E3 is not church like you’d expect…

Showing up to a new place can be intimidating, so we’ve done all we can to make your first visit to E3 as easy and informative as possible.

Navigating the Sunday Worship Experience:

Dress Code... or not

We have no required dress code. Most people wear what they would wear on a Friday night dinner and movie outing. So, you’ll be just fine wearing a t-shirt and jeans or a button down.

Coffee in Church?

Most people get up at 7 AM and put a pot of coffee on. When they get to work, they drink coffee. We don’t expect people to suddenly be able to function and operate without coffee on Sunday morning. So, we’ve searched for the best combination of regular and specialty coffee drinks, tea, hot-chocolate and soda-pop. At our full service coffee bar, The RedEye, every drink is complimentary. Please don’t try to pay or tip for your drink. Let us serve you how Christ has served us: cheerfully and freely.

What was that song?

One of our seven values as a church is that we will continually be culturally current. Don’t be surprised if you hear familiar songs playing Pre-Gathering. The playlists are handpicked to facilitate discussion while you connect with others while waiting for the Worship Gatherings to start.

What about my kids?

Bring them! They will love E3Kids! The weekly goal is to make our Sunday morning experience a safe, fun, multi-sensory environment where children can enjoy learning about God through music, games, and stories. Each week focuses on a different Biblical truth teaching children by example and application the importance of such things as sharing, getting along, and obeying their parents. At E3Kids your child will know they are loved and cared about by Jesus and as our staff.There's only one catch, E3Kids is only offered at E3 Tallahassee during the 9:30am and 11am gatherings.

We believe in UNITY in the essentials, FREEDOM in the nonessentials, and in all things LOVE.

Below are the six essentials we believe the community of E3 must have unity on for authentic biblical community:

We believe the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is wholly inspired by God, without error in revealing God’s truth through the use of narrative, poetry and teaching, and the final authority on all matters.

We believe in one God, who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing as three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe all People have been designed to be in relationship with God, but that we have chosen to elevate our own desires above God’s perfect plan and have therefore eternally severed our relationship with God apart from the restoring work of Jesus Christ.

We believe that we are totally reliant on God’s free gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, as the only path to a restored relationship with Him and look forward to Christ’s coming return in fulfillment of the Bible’s teachings.

We believe the Holy Spirit fills true followers of Christ, revealing to us the actions, habits, and patterns in our lives that are not pleasing to God, empowering us to live out God’s purpose for our lives, and giving Spiritual Gifts for the building of the Kingdom of God.

We believe that E3 is only a small part of Christ’s global Church which is comprised of all followers of Christ who are committed to:

• Worshiping the one true God,
• Telling others about the gift of Jesus Christ,
• Connecting in biblical community,
• Teaching and encouraging one another towards becoming more like Christ,
• Serving the church and those far from God in the name of Jesus Christ.

Bring them! They will love E3Kids! The weekly goal is to make our Sunday morning experience a safe, fun, multi-sensory environment where children can enjoy learning about God through music, games, and stories. Each week focuses on a different Biblical truth teaching children by example and application the importance of such things as sharing, getting along, and obeying their parents. At E3Kids your child will know they are loved and cared about by Jesus and as our staff. There's only one catch, E3Kids is only offered at E3 Tallahassee during the 9:30am and 11am gatherings.

Purposes

We identify 5 purposes that we believe are essential for the Body of Christ to live out practically in order for us to be healthy - individually and communally. These purposes are Worship, Outreach, Connexity (yes, we made up a word...), Discipleship and Service.

• Worship - A passion for the LORD should be the AXIS of everything we do. First and formost we are a community of worshipers. God is worthy of the product of our every breath and we want to give him the first fruits of our lives. Everything we do should be done as worship towards God.
• Outreach - Sharing our faith is very important to us but outreach is not "drive by evangelism". Instead, it is relationally earning the right to share with our friends the reason for our hope.
• Connexity - We desire to connect people with Biblical community. It is essential for a follower of Christ to be part of a kinetic community that will encourage them to live the life that God has envisioned for them.
• Discipleship - We are all called to help each other forward in our faith. We desire to build intentional relationships that will help us learn and apply God's Word in meaningful ways.
• Service - Jesus came as the Servant of all and we are to be the conduit of God's mercy and love as we are molded into His image. We have the privilege and responsibility to be the tangible hand of Christ in a lost and hurting world.

