Our Values
Values are just words to some people. At City North, our values are everything. They are the guiding principles that drive every decision we make. They are the behaviors that define who we are. If you want to know what it’s like to be part of City North, our values tell that story.
We live out big faith in a big God
We choose faith in the promises & truth of Jesus instead of giving into the fear of what could happen. We don’t ask what’s easy, comfortable, or safe. We ask what’s right and we obey it. We don’t live on our own understanding, but boldly and confidently step wherever God tells us, knowing He sees what we cannot. We trust Him above all.
We prioritize health above growth
We prioritize the health of the body above the growth of the body. Health can lead to growth, but growth doesn’t always mean health. We will ask, “is this healthy?” before we ask, “will it yield results?”. We recognize it is God who builds His church, and it is our job to care for the church well, trusting Him for the results.
We put God first and others second
We put people first in all things. We put them before our preferences, desires, and policies. We model the kindness of Jesus, who cared genuinely for people. We do not ask “how are you” because we must; we ask it because we truly want to know. We do life together, not just attend a service together. We rally around each other in times of need and celebrate together in times of joy. We walk together because we’re too vulnerable alone.
We think much of Jesus and very little of ourselves. We don’t build our kingdom. We build His. We don’t take action based on how it will benefit us. We take action based on if it will make much of God.
We give sacrificially
We give beyond our means, our understanding, and our comfort because God gave more than we ever could in Jesus first. We know that people will see God how we represent Him. We know our faith is put into practice by how we view our resources – whether as scarce or not.
We choose real in a world full of fake
In a world that’s full of fake we choose to be real. We refuse to pretend and act like everything is ok when it really isn’t. We live in the joy and the pain of life. We laugh big, cry hard, and give space for struggle and mess. We create places where it’s ok to be ok, and where it’s ok to not be ok.
We give huge grace and speak bold truth
We will give extraordinary grace because it’s what we’ve been given. Jesus died for us, sinners without a way to be good enough for him. We accept that grace and give it freely, without comparing ourselves to others, or expecting them to fit a pre-formed mold of our own making. When we stand before Jesus one day we will say we erred on the side of grace, yet we also refuse to allow lies to destroy lives so we confront the lies of the enemy with the Truth of the King.
We pay it forward
We do not consume, we contribute, because every one of us stands on the shoulders of giants who gave more than we could imagine to see the name of Jesus carried through the generations. We refuse to simply sit in a seat and observe so we can feel better about ourselves, but instead we choose to pay it forward by using our God given gifts, talents, and passions to build the body.
We bring light into darkness
We will never wall ourselves in, creating a bubble where we feel comfortable, safe, and in control. We will not remove ourselves from our world and our culture because they’re evil. Rather, we will boldly step into a dark world with the light of Jesus, leading the way with His kindness, humility, and grace. And we will not stop until the whole world knows Him.
Our Core Beliefs
What we believe is important, but not all of it is essential. These are the essentials – they are the truths that we cannot and will not waiver on.
God
God is the loving Creator of all that exists. He has no beginning and no end. His majesty is indescribable with the limitations of human language! God exists as the Trinity, in three persons, yet one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is not removed from our world. He deeply desires and relentlessly invites us into a relationship of faith, friendship, learning, and service with Him.
Genesis 1:1; John 14:6-9, 15-17 and John 16:7-15; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 4:9-10
Jesus
God expressed himself in human form through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified for the sins of us all, was buried, rose again from the dead, and ascended to heaven.
Colossians 1:13-23 and Colossians 2:8-14; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Matthew 22:36-40 ; John 14:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-3; Acts 10:42-43; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
The Holy Spirit
When Jesus ascended to heaven He sent the Holy Spirit to join us, fill us, and teach us to live Christ-centered lives. When you see a believer full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control, you know that the Holy Spirit is alive in them.
Acts 1:8; 2:4; Romans 5:5 and Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 3:16, Ephesians 4:3-4, and Ephesians 5:18; John 14:26 and John 16:7-14
The Bible
The Bible is the living and active Word of God, it is truth personified. It is timeless, and it’s timely. It’s so old, and yet so fresh. There’s nothing else like it. If you think the Bible is boring then we challenge you to take a closer look at it with us. We believe that God speaks through the Bible, and it’s our constant endeavor to seek to understand His message and apply it to our lives. We hold the scripture in high esteem, and give our absolute best to presenting it passionately, clearly, and relevantly.
