. As we all collectively strive to accomplish God's work, a proper focus is achieved that helps us be united in purpose and in love.

Character

Head knowledge is great, but we believe that knowledge must be applied to our lives in such a way that it results in character growth to truly become valuable to us. Because of our emphasis on character development, you'll find that we have more than our share of characters.

Relationship with God

We believe people's lives are dramatically changed as they spend time reading the Bible and applying what they learn to their lives. By doing this, and by communicating with God through prayer, we develop relationships with God which are fundamental to the Christian life. Because of this, these habits are encouraged in our church and widely practiced.

Grace

We believe that God wants us to live lives that are honoring to Him and that are worthy of His name. We also believe that He has given us an incredible amount of grace and freedom in the Christian life, and when we fall short of what God wants, He is gracious and compassionate, and wants us to treat each other likewise.

Summitview Community Church

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