Values

As we seek to follow Christ, we want to develop our character and be good stewards of the wonderful gifts He has given us. Laying out these values gives us a target to shoot for as we remind ourselves of His work in our lives. At Element3, we put action to our faith as we live out:

INTENTIONAL

All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches.
1 Corinthians 9:25-26

There are many good things we can do in this world. However, we can become so busy that we miss the best thing. Here at E3 we “practice strict self-control,” and intentionally focus on what God has envisioned for our community.

We understand that there are times when we will need to say, “no” to a good thing, even at the risk of making people angry. We believe that we must “run straight with purpose in every step,” for we will ultimately answer to our Creator for how we’ve used the time, talents and treasures He has entrusted to us.

CULTURALLY CURRENT

Indeed, the Teacher taught the plain truth, and he did so in an interesting way.
Ecclesiastes 12:10

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
1 Corinthians 9:19-22

We believe that people don’t need to leave the 21st century in order to investigate the claims of Christ. The message of God’s love through Jesus Christ is the greatest story ever told. Not only is this truth moving and compelling, it is also relevant to our daily lives. While the content of God’s truth will never change, the medium through which it is presented must evolve, ensuring the greatest story ever told is presented in a meaningful and understandable way.

HOSPITALITY

When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:13

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!
Matthew 25:35, 40

We desire to be radically generous in everything that we do, and practicing hospitality expands our capacity to love. This means that we intentionally continue to make room for both those in our community and friends we have not yet met. Whether it’s a cup of coffee and a warm greeting on Sunday, serving the under-resourced in our city, or meeting in our homes for Growth Groups, we live out hospitality by inviting others into what God is doing in our lives and in the world.

AUTHENTICITY

Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. Philippians 3:17

You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.
1 Peter 1:22

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
Ephesians 4:2

We will settle for nothing less than authentic community, a place where you can truly be yourself without fear of rejection. We believe your past failures, when given to God, can be used as a conduit of His love and mercy to a lost and hurting world. By being a “real place for real people,” we encourage everyone to be honest about where they’ve been, where they are, and where they want to go on their faith journey. The more willing we are to engage honestly with God, ourselves, and each other, the more deeply we are able to experience God’s love, and the more richly we are able to love one another.

RELATIONAL

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30–31

Life comes down to having a right relationship with God and a right relationship with people. In fact, the two are inter-connected; it is vital to nurture our relationship to one another as we grow closer to God. We seek to earn the relational right to speak truth to one another by committing to walk together through healing and hope. Ultimately, it is about knowing and being known, loving and being loved, celebrating and being celebrated, serving and being served. For God’s greatness is revealed in our daily lives as we deepen our relationships with one another.

GRACE

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Colossians 3:13

The free gift of grace changes everything. Our relationship with God is not based on our ability to please Him, but on His unconditional love for us. God’s vision for creation was that we would experience un-buffered relationship with Him. In a sense, when sin entered the world, we became less than fully human. By receiving and responding to God’s love expressed through Jesus’ sacrifice, we begin to experience what God envisioned for humanity, and we believe that this experience should trigger a compelling desire to share this love with a lost and hurting world. Being a part of this story is the fulfillment of our design and the greatest form of worship we can give to our Creator and others.

EXCELLENCE

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

Be sure to set aside the best portions of the gifts given to you as your gifts to the LORD. Numbers 18:29

Excellence is about bringing your best to God as an act of worship; it is not about perfectionism. As ambassadors of Christ, we believe that everything we do should bring glory to God. In order to do this, we must set aside our best thinking, creativity, and energy as our gifts to the LORD. We believe the Church is capable of producing the best art, ideas, and experiences that humanity is capable of. Furthermore, when we conduct our lives and ministry with excellence, we are able to include and care for more people in God’s kingdom.

We all need a little help sometimes and getting an objective perspective on our life situation can be an invaluable investment. Take a step in the right direction and let these people speak into your life... And never give up!

Counselors E3 Recommends

Rob Simpson 850.668.3380

-at Patient's First - Kerry Forest

Michael Zoda, Ph.D., LMFT 850.668.2959

Faith Counseling Center 850.386.1560

Dr. Ronald G. Rickner, Ph.D. (Certified Sex Addiction Therapist) 850.668.0482