Matthew 5:17-19; 2 Timothy 2:15 and 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrew 4:12; 2 Peter 1:16-21 and 2 Peter 3:14-18; Psalm 19:7-11 and Psalm 119:9-16; Joshua 1:7-8; Acts 17:11
Salvation
When Jesus walked the earth He made a very simple invitation, “Come follow me.” Today he makes the same invitation. The bad news is that because of our sin we are all in need of a savior. The great news is the work of Salvation was done when Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead. For those who accept it, His finished work on the cross saves us from eternal separation from Him. Our works don’t save us…the work is already done!
I Peter 2:24, 3:18; Romans 3:9-28, Romans 6:23, and Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16 and John 5:24; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:3-8; James 2:14-26
Our Pastor
Andrew Scholz is the founding and Lead Pastor of City North Church. He and his wife Vanessa, daughter Brooklyn, and son Mason, moved home to Sunbury in 2016 to pursue a God-sized dream to plant a new, life-giving church in Sunbury. After graduating from Big Walnut in 2004 he left, with no intention of ever coming back, and now he has no intention of ever leaving. He plans to give his life to this city, and to spend every day working to make Jesus famous here.
Andrew has a passion for seeing people who have been hurt and broken by the church find healing, because that’s his story. He knows how it feels to be angry with God, angry at the church, and angry with people. But he also knows how much God loves to take broken things and make them whole again.
You can usually find him spending time with his family, which now includes another son, Gavin, wallowing in misery as a die-hard Cincinnati Reds fan, woodworking, reading, playing basketball or golf, or eating at Eagles Pizza.
Common Questions
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We view Sunday morning as the time to bring your friends and family to hear about the life-giving love of Jesus. That means our Sundays are unapologetically focused on people who are not a part of our church yet. From the time you pull in our parking lot to when you leave you’ll know there are people who love you exactly the way you are.
Each weekend at City North you’ll find a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with inspiring, fresh worship music and a practical, relevant messages. You’ll also find a printed outline for notes in your worship guide that will help you make the most of each week’s teaching. Children are well-cared for in a loving, quality nursery, preschool and fun-filled City North Kids experience. Most of all you’ll find a community of imperfect people pursuing a perfect God. You won’t have to put on a fake face, pretend you’re something you’re not, or feel judged, because we're all on the same journey together.</p>
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Most of us wear jeans and t-shirts, but feel free to wear whatever you would like. We care far more about who you are than what you wear.
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We have weekend services at 250 Rainbow Ave., Sunbury, OH 43074.
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Your children are one of our top priorities. Every week we offer environments for all children from six weeks through fifth grade called City North Kids. Our promise to you is that your child will be safe, secure, and have a whole lot of fun! Every City North Kids team member is trained and background checked to ensure the safety and guarantee the security of your child. Take the morning off and breathe!
For your students grades 6-12 we offer the opportunity to be the church right now, rather than the "church of tomorrow". We give students opportunities to serve in meaningful ways to fulfill their God-given purpose. Whether as a kids small group leader, a part of the band, a greeter, or any number of other teams, at City North your students won't have to wait to make a difference! We also have a student small group where students can build relationships with other students and adult group leaders .
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It all starts with coming to a weekend service. We know that can be intimidating, but you can't meet people without, well, meeting people! At City North you'll find real people living a real life with real issues just like yours. Maybe that sounds crazy, but there are no perfect people allowed here.
From there you can choose from a few next steps to get connected further. You can join a group. You can give Starting Point a try to learn more about who City North and what matters here. Or you can join a team and help reach more people with the life-giving message of Jesus.
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Every Sunday you will experience a Biblical, challenging, applicable message that will help you grow, but the reality is life change happens best in the context of relationships. The best way for you to experience life-changing growth in your faith is in a small group.
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We are a non-denominational church. We don't think there is anything wrong with a part of a denomination; it's just not who we are.