We value every human being.
Matthew 18:14 & 25:45
2 Peter 3:9
Who We Are
Our mission is to 'be' the church and not just 'do' church, revering God in all we do and revealing God to all we meet.
Core Values
We do church as a team, and mutually commit to excellence at every level.
Ephesians 4:11-16
Psalm 78:72
Colossians 3:17
We are committed to creatively presenting the Gospel and to redeeming the arts.
1 Corinthians 9: 22-23
Acts 17:22-34
We believe spiritual growth and accountability happens in small groups.
Mark 12: 29-31
Acts 2:44-4
Proverbs. 27:17
We believe people were created to serve and are most fulfilled when doing so.
Mark 10:45
Ephesians 2:10
Romans 12
1 Corinthians 12:14-20
We courageously deal with conflict in a biblical manner, fiercely protect unity, and place high value on relationships.
James 1:2-3
1 Peter 3:8-9
I Corinthians 13:8
Romans 16:17
Ephesians 4:3
We practice lifestyle evangelism and are passionate about seeing lives changed.
Proverbs 11:30
John 1:43 – 45
John 4:28-30
We are serious about identifying and training next-generation leaders.
2 Timothy 2:2
1 Timothy 3:1
Titus 1:5-9
Psalms 78:6-7
Our Vision
We see people being changed, empowering them to continuously walk in the freedom and character of Christ.
We see people being connected, enabling them to collectively accomplish the purpose for which they were made.
We see people being challenged, equipping them to effectively demonstrate the power and the love of Christ to all they encounter.
Our Leadership
In 2004, Jay and Melanie Stewart started The Refuge Church out of a basement. Since those early days, they’ve worked to build a culture where "being the church" is something we do out in the community, not just inside a building. Both Jay and Melanie have a heart for people and love helping others get to know Christ in a real, personal way. Along with leading our church, Jay is an author and a mentor to other pastors—always looking for fresh ways to share the Gospel.
What We Believe
We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, irrevocable and complete Word of God.
2 Timothy 3:16,17
We believe God is triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the three-in-one.
1 John 5:7
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but that by voluntary disobedience he fell from perfection.
Romans 5:12
We believe that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, signing the pardon of all who believe on Him and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord.
John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9,10
We believe that before salvation we have no righteousness of our own and must come to God through the righteousness of Christ.
Ephesians 2:8
We believe that upon sincere repentance and a whole-hearted acceptance of Christ as Lord, we are justified before God.
1 John 1:9
We believe that the change which takes place in the heart and life at conversion is a literal one and is the result of being born of the Spirit of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20, John 3:5-7
We believe that it is the will of God that we live a sanctified and holy life, growing constantly in the Faith.
Hebrews 6:1
We believe that baptism by immersion in water is an outward sign of the inward work of salvation.
Matthew 28:19
We believe in the commemoration of the Lord’s Supper by the symbolical use of the bread and the juice of the vine.
1 Corinthians 11:28
We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is to endue the believer with power, and that His empowering is after the same manner as in Bible days.
Acts 1:8, 2:4
We believe that it is the will of God that we walk in the Spirit continually.
Ephesians 4:30-32
We believe that the Holy Spirit has gifts to bestow upon the Christian and that we should show spiritual fruit as evidence of a Spirit-filled life.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Galatians 5:22-23, Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:11-13
We believe that all truth must be balanced with other scriptural truth in order to avoid any extreme of fanaticism and we believe that moderation should show forth in our daily walk as a believer.
Philippians 4:5
We believe that divine healing is the provision of Christ to heal the sick in response to the exercise of faith, the prayer of faith, the prayer of agreement, anointing with oil, the gifts of healing or the laying on of hands. We believe that this provision of Christ is for everyone today.
1 Peter 2:24, Matthew 8:17, 18:18-19, James 5:14-16, 1 Corinthians 2:9, Mark 16:15-18, Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33
We affirm the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, the millennium and the final judgment. The final judgment will determine the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ. We affirm with the Bible the final state of the new heavens and the new earth.
2 Thessalonians 1:10 – 2:2
We believe it is our sacred duty to identify and actively participate with the local and visible church of Christ.
Acts 16:5, Hebrews 10:25
We believe that the laws of the land should be upheld at all times except in matters opposed to the Word of God.
Romans 13:1-5
We believe in and embrace the Jewish Roots of our Christian Faith. We acknowledge God’s unique and ongoing relationship with Israel and the Jewish people while rejecting dual covenant and replacement theology.
Romans 11:25-27
We believe that heaven is a literal place, eternally existent.
John 14:2, Revelation 7:15-17
We believe that hell is a literal place of eternal torment for all who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 20:10,15
We believe that soul-winning is the Great Commission given to the Church.
James 5:20, Mark 16:15, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
We believe that the method ordained of God for the support and spread of His cause is by the giving of tithes and free-will offerings.
Malachi 3:10, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Hebrews 7:8
We believe that “acceptable” and “true” worship is prescribed by God Himself in His Word. This embodies individual and corporate expressions of praise and thanksgiving and reverence in holiness.
John 4:24, Psalm 150
We believe in church government to ensure order, and we believe in loyalty to those acting in rightful authority as they lead us in the Lord.
1 Peter 5:1-5, Romans 13
We believe that in essentials there must be unity, in non-essentials, liberty, and in all things, love.
Statement of Marriage and Sexuality
We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, those who seek membership, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly.
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with scripture nor the doctrines of the church.
Our Location
230 Refuge Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081
We’re off Kannapolis Parkway between Afton and Downtown Kannapolis.